Discover the Top 8 Car Insurance Companies of 2024: Your Ultimate Guide

The Best Car Insurance Companies in More Detail

What Is the Best Car Insurance Company?

Our analysis finds that Nationwide, USAA, Traveler and Erie are the best car companies, all receiving over 4.5 stars (out of 5) in our ratings.

The best car insurance companies for you will depend on your driving record, state and other individual factors. We recommend shopping around to compare car insurance quotes, as the company with the lowest rates will depend on your specific profile.

Best Overall: Nationwide

Nationwide is the best overall car insurance company thanks to its great rates for a variety of driving records and driver ages, its wide range of coverage options and its low level of complaints.

Nationwide’s average rate for good drivers is 29% lower than the national average. It has the cheapest rates for drivers with poor credit, parents adding a teen driver and drivers age 65 to 80, among companies we evaluated.

Company	Average cost per year for good drivers
USAA*	$1,364
Nationwide	$1,436
Travelers	$1,521
Geico	$1,597
Erie	$1,642
Progressive	$1,826
Auto-Owners	$1,855
Westfield	$1,984
National average	$2,026

*USAA is available only to the military, veterans and their families.

Best for Military Members: USAA

USAA is the best car insurance option for military members year after year with its consistently cheap rates and variety of coverage options. USAA sells exclusively to military members, veterans and their family members. It offers a discount of up to 60% if you store your car while you’re deployed and up to 15% for drivers who garage their cars on a base.

USAA’s average rate for good drivers is 33% below the national average. Costs for those with a speeding ticket are 34% lower and 35% lower for drivers who caused an accident with injuries.

USAA Average Annual Car Insurance Costs

Driving record	Cost per year	National average
Good drivers	$1,364	$2,026
Drivers with a speeding ticket	$1,661	$2,533
Drivers with a DUI conviction	$2,604	$3,363
Drivers who caused an accident with injury	$1,958	$3,009
Drivers with poor credit	$2,450	$3,847

Great for Drivers With a Speeding Ticket: Travelers

Travelers offers low-cost insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket. While its rates aren’t the cheapest, they are 19% lower than the national average for drivers with a speeding violation. We found that Travelers’ average cost for insurance after a speeding ticket is lower than many of its competitors.

Company	Average cost per year for drivers with a speeding ticket
USAA*	$1,661
Nationwide	$1,878
Erie	$1,899
Travelers	$2,062
Geico	$2,150
Westfield	$2,335
Progressive	$2,350
Auto-Owners	$2,457
National average	$2,533

*USAA is available only to the military, veterans and their families.

Best for Drivers Who Caused an Accident: Erie

Erie has the best rates for drivers who caused an accident with injuries or property damage. USAA is a bit cheaper for both but its policies are only available to military members, veterans and their families.

Causing an accident leads to an average of 49% increase if there are injuries and 48% increase if there is property damage. Erie’s costs only go up 35% if you cause an accident with injuries and just 29% if you cause property damage.

Company	Average cost per year after an accident with injuries	Average cost per year after an accident with property damage
USAA*	$1,958	$2,021
Erie	$2,224	$2,125
Travelers	$2,293	$2,215
Nationwide	$2,337	$2,298
Auto-Owners	$2,539	$2,539
Geico	$2,748	$2,718
Progressive	$2,770	$2,818
Westfield	$2,901	$2,901
National average	$3,009	$2,994

*USAA is available only to the military, veterans and their families.

Best for Drivers With a DUI: Progressive

Progressive offers the cheapest rates for drivers with a DUI among the companies we analyzed. A DUI is considered a major offense so it can really hike up your insurance. Our analysis found rates go up by 71% on average for drivers with a DUI, but Progressive’s rates only increase 26%.

Company	Average cost per year for a driver with one DUI
Progressive	$2,307
USAA*	$2,604
Travelers	$2,610
Erie	$2,665
Nationwide	$3,083
Auto-Owners	$3,578
Geico	$3,723
Westfield	$4,577
National average	$3,363

*USAA is available only to the military, veterans and their families.

