The Best Auto Insurance in Arkansas 2024

If you’re a high-risk driver — a new driver, a teen driver, someone with a history of traffic violations, and so on — you might have difficulty finding a car insurance company willing to provide you with coverage. Direct Auto, unlike most providers, caters to high-risk drivers by offering customizable payment plans, several sizable discounts, and a team of agents trained to work with unsafe drivers.

Support for High-Risk Drivers

Factors that might categorize you as a high-risk driver include the following:

• Drivers with a DUI
• People with high-value vehicles
• Teen drivers
• People with several past insurance claims
• People who haven’t been covered in the past six months
• Recent driver’s license recipients

Direct Auto can help you curate an affordable plan with flexible payment options if you find yourself in one of the above categories.

Flexible Payment Plans

Because Direct Auto caters to high-risk drivers, its average rate (about $2,500) is nearly $1,500 more than the national average ($1,047).⁴ One way to lessen the sting of high rates is to customize your insurance payment options. You can personalize your payment options to fit your budget by adjusting the following factors:

• Payment dates
• Payment frequencies
• Down payment rate (the higher your down payment, the lower your premiums will be)
• Payment method, including cash (physical locations only)

Ample Discounts

Direct Auto offers one of the longest lists of discounts among any provider, small or large. You can earn savings of up to 25 percent in multiple categories, which is more than most large providers offer. Whether you’re a teen driver, active military member, full-time student, or homeowner, Direct Auto probably has a discount for you. Here’s the full list:

USAA is consistently our top pick for active military service members, veterans, and military families because of its affordable rates, specialized military coverage, and excellent customer service scores. If you’re one of the 252,000 veterans or 3,000 active military members in Arkansas, you can apply for USAA’s exclusive military-only membership.⁵ Whether you need to figure out the best way to store your vehicle during deployment, transfer your insurance overseas, or save more on your domestic policy, USAA will have you covered.

Big Savings With USAA SafePilot

Like our other top picks, USAA offers a telematics discount for safe driving. You can earn up to 30 percent off on your car insurance with USAA’s SafePilot program, one of the company’s top saving opportunities. Here’s how it works.

1. Enroll in the SafePilot program online or with an agent (you get 10 percent off your insurance just for enrolling).
2. Download the SafePilot app, which is available on both iOS and Android. The app has a 4.4 out of five-star rating for iOS and a 4.1 out of five for Android.
3. Drive and allow the app to track your driving habits and score your trips. You don’t need to turn on the app every time you drive; it will track your driving automatically.
4. During the renewal period, USAA will review your score and add any discounts to your policy. You can earn up to 30 percent off at renewal. Also, your rates won’t increase if you exhibit poor driving habits, which isn’t always the case for safe driving programs.

Special Offers for Deployed Military Members

If you’re deployed overseas or in a different state, you can keep your car stored in Arkansas and save money in the process. Here are the three main ways to save if you’re deployed out of state:

• If you’re on deployment and are storing your vehicle back home, you can earn up to 60 percent off your car insurance policy.
• You can earn an additional 15 percent off on your comprehensive coverage if you’re garaging your vehicle on a military installation.
• Finally, if you’re coming in and out of Arkansas between deployments, you can earn a discount for driving fewer miles per year. The less you drive, the more you can save.

Deployed military members can also extend their USAA policies overseas if they plan on driving away from home. You can keep using your USAA insurance if you’re deployed to one of the following countries/territories:

• Azores
• Belgium
• Cuba
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Guam
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• South Korea
• Spain
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• United Kingdom

Coverage for Multiple Types of Vehicles

Whether you’re waiting to insure your favorite classic car, have your own golf car, or want to offroad on an ATV, USAA covers several types of motor vehicles. On top of regular cars, trucks, SUVs, and sports cars, you can also gain coverage for the following vehicles:

• ATVs
• Classic cars
• Dirt bikes
• Golf cars
• Motorcycles
• Motorhomes
• RVs
• Snowmobiles
• Trucks

If you plan on insuring two or more vehicles with USAA, talk to your agent to see what kind of multivehicle savings you’re eligible for.

Nationwide is a well-known and highly-rated car insurance provider that’s been around for nearly a century. Its average annual rate for drivers with poor credit ($1,515) is over $1,600 lower than the statewide average ($3,189). Nationwide also has over 125 independent agents in Arkansas who are ready to help you customize your ideal policy, add your teen driver to your plan, bundle insurance, and more.

Cheap Rates for Drives with Low Credit

Aside from USAA, which is only available to military members and their families, Nationwide offers the best rates to drivers in Arkansas with low credit out of any of our top pick providers. Its average annual rate is $1,515, and its average monthly rate is $89. In contrast, State Farm’s rates are some of the highest for drivers with less than stellar credit.

