Car insurance estimator: Use our tool to estimate your auto premiums

Why you can trust Insure.com

Quality Verified

At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry.

Our car insurance calculator can deliver average yearly premiums in seconds and can recommend the best protection for you and your family – without asking for personal information.

With car insurance rates rising yearly, drivers are constantly shopping for better deals. But how much should you pay? After all, rates can vary greatly depending on where you live, your driving history and other factors.

Whether you’re in the market to insure a new car, looking to insure a teen or trying to find car insurance in a new state, our car insurance estimator tool is a great place to start comparing quotes.

The benefits of using Insure.com’s car insurance calculator 

Other tools out there can give you an online car insurance estimate of how much you might pay for various levels of car insurance. But Insure’s auto insurance calculator allows you to see customized quotes based on individual coverage levels and estimates from multiple companies. Our tool can save you time and money.

How to estimate the cost of car insurance

Insurance experts recommend getting quotes before buying a policy. With the car insurance calculator, you can get price estimates for three coverage levels  – state minimum, standard liability and full coverage. 

• State minimum car insurance is the minimum liability coverage and any other coverage your state requires. The coverage amounts vary by state.
• Liability car insurance pays for medical bills and property damage related to an accident that’s your fault.
• Full coverage insurance refers to a collection of coverages, including liability, collision and comprehensive.

What information do you need to estimate your auto insurance rate?

The estimator delivers monthly rates for those three levels based on your personal profile. It does this in five easy steps. The tool asks for:

• Your ZIP code
• Your current insurance status
• Your vehicle ownership status
• Your age
• Your homeowner or renter

After getting an initial estimate, you’ll be better prepared to shop and compare car insurance quotes.

Many insurers over the last year have been raising rates aggressively due to inflation and other factors.

Stephen Yao, assistant professor of insurance and risk management at the University of Arkansas, notes that insurance companies adjust their premium structure to reflect their own business needs. For example, if an insurance company loses money because it underestimated its claims payouts, it will increase its premiums to offset those losses.

He also notes that insurers may raise your rates based on personal factors. For instance, insurance underwriters check people’s driving history when they renew their policies. Your insurer may increase your rates if you filed a claim, collected a speeding ticket, or had another negative driving experience.  

But insurance companies adjust their rates differently.

When insurers raise rates, he says, “it is essential to shop around to get a better deal in terms of premium payments and service comparison when purchasing any insurance policies.”

How much car insurance do you need?

Insure.com recommends liability limits of 100/300/100 for most drivers with comprehensive and collision coverage. For new insurance buyers, those numbers can be confusing. But the numbers simply indicate coverage limits. A 100/300/100 policy protects you for up to $100,000 in bodily injury for one person, $300,000 in bodily injury per accident and $100,000 in property damage per accident.

Which factors do insurance companies use to calculate car insurance rates?

Insurers look at various factors to determine how much they charge. But, in general, the carriers look at the following:

• Your vehicle make and model
• Your age and your years of driving experience
• Where you live
• Your marital status
• Your driving history
• Your annual mileage
• Your credit history
• The coverage, liability limits and deductibles you want

Auto insurers will give you a quote based on several factors listed above. But while one company may heavily penalize a driver for an accident, another may not. The same goes for tickets and adding a teen driver to your policy, for example, because each company evaluates risk differently.

That’s why experts say it’s always a good idea to compare car insurance rates every six months — annually at a minimum — to make sure you get the most affordable policy.

How does your age affect your car insurance cost?

Younger, less experienced drivers are statistically more likely to get into accidents and are therefore considered a higher risk, which is why insurance companies charge them more.

Rates are cheapest for drivers in their 40s, 50s and early 60s.

Below are the average rates by age.

How does the car you drive affect your insurance?

Insurers monitor which vehicles are involved in the most accidents, which makes and models are stolen most often, which are the most expensive to fix, and which have the highest injury rates. All of which they use to set rates.

Below is a list of the cheapest and most expensive cars to insure.

Cheapest cars to insure

Most expensive cars to insure

How much is car insurance in my state?

Car insurance companies look at factors such as theft, vandalism, accidents, claims and fraud, which helps insurers figure the risk associated with insuring a car in each state down to its ZIP codes. All other factors being the same, your ZIP code can change your rate by hundreds of dollars.

How does your driving record affect your insurance cost?

Safe drivers get discounted rates while riskier drivers – those with moving violations, for instance, pay more.

Generally, a minor violation, such as a speeding ticket, can boost rates by more than 25%. If you have a major violation,  like a DUI, your rates can increase even more. The riskier you are to insure, the more you will pay.

How does your credit rating affect car insurance pricing?

Insurance companies will check your credit rating  – except in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington, where state law prohibits credit from being a consideration in pricing insurance. 

Credit scores help insurers assess risk levels. Research has shown that people with lower credit scores (typically 600 or lower) are more likely to file claims.

How to compare car insurance quotes

Comparing car insurance quotes is a quick way to save money. With our online tool and a little knowledge, you can easily compare rates and choose the right policy for your needs. So what do you need to know to compare quotes?

• Get at least three quotes from three different companies and, in addition to their rates, consider each company’s financial ratings and complaint ratios. Insure.com annually ranks the best auto insurance companies to help you assess an insurer’s strengths.
• Compare coverages and limits. Make sure the coverage and limits you choose offer the financial protection you need.  Then, when you compare insurer’s quotes, be sure to compare each by the coverage level you’re seeking. 
• Experiment with deductibles. If you have savings to cover car damages, raising your deductible is an easy way to positively affect your rates. 
• Consider bundling and other discounts. Some people see big savings from bundling home and auto policies or enrolling in safe driving programs.

How to save money on car insurance 

There are many ways to save money on your insurance. Shopping around, seeking out car insurance discounts and raising your deductible can add up to big savings. 

Here are 10 tips for getting the best deals on car insurance:

1. Shop around and compare car insurance quotes
2. Bundle your policies
3. Raise your deductible
4. Ask about auto insurance discounts
5. Improve your driving record by avoiding tickets and accidents
6. Drop coverage you don’t need
7. Sign up for pay-per-mile insurance
8. Ask about group insurance or an affinity discount
9. If your young driver is a student, ask about good student discounts
10. Buy only state-required minimum liability coverage (not recommended)

Resources & Methodology

Methodology

Insure.com’s car insurance calculator uses data from Quadrant Information Services. We look at average auto insurance rates for nearly every ZIP code in the United States with rates using a 2022 Honda Accord and data from 10 large carriers. Averages for customized rates are based on drivers’ ages and gender for the following coverage levels: state minimum liability, liability of 50/100/50 and 100/300/100 with a $500 deductible on comprehensive and collision. Hypothetical drivers have good driving records and good credit.

Laura Longero

Executive Editor

 

|

 . .

Laura Longero is a content strategist and communications leader with more than 15 years of experience in content development in journalism, marketing and communications for start-ups to global companies. She started her career as a reporter and editor and honed her journalistic skills at the USA Today Network, working in several roles, as well as managing content and writing at MoneyGeek and XYZ Media.