Situated at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Denver, Colorado, has 300 days of sunshine each year, natural beauty, and sweeping mountain views. As the state capital, Denver is the most populous city in Colorado, which could explain why Denver drivers pay an average auto insurance rate of $170 per month — slightly more than the national average of $144.
Some insurers offer affordable policies without sacrificing quality or coverage. Here’s what you should know about comparing quotes and finding affordable coverage in the Mile High City.
3 of the cheapest car insurance companies in Denver
If you’re in the market for car insurance in Denver, you have plenty of options. But a few companies stand out thanks to their affordable rates, excellent customer service, and variety of coverage and discount options.
Best insurer for cheap rates: State Farm
Best insurer for military members: USAA
Best insurer for discounts: American Family
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Denver
When you’re shopping for car insurance in Denver, it’s natural to want to find the best price. Here are a few ways you can find cheaper car insurance rates:
Comparison shop. The best way to find cheap car insurance is to get quotes from multiple insurance companies. You can get quotes directly from each insurer or use an insurance-comparison website.
Save with discounts. Most insurance companies have a number of discounts available to drivers to help them save money on their policies. You can save by bundling your home and auto policies, paying your premium up front, having a safe vehicle, and more.
Raise your credit score. Insurance companies in most states consider your credit history as a factor when setting insurance rates. Generally speaking, the better your credit score, the less you’ll pay for insurance.
Drive a safe vehicle. You can save money by owning a vehicle with excellent safety scores.
Revisit your policy. Take another look at your policy to see if you could adjust your coverage limits or raise your deductible. You want to make sure they’re still at a level that would be affordable if you’re in an accident, but adjusting them could lower your premiums.
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Denver: Progressive
If your goal is to find the cheapest car insurance, a liability insurance policy is generally the way to do so. Liability insurance pays for damage to other people and their property due to an accident you’ve caused.
It protects the other drivers, as well as your financial well-being. Nearly every state, including Colorado, requires all drivers to carry liability insurance at the very minimum.
Liability insurance in Denver costs $112 per month, on average. Explore liability quotes from Denver insurers in the table below.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Denver: State Farm
If you’d prefer more robust insurance coverage, consider getting full-coverage insurance. This type of policy includes liability insurance along with other coverages that protect your own vehicle, including comprehensive coverage, collision coverage, and uninsured motorist coverage. If you finance or lease your vehicle, your lender will likely require getting full coverage.
Not everyone needs full coverage, but you should have it if you can’t afford costly repairs to your vehicle — or to replace your vehicle altogether — after an accident.
Denver drivers pay a monthly average of $229 for full-coverage insurance. The companies in the table below offer affordable full-coverage quotes in the city.
Car insurance requirements in Colorado
Like most other states, Colorado requires all drivers to carry liability insurance. Colorado is an at-fault insurance state, which means the driver at fault for an accident is financially responsible for any damages. Colorado’s minimum insurance limits, listed in the table below, are on par with most other states.1
Colorado also has a stipulation that allows anyone with at least 25 registered vehicles to apply for a certificate of self-insurance. But this is mainly targeted at business owners, as few individuals will meet this requirement.2
Colorado drivers also have access to several optional insurance coverages, including:
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident
Your driving record is one of the most important factors that affect your insurance premiums.
“If you have a history of accidents or traffic violations, you are considered a higher-risk driver, and insurance companies will charge you more for coverage,” says John Espenschied, owner of Insurance Brokers Group in Missouri. “On the other hand, if you have a clean driving record, you are considered a lower-risk driver, and your premiums will be lower.”
Violations such as speeding tickets, driving under the influence, and at-fault accidents are all likely to increase your rates. The amount your rates increase will depend on the severity of the violation.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: Progressive
A speeding ticket is one of the most common violations that can increase your insurance rates. The effect on your premiums will depend on several factors, including your driving record at the time of the ticket.
Someone with three speeding tickets will see a greater increase than someone with just one because they’re at a higher risk. Additionally, someone who got a ticket for driving 20 miles per hour over the speed limit might see their rates increase more than someone driving only 10 miles per hour over the limit, for example.
Drivers in Colorado Springs with a speeding ticket pay $136 per month for liability coverage and $278 per month for full coverage, on average. Explore rates for drivers with a speeding ticket in the table below.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: Progressive
If you’re found to be at fault for an accident, you can expect your insurance premiums to increase unless you have accident forgiveness on your policy. The amount your premiums will rise depends on the severity and cost of the claim, as well as your existing driving record.
Depending on the situation, your premiums could also increase after an accident that wasn’t your fault, but the increase likely wouldn’t be as significant.
Liability insurance costs an average of $135 per month for Colorado Springs drivers with an accident. The table below shows how rates for drivers with an accident compare to those for drivers with a clean record.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: State Farm
A DUI — or driving under the influence — is one of the more serious driving offenses. In fact, a DUI can result in being denied car insurance coverage altogether. And if you do find coverage, you’ll probably see a large spike in your insurance rates.4
Drivers in Colorado Springs with a DUI pay an average of $180 per month for liability insurance. The price jumps to $369 per month for a full-coverage policy.
The average auto insurance premium roughly doubles when you compare the premiums of someone with a clean driving record to someone with a DUI, according to Insurify data.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: State Farm
Car insurance premiums generally decrease as you age. The older you are, the more driving experience you have and the safer the driving decisions you likely make. But this trend eventually reverses course. Once drivers reach their 70s, insurers consider them riskier and typically increase insurance rates.
Senior drivers pay a monthly average of $92 for minimum-coverage policies in Colorado Springs. Explore more rates in the table below.
Cheapest car insurance for teens: Progressive
Teen drivers pay the highest insurance premiums of any age group due to their lack of experience and propensity to engage in high-risk driving activities like speeding, distracted driving, and driving without a seat belt.5
“Statistically, teens are more likely to get into accidents than older drivers, and insurance companies charge higher premiums to offset this risk,” says Espenschied. ”However, there are ways for teens to lower their insurance premiums, such as taking a driver’s education course and qualifying for good student discounts.”
Another way young drivers can save money on insurance is to stay on their parents’ policy. It’s far cheaper to add a teen to a responsible adult’s policy than for a teen to get their own policy.
Teen drivers in Colorado Springs pay monthly averages of $199 for liability coverage and $406 for full coverage. The insurers below offer affordable rates to teen drivers in the city.
Denver car insurance quotes by credit tier
In most states, including Colorado, insurance companies can use your credit history as a factor when setting your insurance rates. Credit is often an indicator of risk, so if you have a good credit score, you’ll likely have low insurance rates.
“Studies have shown that people with lower credit scores are more likely to file insurance claims, and insurance companies charge higher premiums to offset this risk,” says Espenschied.
Is car insurance more expensive in Denver?
Drivers in Colorado pay insurance premiums slightly higher than the national average and more expensive than the majority of states, according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).6
Denver’s overall car insurance rate of $170 per month is slightly higher than the state overall average of $150 per month. These higher rates could be a result of the city’s higher population and high rate of car thefts. In fact, Denver ranks second on the list of the cities with the most car thefts in the U.S.
More cities in Colorado
Denver’s auto insurance rates are higher than the state’s average. See how other cities’ rates compare in the table below.