Independent Agents in Arkansas

Nationwide works with independent agents in over 60 cities in Arkansas:

• Arkadelphia
• Augusta
• Batesville
• Beebe
• Benton
• Bentonville
• Berryville
• Blytheville
• Booneville
• Brinkley
• Cabot
• Camden
• Cave City
• Clarksville
• Clinton
• Conway
• Danville
• Dewitt
• Dumas
• El Dorado
• Fairfield Bay
• Farmington
• Fayetteville
• Fort Smith
• Ft Smith
• Green Forest
• Greenwood
• Harrison
• Hazen
• Helena
• Hot Springs
• Jacksonville
• Jonesboro
• Judsonia
• Lake City
• Lake Village
• Little Rock
• Lowell
• Malvern
• Marianna
• Mc Gehee
• McCrory
• Mena
• Mount Ida
• Mountain Home
• Mountain View
• Newport
• North Little Rock
• Paragould
• Paris
• Pine Bluff
• Prescott
• Rogers
• Russellville
• Searcy
• Sherwood
• Springdale
• Star City
• Texarkana
• Van Buren
• Warren
• West Memphis
• Wynne

Working with an agent can help you maximize savings, because they are deeply familiar with the discounts a provider offers. Agents can also make it easier to bundle and manage multiple policies, and navigate life changes like buying a house, getting married or divorced, or having a child, which could change your insurance needs.

Seamless Mobile Features

Nationwide has a seamless, sleek, and easy-to-use mobile app with plenty of convenient features. Along with State Farm, the Nationwide mobile app has the highest customer reviews of our providers. Nationwide will likely be a better choice for those hoping to manage their policies through an app than Direct Auto or Southern Farm Bureau, both of which have lower customer reviews.

Along with high ratings in the App Store and Google Play, Nationwide ranks above average on J.D. Power’s Insurance Digital Experience Study in the Service category. Its score of 716 out of 1,000 is 18 points above the study average, and second only to USAA among our top picks.⁶

Here are a few actions you can take with the Nationwide app:

• Access your digital ID card.
• Add or remove a driver on your policy.
• Add or replace a new vehicle.
• Change your coverage options.
• Change your due date for payments.
• Manage and change your payment options.
• Pay your bill.
• Track your car insurance claims.

The app has a modern design and is easy to navigate with its helpful menu panel. One of the best new features was being able to access our ID cards, i.e. our proof of insurance, without having to log in to our account, which makes showing insurance cards to police officers or DMV reps much simpler.

With over 91 million customers and over 100 years in business, State Farm is the largest provider on our list. State Farm offers some of the most affordable rates to drivers across Arkansas, making it a great choice for drivers on a budget. Its customer satisfaction data is also impressive: State Farm ranks third (833 out of 1,000 points) in J.D. Power’s regional customer satisfaction study, making it one of the best choices for Arkansas drivers.⁷

There are hundreds of State Farm agents across nearly 100 cities and towns, from Alma to Wynne, including in Little Rock, Fort Smith, Fayetteville, and Springdale.

Cheaper than Average Rates

Aside from USAA, whose rates are low but is only available to military members and their families, State Farm offers the cheapest rates of any provider on our list. Drivers in Arkansas can expect to pay around $1,216 annually for a full coverage policy from State Farm, and a minimum coverage policy typically costs around $382 — both lower than the state average.

Along with State Farm and USAA, Southern Farm Bureau offers some of the more affordable rates in Arkansas. Nationwide customers may find their premiums are slightly higher, but still well below the national average.

Discounts for Safe Drivers

Like Southern Farm Bureau, State Farm offers several safe driving discounts. If you want to improve your driving habits, or even if you are a safe driver already, you can try one of the following State Farm discounts or programs:

• Drive Safe & Save: Drive Safe & Save is a tracking program that records your driving habits, scores you on how safely (or unsafely) you’re driving, and calculates either a premium deduction or an increase. You get a discount just for signing up, and you can earn up to 30 percent off based on your performance.
• Good driver discount: New to State Farm? You can receive a discount if you don’t have any at-fault accidents or moving violations within your first three years as a State Farm customer.
• Steer Clear driver program: Steer Clear is a safety program for drivers under the age of 25. Here’s what you need to be eligible for the 15 percent discount:
  • A valid driver’s license
  • No at-fault accidents or moving violations in the past three years
  • A certification of program completion from Steer Clear
• Defensive driving course discount: State Farm has a network of safety courses in every state. Complete one and you can earn a discount on your premium.
• Vehicle safety discount: You can qualify for this discount by equipping your vehicle with modern safety features such as electronic stability controls, forward collision warnings, and adaptive headlights.

