The Best Auto Insurance in Missouri

State Farm, our top pick for car insurance in Missouri, is the largest auto insurance provider in the U.S. by market share. In 2024, the company accounted for 19 percent of private passenger auto insurance policies, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).³

With affordable rates and a multitude of young driver discounts, many Missouri drivers can pay less for their premiums while getting reliable coverage. Plus, State Farm ranked fifth overall in J.D. Power’s 2024 regional customer satisfaction report (647 points out of 1000), placing just after American Family.

Multiple Discounts for Young Drivers

There’s a reason we’ve named State Farm one of our top picks for the best auto insurance for college students. Young Missouri drivers can potentially earn each of three separate discounts on their State Farm car insurance. 

• Good student discount. To qualify, drivers under the age of 25 who are full-time students can get a discount if they have a grade point average of B or higher, ranked scholastically in the upper 20 percent of their class, or made the dean’s list or honor roll.
• Student away at school discount. To qualify for this discount, a driver under the age of 25 must be a student who resides at a school more than 100 miles from home (and the vehicle they drive).
• Steer Clear young driver education and telematics program. State Farm offers a special driver training telematics program for drivers under 25. Participants must meet the following qualifications:
  • Maintain a valid driver’s license
  • Have no at-fault accidents or moving violations for the past three years
  • Download the Steer Clear smartphone app and use it to watch safe driving videos, take quizzes, and record their driving data
  • Complete five training modules
  • Complete five hours of driving in at least 10 trips
  • Complete the Steer Clear course within six months of starting the program

Rideshare Driver Insurance

If you’re a rideshare driver or want to become one, keep in mind that your personal auto insurance policy does not apply while you’re using your car for commercial purposes. In other words, your personal coverage turns off the moment you turn on the rideshare app. Most rideshare companies have their own insurance policies to cover you while you have passengers in the vehicle, but that coverage turns off when you don’t have passengers in your vehicle. 

That’s why specialized rideshare auto insurance, like State Farm’s coverage, is crucial. It protects you during the periods when you’re working but don’t have riders in the car, such as when you’re waiting to be assigned a ride or driving to pick up a passenger. 

Payoff Protection 

State Farm doesn’t offer traditional gap insurance, an optional form of insurance that drivers can buy to pay the difference between a claim payout for a totaled vehicle and what they still owe on their loan or lease. Instead, the company offers a free service called Payoff Protector from its in-house financial services institution, State Farm Bank. For drivers who buy their cars with loans from State Farm Bank and then insure the vehicles with State Farm, Payoff Protector effectively acts as gap insurance. 

If the insurance branch of State Farm declares your covered vehicle to be a total loss, State Farm Bank will then cancel the difference between the amount the claim pays out and the outstanding principal balance due on your loan. If you want the protection that gap insurance provides but don’t want to pay extra for the coverage, consider financing and insuring your car with State Farm.

USAA is an acronym that stands for United Services Automobile Association. The company offers banking, investment services, and a variety of insurance options for members and veterans of the United States Armed Forces and their immediate families exclusively.

Specialized Coverage and Discounts for Active Military Service Members

Missouri is home to three military bases belonging to the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, respectively. USAA membership is only available to current and former members of the U.S. military (including members of ROTC programs), as well as their immediate families. 

USAA offers specialized coverage options and discounts for its members who are on active duty. These include savings of up to 15 percent off your comprehensive coverage premium when you garage your car on a military base. You can also earn up to a discount of up to 60 percent off for storing your covered vehicle on base or at another USAA-approved facility while deployed, or for any other reason. 

If you decide to bring your vehicle along on your deployment, USAA will keep you covered. The company’s international insurance policies allow you to bring your liability coverage and medical payments coverage with you while you’re abroad.

High Customer Satisfaction

USAA ranks highly in car insurance customer satisfaction surveys consistently. Data analytics firm J.D. Power conducts an annual survey on customer satisfaction in the auto insurance industry. In 2024, USAA received an overall customer satisfaction score of 759 out of 1000 in the Central region, which is significantly higher than the study average score of 647. 

Low Interest Rates on Car Loans

USAA offers its members several benefits when it comes to buying new cars. In addition to providing insurance, USAA offers its members banking and financial services. You can think of it as a one-stop shop for financing and insuring a car — one that can save you a lot of money. 