Great for Drivers With Poor Credit: Geico

Geico offers lower rates to drivers with poor credit compared to other top insurers. Its rates are also 36% cheaper than the national average.

Company	Average cost per year for drivers with poor credit
Nationwide	$2,051
USAA*	$2,450
Geico	$2,482
Travelers	$2,699
Progressive	$3,221
Westfield	$3,403
Erie	$3,701
Auto-Owners	$5,407
National average	$3,847

*USAA is available only to the military, veterans and their families.

Best for Family Discounts: Westfield

Compared to other top-rated companies, Westfield has an excellent variety of discounts so family members can save on car insurance. It offers a family discount, next generation discount and companion car insurance discount.

	Family Discount A discount for teen drivers 18 or younger who are added to a parent's auto policy that has been in effect for at least the last three years.
	Next Generation Discount For young drivers ages 22 to 29 and are coming off a parent’s Westfield car insurance policy to buy their own policy.
	Companion Discount For drivers who buy car insurance and who have someone in their households who already has an auto policy with Westfield.

Family Discount

A discount for teen drivers 18 or younger who are added to a parent's auto policy that has been in effect for at least the last three years.

Next Generation Discount

For young drivers ages 22 to 29 and are coming off a parent’s Westfield car insurance policy to buy their own policy.

Companion Discount

For drivers who buy car insurance and who have someone in their households who already has an auto policy with Westfield.

Best for New Cars: Auto-Owners

Auto-Owners offers new-vehicle owners exceptional coverage options. It has two types of new car replacement coverage and gap insurance. If your new car is totaled or stolen, gap insurance pays the difference between your insurance payout and the amount still owed on a lease or loan. Also:

Auto-Owners’ “purchase price guarantee” pays you the original purchase price if your car is totaled within the first two years and you’re the original car owner.
“Total loss to a new automobile” coverage pays to replace your car with a new one of equal value or pays out your original purchase price if your car is totaled within 90 days of purchase.

Not all top-rated companies offer new car replacement coverage and the ones that do usually offer just one type.

Company	Offers gap insurance	Offers new car replacement
Auto-Owners	Yes	Yes, two types
Erie	Yes	Yes
Geico	No	No
Nationwide	Yes	Yes
Progressive	Yes	No
Travelers	Yes	Yes
USAA*	No	Yes
Westfield	Yes	Yes

Best Digital Experience: Geico

Are car insurance companies keeping up with increasing consumer demands for a delightful digital experience? We found out by analyzing mobile app ratings and website functionality. We discovered that Geico currently has the overall best digital experience among the companies that otherwise scored well in our analysis of the best auto insurers.

Company	Our Advisor rating for digital experience	Our expert take
Geico	5.0 stars	Geico leaves its competitors in the dust thanks to the live chat on its website, high user ratings for its mobile apps (4.7 out of 5) and online quotes. It also has a Spanish website version.
Progressive	4.0 stars	Progressive scored well for its mobile app ratings (4.7 out of 5), helpful site search and online quotes. But there’s no Spanish version of its site or live chat.
Nationwide	3.9 stars	Nationwide’s app has a good user rating (4.6 out of 5), a helpful site search and online quotes. It lacks a live chat and Spanish version.
USAA	3.7 stars	USAA’s mobile app has decent user ratings (4.4 out of 5), online quotes and a good site search. But it comes up with no Spanish version and its live chat leaves a lot to be desired: There are only five pre-set questions, none of which could answer our test question about how to get policy documents.
Travelers	3.4 stars	Travelers’ average mobile app rating (4.1 out of 5) is OK, and it has online quotes and a good site search. But like many others in our analysis, it lacks a Spanish version and online chat.
Erie	2.2 stars	Erie’s mobile app fails to impress, with a low user rating (2.9 out of 5). It does have online quotes and a good site search, but it lacks online chat and a Spanish version.
Auto-Owners	No stars	Auto-Owners failed to earn any stars in our analysis mainly due to its lack of online quotes, a site search that is not helpful and no online chat.
Westfield	No stars	Westfield lacks basic digital features: No mobile app, no online quotes, no online chat and a site search that delivers poor results.

