As a driver, opting for full-coverage car insurance means more robust financial protection. The more extensive policy type covers damage to your vehicle, while a liability-only policy only covers damage and injuries you cause to other people.
If you’re considering a full-coverage policy, comparing multiple quotes and working with the right insurance company is important. Here’s what you need to know about cheap full-coverage car insurance and how to choose the right insurer for your situation.
A full-coverage car insurance policy includes liability, comprehensive, and collision coverage.
On average, full-coverage car insurance policies cost $177 per month, with options starting as low as $72 per month, according to Insurify data.
The average cost of full-coverage car insurance is around 47% higher than the average cost of liability-only coverage, Insurify data shows.
Cheapest companies for full-coverage car insurance
The cost of a full-coverage car insurance policy varies by insurer. Each insurance company has its own underwriting method for determining premiums. With that, the only way to find competitive rates for your unique situation is to shop around.
In the table below, you can see the cheapest insurance company for drivers in different categories, along with their average monthly full-coverage rates.
Driver/Coverage Type | Cheapest Insurance Company | Cheapest Full-Coverage Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Full coverage (overall) | COUNTRY Financial | $72 |
| Teens | COUNTRY Financial | $97 |
| Seniors | COUNTRY Financial | $56 |
| Drivers with a speeding ticket | COUNTRY Financial | $104 |
| Drivers with an at-fault accident | COUNTRY Financial | $98 |
| Drivers with a DUI | COUNTRY Financial | $106 |
| Drivers with excellent credit | COUNTRY Financial | $63 |
| Drivers with poor credit | COUNTRY Financial | $88 |
Cheapest full-coverage insurance by state
The state you call home — and even your ZIP code — has a big effect on your car insurance rates. A few reasons for varying rates include the frequency of litigation, medical care costs, car repair costs, weather trends, and the prevalence of auto insurance fraud.[?]
The chart below gives a breakdown of the cheapest average full-coverage quotes based on your state:
Full-coverage car insurance rates by age
Your age significantly affects your average cost of car insurance, with teen drivers facing the highest premiums. Rates of fatal accidents for 16- and 17-year-olds are four times higher than for 20-year-old drivers and older, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Most insurers offer good student discounts to young drivers with good grades. Driver education and volunteer discounts can also help offset the higher insurance costs for young drivers.
In the table below, you can see the cheapest full-coverage car insurance companies for teens, adult drivers, and senior drivers.
Insurance Company | Average Monthly Quote: Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| COUNTRY Financial | $97 |
| Auto-Owners | $164 |
| USAA | $185 |
| State Farm | $222 |
| NJM | $226 |
| Erie | $229 |
| CSAA | $247 |
| GEICO | $250 |
| Root | $252 |
| Mile Auto | $252 |
| Anchor | $279 |
| Elephant | $283 |
| American Family | $288 |
| Allstate | $296 |
| The General | $299 |
| Clearcover | $306 |
| Mercury | $310 |
| Safeco | $310 |
| Direct Auto | $342 |
| Bristol West | $363 |
| Liberty Mutual | $374 |
| Nationwide | $375 |
| Commonwealth Casualty | $388 |
| National General | $395 |
| Dairyland | $408 |
| GAINSCO | $420 |
| 21st Century | $422 |
| Travelers | $422 |
| Farmers | $447 |
| Shelter | $502 |
| Chubb | $507 |
| AssuranceAmerica | $525 |
| The Hartford | $660 |
| State Auto | $772 |
| Amica | $828 |
Insurance Company | Average Monthly Quote: Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| COUNTRY Financial | $67 |
| Auto-Owners | $73 |
| NJM | $91 |
| USAA | $91 |
| State Farm | $100 |
| Mile Auto | $102 |
| Erie | $110 |
| Allstate | $135 |
| GEICO | $137 |
| American Family | $141 |
| National General | $148 |
| Direct Auto | $149 |
| Anchor | $153 |
| Root | $153 |
| Nationwide | $158 |
| Elephant | $160 |
| The General | $160 |
| Mercury | $161 |
| CSAA | $161 |
| Safeco | $164 |
| Commonwealth Casualty | $168 |
| Travelers | $171 |
| AssuranceAmerica | $177 |
| Chubb | $181 |
| Farmers | $189 |
| Bristol West | $194 |
| GAINSCO | $196 |
| Shelter | $197 |
| Clearcover | $204 |
| The Hartford | $218 |
| State Auto | $218 |
| 21st Century | $219 |
| Dairyland | $240 |
| Liberty Mutual | $241 |
| Amica | $423 |
Insurance Company | Average Monthly Quote: Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| COUNTRY Financial | $50 |
| Auto-Owners | $54 |
