The best, cheapest car insurance in Iowa

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Our take

Auto-Owners is the best insurer in Iowa, based on Insure.com research of state rates and third-party rankings. Auto-Owners received 3.83 out of 5 stars.

Best car insurance company in Iowa

Drivers in Iowa pay an average of $1,630 a year, or $136 per month, which is the 41^st highest in the country, according to Insure.com’s research.

But that doesn’t mean drivers can’t find cheap coverage from Auto-Owners, Travelers and other carriers that consistently rank among the best insurance companies.

When it comes to the best cheap car insurance in Iowa, Auto-Owners is our No. 1 choice followed by Travelers and State Farm.

Auto-Owners scores well with third-party rating organizations and it has an average premium in Iowa of $1,461 a year, or $122 a month, which is roughly $169 less than the Iowa average.

The best car insurance companies in Iowa

How we picked the top auto insurance companies

When choosing the top car insurance companies in the state, we not only looked at the average cost of coverage but also J.D. Power customer satisfaction scores, AM Best financial strength ratings and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint rankings. National averages were used where state/regional data was not available.

For each of the four metrics, we gave companies in each state from 1 to 5 (5 being the best) based on how they performed in each category. Those components were then given the following weights to arrive at an overall star rating.

• Premiums: 25%
• JD Power: 30%
• AM Best: 25%
• NAIC: 20%

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Auto insurance premiums vary significantly from city to city, so drivers need to be sure they’re getting the best deal. Insure.com has done the research for you. Get more information on auto insurance rates by city below.

Cheapest car insurance in Iowa

Travelers is often the cheapest option for car insurance in Iowa.

Insurers consider a wide variety of factors when setting a premium including your driving record, credit score, age and marital status as well the vehicle. Where you live also affects rates.

“States that have a higher rate of severe weather that damages cars or helps cause accidents will typically have higher rates,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance. “Florida, for example, is prone to extreme weather like hurricanes and its car insurance costs are consequently much higher.”

Insurance companies crunch all this data with proprietary algorithms, which can result in dramatic differences in premium quotes.

The numbers highlight these differences. Allstate is the most expensive insurer in Iowa with an average premium of $2,126 a year.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, the average premium for Travelers policyholders in Iowa is $1,238 a year. State Farm had the second cheapest coverage in Iowa at $1,306 and Auto-Owners rounded out the top three cheapest at $1,461.

Below is a list of the cheapest full-coverage car insurance rates in Iowa for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX.

Cheapest full-coverage insurance in Iowa

Full coverage car insurance in Iowa

As noted, the rates above are for full coverage car insurance. Residents of Iowa will often be advised to get full coverage, which includes both liability protection as well as collision and comprehensive. Liability helps pay medical and legal bills for injuries or damages you are responsible for after an accident. However, liability doesn’t cover damage to your vehicle or your injuries.

Collision will pay to repair your vehicle if it is damaged after colliding with another vehicle or object. Comprehensive covers perils such as fire, theft, flooding, vandalism and more.

You can find out more about liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage here.

Shopping for car insurance in Iowa

Shopping around for coverage is a great way to make sure you are getting the best rates on your auto insurance. Experts often tell consumers to shop for insurance yearly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be looking to switch.

“I recommend that people stay with the same insurance company, as they tend to get a better rate when they have been with the same carrier for more than 12 months. The more tenure you have with a carrier, the more potential there is to earn benefits,” says Tim Bottini, a Country Financial insurance agent based in St. Louis. “The carrier can also review your claims history and provide information about applicable discounts.”

But make sure you are comparing like coverage levels and deductibles.

“It is extremely important to make sure you start off with an apples-to-apples comparison,” Bottini says. However, if a person has low limits, say 25/50/25 – limit per person/per occurrence/limit for property damage – he will recommend higher coverage.

“Depending on their age/income and profession,” he says, “I would quote higher limits to protect their net worth and earnings potential.”

Bottini also says people can save money on their car insurance by keeping their credit score up, following the speed limit and placing both home and auto insurance with the same carrier.

Cheapest car insurance in Iowa by age

Car insurance rates will vary by age as reams of statistics show that teen and young adult drivers, because they are inexperienced on the road, take bigger risks and are more likely to get in an accident and file a claim, which is why they pay more for coverage than older more experienced drivers.

Travelers turned out to be the best insurer in Iowa for drivers of all ages. The numbers show the difference between young and old drivers with the lowest premium for a teen coming in at 91% more than the lowest premium for a senior driver.

Once a driver hits 25, rates will start to drop, assuming they keep their driving record clean, and will stay stable until their 70s when they will start climbing a bit.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Iowa

According to our data, senior drivers pay roughly 31% more than middle-aged drivers.