According to car-shopping authority Edmunds, the average auto loan interest rate in Missouri in April 2024 was over 7 percent for new sedans and over 12 percent for used sedans.⁴ Interest rates for USAA’s car loans start at 4.09 percent. In addition, customers who enroll in autopay can get a 0.25 percent discount off their APRs for both new and used car loans. 

The American Automobile Association, which goes by the acronym AAA, is a membership-based federation of car clubs best known for its roadside assistance services. The company offers car insurance as well as other forms of property insurance, life insurance, and more. Missourians are eligible for membership in the organization’s Automobile Club of Missouri affiliate.

Discounts and Rewards

See below for a list of AAA’s automotive discounts and rewards: 

• AAA customers can save on their policies by signing up for AAA OnBoard, an app that monitors their driving habits. Customers may automatically receive a discount just for signing up, and can go on to save up to 30 percent on their next renewal based on their driving score. 
• Free access to AAA’s car-buying service
• Savings of at least 5 cents per gallon of gas with AAA Shell Fuel Rewards
• 10 percent off and rewards points at NAPA Auto Parts
• 10 percent off parts and labor (up to $50) per day for vehicle repairs and maintenance services at AAA-approved auto repair facilities
• Up to 20 percent off Hertz car rental, plus a free child seat, no charge for additional drivers, and no young renter fee
• 8 percent off Thrifty car rentals
• 10 percent off Dollar car rentals
• 12 percent or more off Penske truck rentals
• 45 percent off Zymol car care products
• 10 percent off Hail Protector weather protection products

Roadside Assistance

AAA car insurance doesn’t just help you out financially in the event of an accident; AAA membership comes with roadside assistance benefits to help you with breakdowns, lockouts, and more. Members are entitled to 24/7 roadside assistance throughout the U.S.

Depending on the membership level you select, AAA roadside assistance can include the following services:

• Towing
• Emergency fuel delivery
• Lockout and locksmith (includes parts and labor)
• Battery and jump starts
• Flat tire
• Minor mechanical first aid
• Extrication and winching
• RV and motorcycle roadside assistance
• Rental car benefits after tow
• AAA accident assist and ride assist

Loyalty Perks 

AAA offers several loyalty incentives for members who renew their memberships and continue their AAA auto insurance coverage. These include:

• 6 percent discount on auto insurance premiums: If you stay with AAA for a second year, the company will knock 6 percent off your car insurance premium.
• Renewal bonuses: At the end of each term, AAA gives you a $50 credit for renewing your policy, and lowers your deductible by $50 as well.
• Small accident claim forgiveness: AAA defines a small accident as a claim that costs $250 or less if you were at fault in a car accident or $750 or less if you weren’t at fault. After your first year with AAA, the company will not raise your premiums if you’re in a small accident. 
• Full claim forgiveness: If you are accident-free for at least five years, AAA will allow you to completely remove your first claim from your insurance record, no matter what size it is.

As of 2024, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is the 13th-largest American private auto insurance provider by market share, according to NAIC. The company has hundreds of insurance agents located in more than 140 cities and towns throughout Missouri.

SmartMiles Pay-Per-Mile Program

Nationwide’s SmartMiles program is a form of usage-based car insurance aimed at low-mileage drivers or those who drive less than average. The cost consists of two parts: a base rate and a variable per-mile cost that adds up the miles you drive per month. The less you drive, the lower your monthly bill will be.

SmartMiles offers the same coverage options as traditional Nationwide insurance policies. To join, participants must install provided telematics devices in their vehicles. 2018 and newer Ford and Lincoln connected cars can track miles without telematics devices by sending driving data to Nationwide directly.

Nationwide offers a 10 percent discount after your first SmartMiles renewal, as well as a road trip exception, which doesn’t count mileage over 250 miles on a single day towards your monthly total. You can keep tabs on your mileage and monthly payment via Nationwide’s mobile app and online portal.

You may be a good candidate for SmartMiles pay-per-mile insurance if any of the following apply to you:

• It takes you less than 25 minutes each way to drive to work.
• You work from home and don’t commute.
• You walk, bike, carpool, take public transit, or use another form of transportation instead of driving your car regularly.
• You have an extra car that you drive rarely.