| NJM | $54 |
| State Farm | $71 |
| USAA | $78 |
| Erie | $80 |
| Mile Auto | $86 |
| GEICO | $99 |
| American Family | $101 |
| Allstate | $104 |
| CSAA | $111 |
| Nationwide | $117 |
| Root | $123 |
| Shelter | $125 |
| Direct Auto | $125 |
| Safeco | $128 |
| Anchor | $130 |
| National General | $131 |
| Mercury | $133 |
| Chubb | $134 |
| The Hartford | $137 |
| Travelers | $141 |
| Elephant | $146 |
| The General | $150 |
| Farmers | $150 |
| Bristol West | $169 |
| Liberty Mutual | $170 |
| 21st Century | $175 |
| Commonwealth Casualty | $184 |
| Clearcover | $185 |
| State Auto | $186 |
| AssuranceAmerica | $200 |
| GAINSCO | $207 |
| Dairyland | $236 |
| Amica | $319 |
How to get cheaper full-coverage car insurance
Car insurance is an unavoidable expense, as it’s illegal to drive without a minimum amount of insurance in every state except New Hampshire. It’s possible to find cheap auto insurance, and you don’t have to overpay for a policy.
Here are a few strategies to help you reduce costs:[?]
Keep a clean driving record. If you have a clean driving record and haven’t filed any claims, it can keep your full-coverage insurance costs down.
Look for discounts. Insurers offer a wide range of discounts, which can lower the price of your policy. Popular discounts are available for bundling policies, insuring multiple vehicles, and being a safe driver.
Build your credit. Drivers with good credit histories pay less for insurance than drivers with poor credit histories. If possible, improve your credit to tap into lower rates.
Shop around. Compare quotes from multiple insurance companies to find the best cheap car insurance. An online quote-comparison tool can simplify this task by showing you multiple quotes side by side.
Expert Insight
Adam Fraticelli
Digital Personal Lines Agent
Higher deductibles help reduce the monthly cost. That said … it’s a cost-versus-value situation. Do you value saving $XX per month/policy period, or would you rather that if a claim happened, the cost be lower out of pocket once the car is repaired?
Our top picks for cheap full-coverage car insurance
The best car insurance companies offering full-coverage policies have a combination of affordable rates and a high-quality customer experience.
COUNTRY Financial has the cheapest average full-coverage rates, at $72 per month, but it’s not available in every state. State Farm’s average full-coverage rates may be higher for some drivers, but the company is available nationwide.
Below, you can see some of the best full-coverage car insurance companies that also offer affordable rates.
Best insurer for customer satisfaction: Erie
Best insurer for affordable nationwide coverage: State Farm
Best insurer for military and veteran families: USAA
Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings. With the IQ Score, Insurify is able to provide quantitative ratings for drivers to better compare car insurance companies and make informed decisions to meet their coverage needs.
Our editorial team spent 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.
We rate each company on a 1-to-5 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. We update ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
Third-party financial ratings: We use data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 20,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also considered third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the United States, as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer’s transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
Availability and reach: Insurify identified the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share to score availability and reach.
Full coverage vs. liability only: What’s the difference?
Liability coverage is the barebones option most states require drivers to purchase. Each state sets different minimum liability insurance requirements, usually broken down into bodily injury liability and property damage liability. Since every state except New Hampshire mandates liability coverage, this serves as the starting point for most drivers.[?]
Liability coverage only protects other drivers on the road and others’ property from damage or injuries you cause. But liability coverage won’t help you pay to repair or replace your vehicle.
In addition to liability coverage, full coverage includes comprehensive and collision insurance. When an accident or another incident damages your vehicle, full coverage will help you repair or replace it. This coverage will typically pay out the fair market value of your vehicle.
Full-coverage policies cost more than liability-only policies, but they offer more protection.
