Best Auto Insurance in Rhode Island in 2024

Aside from USAA—which, as you’ll see below, isn’t available to the general public—Nationwide has the cheapest full coverage auto insurance in Rhode Island. Nationwide is the 10th-largest auto insurance provider in the United States and works with a network of independent agents. These insurance agents may represent multiple carriers and can provide an overview of the local auto insurance landscape. Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the country, but it still boasts many agents available through Nationwide’s online search tool.

Nationwide’s Full Coverage Options

Full coverage auto insurance combines your state’s minimum required coverage limits and additional coverage we usually recommend, depending on your circumstances. Nationwide’s size means it can offer many coverage options and discounts, but here’s what we recommend as a full coverage policy:

Legally-required auto insurance coverage in Rhode Island:

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000²

We recommend getting closer to 100/300/100 limits, and potentially up to $500,000 worth of liability coverage if you can afford it.

Additionally, insurers in Rhode Island must offer uninsured/underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage with limits equal to your liability coverage. Customers can reject this additional coverage by waiving it in writing. We recommend adding UIM coverage to your policy if it’s within your means.

Other coverages included in our definition of “full coverage”:

• Medical benefits coverage to pay reasonable and necessary medical expenses or funerals for you or those covered under your policy up to the amount you choose
• Collision and comprehensive coverage with a reasonable deductible (usually $500 to $1,000)

Nationwide’s Add-On Coverages

While not included in a traditional full coverage policy, these nice-to-have coverages are worth a look as you shop around:

• Accident forgiveness: Nationwide accident forgiveness can be used once per policy to prevent a price increase after your first at-fault accident.
• Roadside assistance: You can use roadside forgiveness through an app to tow your vehicle from a public road, deliver supplies like oil and water, service your battery, change a flat tire, or unlock your car.
• Loss of use/rental car expense: Nationwide helps pay for a rental car or other transportation expenses if you can’t drive your car due to a covered loss.

USAA has the most affordable rates in Rhode Island on auto insurance in every category we researched: full coverage, minimum coverage, teen drivers, low credit, and traffic violations. That’s happy news for those eligible for USAA membership: military members, veterans, and their families. Rhode Island counts as residents 3,545 active-duty service members, 1,105 active-duty spouses, 1,947 active-duty children, and almost 10,000 National Guard and reserve members, spouses, and children.³ If you count yourself among any of these numbers or are an Armed Forces veteran living in Rhode Island, USAA should be your first stop for an auto insurance quote.

Lower Costs for Teen Drivers

USAA makes insuring teen drivers, a notoriously expensive demographic, less of a financial burden. The average annual cost of auto insurance in Rhode Island for 16-year-olds is $8,080. The average for teen drivers insured by USAA is $4,954. That’s almost 40 percent lower and doesn’t take into account USAA’s teen driver discounts, which include:

• Driver training discount when a teen driver completes basic driver training
• Good student discount savings of up to 25 percent
• SafePilot discount savings of up to 30 percent if your teen participates in USAA’s safe driving program
• A multi-vehicle discount if your teen drivers a separate vehicle
• New vehicle or anti-theft device discount if your teen’s car is less than three years old or has an anti-theft device
• Safe driving discount if your young driver maintains a good driving record for more than five years
• 10 percent legacy discount for young drivers transitioning off a parent or guardian’s policy

Discounts for Driving Less

If you’re deployed or storing your vehicle, USAA offers up to 60 percent off your premium. Likewise, if you garage your vehicle on a military installation you could save up to 15 percent on comprehensive coverage. USAA also offers usage-based insurance which is helpful for active duty military without a commute (or who are deployed internationally).

Customer Service and Member Benefits

USAA’s member benefits and customer service offerings should appeal to most eligible drivers in Rhode Island. These benefits include access to banking products (including auto loans with competitive rates), life insurance, health insurance, and member perks:

• 24/7 fraud monitoring on your accounts
• Hotel deals
• Rental car deals
• Theme park and entertainment deals

GEICO has made a name for itself through catchy slogans and funny commercials, but what’s behind the marketing? We often find GEICO in our top picks for its affordable rates, though it relies mostly on its virtual presence. If you’re looking for a reasonable rate—especially with a low credit score—and like doing business via website or mobile app, get a quote from GEICO to compare.

Cheap Rates for Drivers with Poor Credit

Like most states, Rhode Island allows providers to use credit scores when determining auto insurance rates. Auto insurance companies equate bad credit scores with a higher likelihood of making late payments and a higher frequency of claims. The latter association was unfortunately corroborated by a Federal Trade Commission report that found a correlation between low credit scores and higher frequency of claims.⁴

GEICO has affordable rates for drivers with poor credit in Rhode Island. We found it offered the lowest average rate in Rhode Island for drivers with poor credit after USAA (whose availability is limited to military affiliates) and the lowest percentage increase of all the providers surveyed between drivers with good credit vs. poor credit.