How Much Does Car Insurance Cost?

Car insurance costs an average of $2,026 a year, based on our analysis of rates from large car insurance companies. That’s an average of $169 per month.

Company	Average annual car insurance cost for good drivers	Average monthly car insurance cost for good drivers
USAA*	$1,364	$114
Nationwide	$1,436	$120
Travelers	$1,521	$127
Geico	$1,597	$133
Erie	$1,642	$137
Progressive	$1,826	$152
Auto-Owners	$1,855	$155
Westfield	$1,984	$165
State Farm	$2,025	$169

Rates are based on a female driver, age 40, with a good driving record and insuring a new Toyota RAV4 with liability coverage of 100/300/100 ($100,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $300,000 per accident, and $100,000 in property damage liability), uninsured motorist coverage, and collision and comprehensive insurance with a $500 deductible. *USAA is available only to the military, veterans and their families.

Car Insurance Rates by State

Auto insurance rates vary by state for many reasons, including the coverage limits required in each state, severe weather that leads to claims, and local costs of repair parts and labor.

State	Average annual full coverage cost
Alabama	$1,975
Alaska	$1,913
Arizona	$2,110
Arkansas	$2,295
California	$2,768
Colorado	$2,591
Connecticut	$2,252
Delaware	$2,405
Florida	$3,865

Rates are based on a 40-year-old female driver with a good driving record. Averages are based on coverage with $100,000 for injuries to one person, $300,000 for injuries per accident and $100,000 for property damage (known as 100/300/100), uninsured motorist coverage, and collision and comprehensive insurance with a $500 deductible. Source: Quadrant Information Services.

Types of Car Insurance

Knowing the types of car insurance coverage available is important to building the best policy for your specific situation. Liability is the foundation for all auto insurance policies. From there, states vary on what is required, and there is optional coverage you may want for broader coverage.

	Liability Insurance Liability car insurance pays others for property damage and injuries if you're at fault in an accident. It also will pay your legal defense and any settlements or judgments against you if you're sued over an auto accident. Required in all states when you buy auto insurance.
	Uninsured Motorist Insurance Uninsured motorist insurance pays you and your passengers’ medical bills if an uninsured motorist crashes into you. Required in 21 states.
	Personal Injury Protection Personal injury protection (PIP) pays medical expenses for you and your passengers resulting from an auto accident, regardless of fault. It also pays your lost wages, rehabilitation and replacement services for duties you can no longer perform, such as child care. Required in 15 states.
	Medical Payments Coverage Medical payments (MedPay) coverage pays medical expenses for you and your passengers after a car accident, regardless of fault. MedPay typically has low limits and doesn't have the extra benefits that PIP provides. Required in three states (Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania).
	Collision Insurance Collision insurance pays to repair or replace your car after an auto accident, minus your deductible.This includes hitting another car or object—such as a pole, fence or building—or someone crashing into your car. Optional, but lenders typically can require it if you have a lease or loan.
	Comprehensive Insurance Comprehensive insurance pays to repair or replace your car if it's stolen or if it’s damaged due to issues such as fire, floodwater, falling items like tree branches, striking an animal or vandalism. Optional, but lenders typically can require it if you have a lease or loan.
	Rental Reimbursement Rental reimbursement coverage helps pay for a rental car while yours is being repaired after an accident that’s covered by insurance. Optional.
	Gap Insurance Gap insurance pays the difference between the insurance check for your totaled vehicle and the amount you owe on a loan or lease. It’s good to include if you have a large balance on your car loan and your car’s current value is well below the loan balance. Optional.