The average cost of car insurance is $671 per year for drivers with minimum coverage and a clean record, according to WalletHub’s 2022 research. Individual rates may vary based on factors such as driving record, age, car type, and credit history.

Average Car Insurance Cost by Category

• Minimum Coverage: $56 per month
• Full Coverage: $176 per month
• Drivers with a Violation: $71 per month
• Young Drivers: $145 per month
• Senior Drivers: $55 per month

The cost of the average car insurance policy can be a good indication of how much a driver should expect to pay for coverage.

Average Car Insurance Cost by Company

Each insurance company has its own algorithm for calculating premiums, so the same driver could be quoted different premiums by different insurers. As a result, drivers should always compare quotes from at least three different insurers before purchasing a policy.

Average Car Insurance Cost by State

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different

Average Car Insurance Cost by Violation

Drivers almost always pay more for auto insurance after a moving violation. The exact amount that your rates will go up depends mostly on your state and the specific infraction, but in some states your premium can rise to more than double the rate that a safe driver would pay.

You can check your driving record to see how many infractions and points you have on your license, and if you practice good habits behind the wheel, your rates will eventually go back down. It usually takes 3-5 years to improve your driving record for insurance purposes after a moving violation.

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different

Average Car Insurance Cost by Age

Your age can affect your car insurance rates because younger drivers with less experience on the road tend to have more accidents than older, mature drivers. As a result, they also pay more for car insurance.

Premiums usually drop by 12% to 20% when a driver turns 25 years old. After that, the average driver’s rate will gradually decrease over time until they reach their seventies. At that point, costs rise once again due to the increased risk posed by senior drivers.

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different

Average Car Insurance Cost by Gender

Female drivers pay an average of 6% more than male drivers, according to WalletHub’s analysis. However, several states, including California and Hawaii, have laws in place that forbid using gender to influence car insurance rates.

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different

Average Car Insurance Cost by Car Type

The most expensive type of car to insure is a sports car, followed by a truck. In general, the faster a car can go or the more expensive it is to repair or replace, the more its insurance will cost.

Drivers tend to assume that if a car is more expensive, it automatically costs more to insure than a cheaper car. However, this is not always the case. WalletHub’s analysis found that only 22% of the difference in insurance premiums for cars in the same category can be attributed to the cost of the car. The remaining 78% depends on other factors such as the car’s body type, make, and age, which affect how much damage a car can cause and how much it costs to repair.

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different

Average Car Insurance Cost by Specific Vehicle

The vehicles listed above are the cheapest cars to insure overall, according to WalletHub’s analysis. These specific cars represent a mix of SUVs and minivans, which are typically cheaper to insure than other types of cars due to their high safety ratings, low repair costs, and low accident rates.

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different.

Average Car Insurance Cost by Category

Since car insurance costs are based on a driver’s expected level of risk and likelihood of filing claims, certain drivers pay more than others. Students and teens tend to pay more for insurance because of their lack of experience, while married people are seen as being more stable and less likely to take risks, which leads to lower premium costs. Seniors pay slightly more for car insurance than middle-aged drivers because seniors are statistically more likely to be involved in serious accidents on the road.

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different

Average Car Insurance Cost by Credit Score

Drivers with bad credit pay an average of 71% more for car insurance than drivers with good credit, according to WalletHub’s analysis. Insurance companies consider drivers’ credit history because it is generally correlated with their likelihood of filing an insurance claim. They do not directly use credit scores when calculating the cost of premiums, but they use the same underlying information: your credit report.

Note: Premiums are representative only; individual premiums will be different

How to Find Cheap Car Insurance

Each state has its own laws and requirements for car insurance, and premiums for any company can vary widely depending on where you live. As a result, the cheapest companies for certain drivers will be different between states. For your convenience, we’ve listed WalletHub’s guides to finding cheap car insurance in the 10 largest states below.

Video: How Much Is Car Insurance?

Methodology

WalletHub’s analysis of the average rates for car insurance is based on data from Quadrant Information Services. Together with that data, WalletHub used the characteristics listed below to create a driver profile designed to identify the average car insurance rates nationally. Given that prices and data availability vary widely across the country, WalletHub compared the cost of major car insurance companies by averaging each insurer's premiums across all 50 states.

In the table below, you can see all of the profile characteristics that were used in WalletHub’s analysis.

Below are additional details regarding the terminology and specific characteristics of the variables in the above table:

• Minimum Coverage: State minimum coverage requirements.
• Standard Coverage: Coverage levels of 50k/100k/25k of liability coverage and 50k/100k/25k of uninsured motorist coverage.
• Full Coverage: Coverage levels of 100k/300k/50k of liability coverage, 100k/300k/50k of uninsured motorist coverage, and collision and comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible.
• Sedan: 2018 Toyota Camry.
• Minivan: 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan.
• SUV: 2018 Toyota RAV4.
• Coupe: 2018 Ford Mustang.
• Truck: 2018 Ford F-150.

Where driver profiles are not specified, WalletHub used the good driver profile laid out above.

WalletHub also collected quotes for 26 of the most popular vehicle models on the road in the U.S., from 10 major auto insurance companies. For more details on how these were determined, check out WalletHub’s methodology for the cheapest cars to insure.

Quote information is from Quadrant Information Services and is representative only. Individual rates will be different.

Ask The Experts

To gain more insight about average car insurance cost, WalletHub posed the following questions to a panel of experts. Click on the experts below to view their bios and answers.

1. Why have car insurance premiums been increasing over the past years?
2. How can drivers lower their average car insurance costs?
3. Why do some groups pay so much more for car insurance than others?
4. Can insurers really save drivers as much on their average car insurance costs as they advertise?

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