Robust Digital Tools

GEICO’s digital tools are robust and include the following:

• Basic insurance management including updating your policy, accessing ID cards, getting quotes, reporting and tracking claims, and accessing GEICO’s virtual assistant through the app
• Map of gas stations and reserved/paid-in-advance parking spots
• Easy Photo Estimate tool to submit photos of vehicle damage directly from a phone and get repair estimates

In J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study, GEICO earned an above-average rating for customer shopping experience. Overall customer satisfaction within the digital shopping experience is 516 and GEICO scored 519.⁵

Top Customer Service Rating in New England

GEICO earned the top spot in the New England region in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study. Where surging rates are reducing customer satisfaction overall in the industry, GEICO’s affordability likely plays a role in its high rank. The company earned a score of 836 out of 1,000 in New England, above the regional average of 816.

We named Amica one of the best auto insurance companies due to its customer satisfaction ratings. It is a mutual insurer, which means the policyholders own the company and can invest in either a traditional or dividend policy. Amica has higher-than-average auto insurance rates in Rhode Island, but we were impressed with its customer service offerings and third-party ratings.

Top Marks for Claims Processing

It can be difficult to assess how an insurer processes claims because the average driver only files one claim every ten years; however, claims processing satisfaction is the primary indicator of customer service ratings. CRASH Network’s Insurer Report Card helps consumers identify good claims service. Amica is ranked 12th on CRASH Network’s 2024 Insurer Report Card and earned a spot on its “Honor Roll,” which recognizes the top 25 insurers based on survey responses from body shops across the United States. Body shops in New England ranked Amica first overall, earning a regional grade of A.⁶

Amica also ranked first for the second consecutive year in J.D. Power’s U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study with a score of 909 out of 1,000. The data set for this study includes almost 10,000 responses from auto insurance customers who settled a claim from September 2022 through August 2023.

Great Digital Tools

While we expect auto insurance providers to offer online tools, they don’t always work. You won’t have to worry about a glitchy digital experience with Amica, though. Amica ranked above average in J.D. Power’s 2024 Insurance Digital Experience Study, earning a score of 699 in the service category and 516 in the shopping category.  This survey evaluates the digital consumer experiences of new and existing customers, navigating desktop, mobile web, and mobile apps based on ease of navigation, speed, visual appeal, and content.

Low Customer Complaint Index

Amica’s national complaint index report, provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), indicates a below-average number of complaints for the private passenger insurance industry. The company received 51 complaints and earned a complaint index of 0.75, which means there are 25 percent fewer complaints than expected.⁷ This is fewer complaints than we’d like to see for a robust assessment, but Amica’s high marks for digital tools and claims processing also contribute to overall customer satisfaction.

Amica also scored the second-highest rating in the New England region in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study with 833, only 3 points behind the top scorer (GEICO).

If you’re worried your auto insurance premium will skyrocket after a traffic violation or accident, we recommend getting a quote from Travelers. Travelers is one of the top 10 largest insurance companies in the United States but offers the second-lowest average premiums in Rhode Island for drivers after a DUI, at-fault accident, and speeding violation. The lowest rates belong to USAA and are only available to military and military families. Affordable rates and flexible coverage options make Travelers a well-rounded choice for drivers in Rhode Island.

Low Rates After a DUI in Rhode Island

35 percent of Rhode Island drivers involved in fatal car crashes in 2021 had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher.⁸ A DUI is a misdemeanor offense in Rhode Island that results in fines, community service, jail, license suspension, education/treatment, and an ignition interlock requirement.⁹ A DUI will stay on your record for three years or more and increase your car insurance premium. On average, full coverage car insurance in Rhode Island costs $2,450. In comparison, the average cost of auto insurance after a DUI in the state is $4,188—an increase of 71 percent.

Low Rates After a Speeding Ticket in Rhode Island

Our research found that car insurance rates increase by 24 percent on average after a speeding ticket in Rhode Island. Although Travelers’ annual premium increases by 40 percent, it’s still the second-lowest rate after a speeding ticket of the companies we analyzed due to its generally low rates.

Low Rates After an At-Fault Accident in Rhode Island

Finally, we researched how much auto insurance in Rhode Island will increase after an at-fault accident.  Travelers auto insurance increased only 15 percent, or $269 annually. Like in other high risk categories, its rates are next-cheapest after USAA.