Insurance Company | Average Monthly Quote: Full Coverage | Average Monthly Quote: Liability Only |
|---|---|---|
| COUNTRY Financial | $72 | $40 |
| Auto-Owners | $78 | $45 |
| NJM | $94 | $63 |
| USAA | $99 | $52 |
| State Farm | $109 | $56 |
| Mile Auto | $110 | $68 |
| Erie | $121 | $80 |
| Allstate | $139 | $74 |
| GEICO | $139 | $91 |
| Safeco | $142 | $88 |
| American Family | $148 | $79 |
| Root | $151 | $90 |
| CSAA | $156 | $125 |
| Direct Auto | $163 | $95 |
| Mercury | $163 | $95 |
| Anchor | $169 | $112 |
| Elephant | $172 | $118 |
| Progressive | $173 | $101 |
| National General | $177 | $95 |
| Nationwide | $180 | $96 |
| The General | $180 | $94 |
| Travelers | $186 | $99 |
| Clearcover | $196 | $143 |
| Bristol West | $207 | $101 |
| Commonwealth Casualty | $208 | $86 |
| Farmers | $213 | $110 |
| Chubb | $215 | $119 |
| GAINSCO | $218 | $103 |
| Liberty Mutual | $218 | $161 |
| Shelter | $229 | $148 |
| 21st Century | $233 | $131 |
| AssuranceAmerica | $238 | $127 |
| The Hartford | $243 | $161 |
| State Auto | $253 | $148 |
| Dairyland | $273 | $91 |
| Amica | $432 | $287 |
What full-coverage car insurance covers
Full-coverage car insurance includes liability coverage for at least your state’s minimum required amount, along with comprehensive and collision coverage. A full-coverage policy protects your car, other drivers, and their cars.
If you opt for a full-coverage policy, your insurer will reimburse you after an accident or other event that damages your vehicle. For example, if you hit a light pole, your collision coverage would pay for repairs. If someone steals your car, your comprehensive coverage would come into play.
Full-coverage insurance includes multiple layers of protection. Here’s a closer look at what it covers:
Full-coverage insurance isn’t a catch-all coverage. While you’ll find more protection than a liability-only policy, your coverage will still have a few gaps. Full coverage doesn’t cover a few things, including:
Commercial usage: If you’re a rideshare driver or deliver items from a grocery store or pharmacy with your vehicle, a standard full-coverage policy won’t offer protection. You’d need to purchase a rideshare insurance policy.
Vehicle upgrades: A standard full-coverage policy doesn’t cover a fancy sound system or premium rims. But you can buy supplemental insurance to protect your after-market upgrades.
Gap insurance: The insurance company will pay out the fair market value of your vehicle after a total loss but not the gap between the value of your vehicle and what you owe on your auto loan or lease. You can purchase gap insurance to cover the difference.[?]
If you aren’t sure what your policy covers, look at your policy declaration page. It’s better to find any coverage gaps before you run into an issue.
Cheap full-coverage car insurance FAQs
If you’re shopping for full-coverage car insurance, the additional information below can help as you research your coverage options.
COUNTRY Financial has the cheapest full-coverage insurance, Insurify data shows. Its average monthly rate is $72 for a full-coverage policy.
Erie, State Farm, and USAA offer some of the best full-coverage insurance on the market. As a driver, you’ll need to determine which auto insurance company best suits your individual needs by comparing quotes.
If you financed a vehicle, you may have to maintain full coverage until you pay it off. After that point, you have the choice to maintain or drop collision and comprehensive coverage. If the cost of repairing your vehicle meets or exceeds the value of your vehicle, dropping full coverage could be the right move.
In most cases, lenders require drivers to maintain full coverage on a vehicle until you pay it off. If you finance or lease your vehicle, read the details of your contract to determine whether or not full coverage is required.
When you purchase collision and comprehensive insurance, your insurance company will help you repair or replace your vehicle after a covered incident. But the policy often only covers the market value of your vehicle.
Since cars depreciate in value, you might find a gap between what you need to buy another car and your insurance coverage. In this case, you might want to consider supplemental gap insurance coverage.
Full-coverage insurance provides more financial protection. In some cases, it’s worth it to opt for this additional coverage. But in other cases, it can make more financial sense to skip full coverage.
For example, if you drive an older vehicle with a value less than what it would cost to repair, it might not be worth carrying full coverage. But if you have a new vehicle, replacing or fixing the bumper after a fender bender can range from $100 to $1,000, which could make the cost of a full-coverage policy worth it.
If you have a ticket or accident on your record, your insurance company will likely increase your premiums when your policy renews. You can compare quotes from several different insurers to see whether any of them offer cheaper full-coverage rates to drivers with an incident on their record.
If you drive an older car and it would cost more to repair it than its current value, full coverage might not be worth it. But if the added coverage would give you peace of mind, you might consider maintaining full coverage on your car.
Probably. Most lenders or leasing companies will require you to have a full-coverage policy if you’ve financed or leased your vehicle so that they can protect their investment.
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