Car Insurance Quotes: Compare Cheap Coverage

How to Get Free Quotes

It’s easy to get free insurance quotes from AutoInsurance.com. Just call 866-480-0667 and we’ll shop all of the auto insurance companies in your area, finding the best coverage to fit your needs.

The Information You’ll Need

Once you call our Perfect Policy Connector, they’ll ask you for the following personal information:

• Name
• ZIP code
• Current insurance provider and how long you’ve been with them
• What you pay per month for your current insurance
• Whether you own a home
• Whether you want to bundle home and auto
• Date of birth
• DUIs and/or at-fault accidents in the past five years
• Whether you’ve had two or more tickets in the past five years
• Total number of vehicles you own
• How much coverage you want
• Credit score — whether it’s poor, fair, good, very good, or exceptional

Then, they’ll search our Perfect Policy Database for quotes from top auto insurance companies.

How to Compare Quotes

If you want to compare quotes on your own, make sure to enter the exact same information with each auto insurance company. If you select different coverages or forget to include your credit score, you’ll receive inaccurate quotes that you won’t be able to compare apples to apples.

Quote Options

With any insurance company, you can request a quote on its website, over the phone, in person at an agency or brokerage, or even by mail. However, we recommend using one website to compare quotes from multiple providers at once.

There’s a simple reason why you need car insurance: It’s required in every state except New Hampshire and Virginia. Aside from these states with no auto insurance requirement, every state requires drivers to have car insurance when they drive on public roads. If you are caught driving without insurance, you could receive fines, a license or registration suspension, or even imprisonment. So make sure to have your ID cards or mobile insurance app handy the next time you’re behind the wheel.

The entire point of a car insurance policy is auto coverage, financial reimbursements for your losses and the losses of the other party in accidents you’ve caused. You must meet your state’s minimum financial responsibility laws in terms of coverages and limits. Then, you can add on supplemental coverages as you see fit.

State Minimum Coverage

While most states require liability coverage, which includes both bodily injury and property damage coverage, some states only require one or the other. Additionally, some states require uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, personal injury protection (PIP), or medical payments coverage. To see what your state laws require, read our auto insurance guide.

Coverage Options

• Bodily injury coverage pays for the other party’s medical payments in accidents you cause.
• Property damage coverage covers damages to the other party’s vehicle (and any other objects they own) in accidents you cause.
• Medical payments coverage pays for your passengers’ and your injuries in accidents you cause if you’re in an at-fault state.
• Personal injury protection (PIP) also covers your passengers’ and your medical costs in accidents you cause, but unlike medical payments coverage, it also includes reimbursements for child care or lost wages. PIP is required in no-fault states like Florida.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) is liability coverage for your losses if you get into an accident with someone who doesn’t have enough or any insurance. If you live in a state like Mississippi, where nearly 1 in 3 drivers lack insurance,² it’s a good idea to get UM/UIM.
• Collision coverage pays for damages to your car in collisions you cause or if your car rolls over.
• Comprehensive coverage covers your car’s damages from everything but collisions, such as weather, theft, and vandalism.

How Much Car Insurance Do You Need?

How much car insurance you need depends on who you are and what you are trying to protect. For example, someone with a high net worth may want liability limits as high as $500,000 to protect against lawsuits. However, if you are a young, single person who makes little money, minimum coverage may be all you can afford. No matter who you are, buy as much coverage as you can, as it’ll save you money if you have covered claims.

Each car insurance company offers insurance discounts based on many factors.

• Usage: You could get discounts for being accident-free, having low annual mileage, driving safely, or getting no points on your driving record.
• Payment: You could save money by paying annually or enrolling in automatic billing.
• Policy: Companies reward loyal customers as well as customers who sign early or who include multiple vehicles or people on their policies. You could get a discount for bundling life insurance with auto insurance, for example.
• Education: If you’re willing to spend the time, taking a driver training or defensive driving course could earn you a discount.
• Insured: Who is on your policy matters. We’ve seen discounts for customers such as federal employees, homeowners, veterans, students away from home, and young drivers.
• Vehicle: Some companies offer lower prices if you have an electric or hybrid vehicle or even a new car.
• Equipment: You can also get discounts for installing safe driving technology like teen driver monitoring and vehicle storage.