Classic Car Coverage

State Farm is our top pick for the best classic car insurance providers in the country. Not every insurance provider offers classic car coverage because classic cars require a specialized valuation process that isn’t necessary for normal cars. Because the value of a classic car increases over time, instead of depreciating, you and your State Farm agent have to agree to a valuation for the vehicle.

State Farm employs a fair insurance payout process that takes into account any modifications you’ve made to your classic car. Because classic car owners make modifications to their vehicles often, they want to know that their insurer will cover those modifications, not just the original parts of the vehicle.

Excellent Rideshare Coverage

If you drive for a rideshare company (Uber, Lyft, etc.), you’re going to need rideshare coverage. Not all providers offer rideshare insurance, but with State Farm, you can easily integrate rideshare coverage into your plan.

Rideshare insurance fills in the gaps between your personal insurance and your Transportation Network Company (TNC) insurance. When your TNC insurance is unable to provide coverage for you, like when you’re waiting to be matched with your next passenger, your rideshare insurance will kick in. State Farm will also match coverage between your personal and rideshare policies, so you’ll have the same limits and deductibles for rideshare that you do for your personal plan.

Southern Farm Bureau sells auto insurance in six states, including Arkansas. It offers a number of discounts not offered by our other providers, including a Post Graduate discount and a Legacy discount. Its rates for households with teen drivers is the lowest among our top picks. Even if you don’t have a teen on your policy, Southern Farm Bureau’s rates are a little below the state average, making it an affordable choice for many Arkansas drivers.

Affordable Rates for Teens

On average, adding a teen driver to a household policy will increase your rates by over $1,000 annually, and households with teen drivers in Arkansas pay over $6,000 for car insurance on average annually.

Southern Bureau is a great choice for young drivers in Arkansas. Its premiums for teen drivers is significantly below the statewide average of $6,090 a year. The company also offers additional discounts for teens, including a driver training discount and a good student discount.

Save With DriveDown

Safe driving discounts can be especially helpful in Arkansas, where accident rates tend to be higher and have gotten worse since 2019 (we’ll take a closer look at those numbers below). Southern Farm Bureau rewards drivers for their safe driving habits by lowering their deductibles. Those opting into DriveDown will automatically save 5 percent on their premiums after their first trip, and can save more by practicing safe driving habits. Customers opting into DriveDown will need to download the Routley app. Routely then assigns you a score based on your driving habits, which determines your deductible savings every 30 days. With DriveDown, your deductible savings will carry over even if you have to file a claim. Unlike State Farm’s safe driving discount options, DriveDown only lowers your deductibles — your premiums will not change as a result of using DriveDown.

Other Discount Options

Like Direct Auto, Southern Farm Bureau offers a large selection of discounts for Arkansas drivers, including:

• Account Discount (Bundling): Auto insurance customers who also have a home and life policy with Southern Farm Bureau save up to 27 percent.
• Claims Experience Discount: Customers with no chargeable accidents may be eligible for lower premiums.
• Defensive Driving Discount: Available to those who complete a defensive driving course certified by the Arkansas Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Good Student Discount: Applies to qualifying students 16 or under.
• Post Graduate Discount: Available to graduates of a four-year college or university, under the age of 25, who averaged a B grade or better.
• Farm Discount: Available to those who use a private passenger vehicle (like a pick-up truck) for farm use.
• Customer Loyalty Discount: Applies to customers who have been with Southern Farm Bureau for more than two years.
• Financial Responsibility Discount: Those who have paid their premiums for over three years may be eligible for a discount.
• Insurance Score Discount: Insurance companies often assign you a score, based on your credit history and other factors. Those who have a good insurance score from Southern Farm Bureau may be eligible for a discount.
• Paperless Discount: Save by managing your policy online.
• Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Discount: Offered to those who sign up for automatic payments online payments.
• Legacy Discount: Available to customers who are turning 30 and moving from their parents Southern Farm Bureau insurance policy to their own. (USAA is the only other provider on our list that offers a similar discount).

Local Agents

Southern Farm Bureau sells its auto insurance through local insurance agents, and has plenty stationed throughout Arkansas. For example, within Little Rock alone, it has at least eight agent locations, with five to ten agents stationed at each. Working with a local agent can offer the benefit of a more personalized service, and in-depth local knowledge. If you are a first-time insurance buyer, you may find working with a local agent beneficial; they should be able to give you more detailed information on your policy and coverage before you commit.