SmartRide Safe Driving Program

While SmartMiles only tracks your mileage, Nationwide’s SmartRide program tracks both mileage and driving behaviors. This makes it another great choice for safe drivers. Nationwide offers an instant 10 percent discount upon signup and discounts of up to 40 percent in total, based on how little and how safely you drive.

Once you sign up, Nationwide will send you a small device that plugs into your car and measures the number of miles you drive; your braking, acceleration, and idling time; and how often you drive between midnight and 5 a.m. Log on to your Nationwide account to track your discount and get personalized feedback about your driving behaviors.

Get Help Assessing Your Insurance Needs

Choosing between insurance coverages can be confusing. Not sure if you’re a good candidate for SmartMiles or SmartRide, or if you should explore different types of coverage?

After you sign up for a policy, Nationwide gives you the opportunity to talk with one of its insurance professionals to review your insurance and answer questions at regular intervals. Nationwide calls these free insurance assessments their On Your Side Review and offers them annually or whenever there’s a change in your life, such as a marriage, the birth of a child, or a new home. This assessment is intended to help you with the following subjects:

• Understanding your insurance policy and benefits
• Ensuring you have the right amount and types of coverage
• Determining if recent or upcoming life events mean you need to update your coverage
• Determining which discounts you qualify for

Shelter is a relatively small regional insurer that operates in 15 states but is headquartered in Missouri. It offers various types of insurance, including auto, home, farm, and life insurance. While you can get a quote online, all Shelter policies must be purchased through an agent. Its rates tend to be higher than competitors in Missouri, but it ranks the highest on many customer satisfaction metrics.

Numerous Discounts

While Shelter doesn’t have the lowest average rates in Missouri, it offers many ways for drivers to lower their premiums. It has three specific Switch and Save discounts that are geared toward new customers who switch to Shelter:

• Prior carrier tenure discount: You may be eligible for a discount based on how long you had your previous auto insurance policy.
• Prior coverage selection discount: Get a discount based on the limit of liability coverage you had on your prior policy.
• Evidence of continuous insurance discount: Available to those with active prior coverage.

Shelter also offers several discounts to existing customers, which are as follows:

• Loyalty discount: Available to those who renew their policies based on how long they’ve been with Shelter.
• Length of ownership discount: Get a discount based on the number of years you’ve owned the insured vehicle.
• Companion other vehicles discount: Available to those who have other qualifying Shelter non-private passenger vehicle policies.
• Companion life policy discount: Save money on your policy by bundling auto with a life insurance policy.
• Companion property policy discount: Get a discount for bundling your auto with a homeowners, farmowners, mobile home, owner-occupied dwelling fire, or farm fire policy.
• Safe driver discount: Available to policyholders who have been accident and violation-free for the past three years. A larger discount is available to drivers who remain accident and violation-free after six years.
• Good student discount: Unmarried full-time students under age 25 who qualify as good students can get a discount. Proof of qualification must be provided before age 19, after which the discount may be renewed.
• Pay in full discount: Save money by paying your premium in full every six months or annually instead of monthly.
• Passive restraint discount: Available for cars with factory-installed airbags.
• Driver training course discounts: Get a discount if you’re the primary driver of a vehicle on your policy and you complete an accident prevention course, or if every driver in the household under age 21 has completed an approved driver’s education course.

Not all discounts are available in every state, so be sure to ask your agent what you may be eligible for.

Strong Customer Service in Missouri

When it comes to customer satisfaction, Shelter beats out every insurer on this list except for USAA, which has eligibility restrictions. Shelter ranked first in J.D. Power’s Auto Insurance Study for the Central region, which includes Missouri, with a score of 677.

It also excels in various other industry metrics, including the CRASH Network Insurer Report Card, which gave it a rating of B-.⁶ The CRASH Network report evaluates insurers based on the experience of auto body repair shops, which report how easy insurers are to work with when a claim is filed.

In addition, Shelter fares well according to the NAIC — it has a Complaint Index of 0.98 as of 2024, which means it receives slightly fewer complaints than average.

Affordable Rates for Teen Drivers

Teen drivers are considered a higher risk to insure, given their limited experience on the road. On average, teen drivers in Missouri pay $7,286 a year, or $607 a month, for auto insurance. Shelter’s average annual rate for teen drivers is $5,618, over $1,000 less than the statewide average.