A claim is how you’ll get reimbursed if you suffer any losses in a car accident. Here’s the general process of how auto insurance claims work:

1. You’ll file a claim with your own insurance provider to cover your losses in accidents you caused. If you were the victim of an accident, you or your insurance provider would file a third-party insurance claim with the perpetrator’s company.
2. The provider at hand will review the claim and your policy to see if it’s covered.
3. If it’s covered, the company will send you reimbursement for your losses. If not, your claim is denied and you’ll have to pay for the losses out of pocket.

The cost of auto insurance is a major factor in choosing a provider. Costs differ by state, ZIP code, vehicle, and a slew of other considerations.

Average Cost of Car Insurance by State

Factors That Affect Car Insurance Costs

• Policy and deductibles: Obviously, the more coverages and the higher limits you have, the more your car insurance will cost. Conversely, raising your deductible will lower your premium, as you’re taking on more of the financial burden of covered collision and comprehensive claims.
• Vehicle: Insurance companies use vehicles’ safety ratings to determine how well they protect their occupants and how susceptible they are to theft, injury, and damages. Safer cars cost less to insure. The vehicle’s cost also plays a role, as more expensive cars have higher repair costs under a covered accident.
• Use: You might be able to save money on insurance if you use your car rarely. In that case, opt for usage-based insurance. This will not make sense for those with long commutes, who will pay more for insurance.
• Address: Not only do states have different car insurance requirements, but people in suburban and rural ZIP codes pay less for insurance than people in cities. Urban areas are more densely populated and thus more susceptible to auto theft, vandalism, and accidents in general.
• Driving history: If you have a history of at-fault accidents, tickets, or DUIs, expect to pay higher rates than someone with a clean driving record.
• Credit score: In every state except California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan, insurance companies charge drivers with bad credit more than people with good credit.
• Age: Age also plays a role in pricing, as auto insurance costs more for teens with no driving experience. Expect prices to level out around age 25 as claims become less likely.
• Sex: In every state except California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Montana, and Pennsylvania, companies charge men more for car insurance than women. It’s not due to pure sexism, however; data shows men are more likely to die in traffic accidents, be stopped by the police, and drive under the influence, resulting in costly claims.
• Marital status: Because they’re less likely to file claims, married people pay less for car insurance than those who are single, regardless of whether those single people are divorced, separated, or even widowed.
• Homeownership: Homeowners will see lower rates than renters, as homeownership demonstrates financial responsibility and creditworthiness.

There’s no single perfect car insurance policy for everyone. Everyone has different circumstances, so the best auto insurance for you may not be the best for someone else. Still, there are top providers that work well for the largest number of people, including these companies:

• Allstate
• American Family
• Auto-Owners
• Erie
• Farmers
• GEICO
• Liberty Mutual
• Nationwide
• Progressive
• State Farm
• Travelers
• USAA

Similarly, the cheapest car insurance provider isn’t the same for everyone. However, these companies tend to have lower rates in general:

• Allstate
• Erie
• Farm Bureau
• Farmers
• GEICO
• Progressive
• State Farm
• USAA

Learn more about how to find the cheapest car insurance companies.

• Agent: An agent is someone who represents an insurance provider. Captive agents represent a single provider, like a State Farm agent, while independent agents represent multiple providers.
• At-fault state: In at-fault states, the person who caused an accident is financially responsible for the other party’s property damages and bodily injuries.
• Broker: A broker is someone who represents the customer buying auto insurance to multiple insurance companies. Essentially, a broker shops the entire market for you and helps you make a decision by comparing rates and terms.
• No-fault state: In no-fault states, the at-fault party is only responsible for property damage costs. Each party is responsible for their own medical costs under personal injury protection.
• Premiums: Premiums are what you pay for car insurance, usually either annually or every six months. If you don’t pay your premium, your provider could cancel your insurance policy, meaning you would lack coverage while driving.

Of course, for true peace of mind, you need great customer service along with fair rates, so keep that in mind as you find an agent or insurer. If the world of car insurance is still new to you, read our frequently asked questions below for more information. We hope we’ve led you to a company with reasonable rates and fair coverage.