Seniors tend to pay slightly higher car insurance rates than younger drivers. In Iowa, the cheapest insurance company for senior drivers is Travelers at $1,162 a year or $97 a month. State Farm grabbed the second-place spot with premiums running $1,180 annually or $98 a month, Auto-Owners was third at $1,334.

Seniors pay higher rates thanks to age-related issues. They often suffer from vision and hearing issues as well as slowing reflexes and medical issues. This all leads to more accidents and claims, which pushes up the cost to insure seniors.

The chart below shows the average premium for senior drivers.

Average rates for seniors in Iowa

Car insurance for young drivers in Iowa

While rates start to drop for teen drivers as they become young adults, they still pay slightly higher rates than more experienced drivers. According to our data, Travelers is the cheapest insurer for drivers in their early 20s with an average premium of $1,917 a year or $160 per month.

State Farm was the second cheapest insurer at $2,055 and Auto-Owners will insure a young driver in Iowa for $2,454 a year.

Rates will continue to drop (assuming a clean driving record) as drivers hit their late 20s and move into their 30s. The chart below shows the average premiums for young drivers.

Average rates for young drivers in Iowa

Car insurance for teen drivers in Iowa

Insuring a teen is always expensive; statistics show that inexperienced teen drivers get into more accidents and file more claims than more experienced drivers. In Iowa, the best insurer for teen drivers is State Farm with an annual premium of $3,380 or $282 a month. Auto-Owners was second most affordable at $3,595 a year or $300 monthly while Travelers was number three at $3,731.

While teens are expensive to insure, there are a few ways to save some money. Most insurers offer a good student discount so if your teen is carrying a B average or above you should ask for a discount. Putting them in an older vehicle will also lower your insurance costs.

The chart below shows average premiums for teens.

Average rates for teens in Iowa

Average cost of car insurance in Iowa

The average cost of car insurance in Iowa is $1,630, which makes it the 41^st most expensive state in the country behind Louisiana and Florida.

Metropolitan areas – and all states have them – equals lots of drivers, which often leads to car crashes and claims.

“States with a higher population density have more cars on the road and thus more accidents and claims, increasing insurance rates. A more rural state like Iowa will have significantly lower average yearly car insurance costs compared to a highly metropolitan state like Iowa,” says Gao.

Below is the average rate in each state for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX.

Average rates for a 40-year-old in Iowa

Which Iowa ZIP codes are most expensive for car insurance?

Car insurance costs will vary depending on where you live in Iowa as insurers factor into their calculations the ZIP code where your vehicle is parked.

Our data shows that the Bedford area came out as the most expensive with an average annual premium of $2,053. Gravity was No. 2 and Jasper was No. 3.

Here are the most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa for car insurance:

Most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa

Which Iowa ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

When it comes to cheap car insurance in Iowa, these ZIP codes have the most affordable coverage. The area around Coralville has the lowest premiums in Iowa with an average premium of $1,311.

Least expensive ZIP codes in Iowa

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in Iowa

If you have an incident on your driving record, you may be considered a high-risk driver, and you will pay more for coverage. A speeding ticket, at-fault accident, or DUI can send your premium skyrocketing.

When we ran the numbers, we found that a speeding ticket in Iowa will push the average rate to $1,647 and an at-fault accident will push it to $1,877.

An accident will stay on your record for at least three years so you will be paying a higher premium for quite a while after an accident.

A DUI will usually result in a massive increase and could push your premium into unaffordable territory. If you are convicted of a DUI, your rate on average will climb to $2,133 a year. A DUI will be reported to insurers for three years, and if you are a commercial driver, it stays on your record for 55 years.

The table below shows the average increase for drivers with various incidents on their record:

How much rates increase in Iowa after a traffic incident

Minimum car insurance requirements in Iowa

Most states require drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability car insurance, and Iowa is no exception. Drivers are required to carry 20/40/15 in liability coverage, which translates into:

• $20k for injury/death per person.
• $40k for injury/death per accident
• $15k for damage to property

But state-required minimums are rarely enough coverage in a serious accident. If you cause an accident and the damages exceed your coverage levels, you will need to cover the damages out of pocket.

The most common required coverages are $25,000 bodily injury liability per person/ $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident and $25,000 property damage.

Experts typically recommend carrying 100/300/100 as a minimum liability coverage level.

What our expert says

Q: How does a state’s population affect car insurance rates?

Chong GaoDirector of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.

“States with a higher population density have more cars on the road and thus more accidents and claims, increasing insurance rates. A more rural state like Iowa will have significantly lower average yearly car insurance costs compared to a highly metropolitan state like Iowa.”

Mark Vallet

Contributing Researcher

 

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Mark is a freelance journalist and analyst with over 15 years of experience covering the insurance industry.