Rush hour in Boston can be a headache, and that’s without taking into account some of the region’s frustrating rotaries. In 2022, traffic navigation company TomTom parked Boston at fourth on its list of the worst U.S. metro areas for the amount of time that drivers waste in traffic.1
While there’s plenty to worry about in Boston traffic, your car insurance doesn’t have to be one of those concerns. Boston drivers pay an overall average of $136 per month for car insurance, which is lower than the national monthly average of $144.
But drivers should compare car insurance quotes from multiple companies to find the best coverage at an affordable price.
Best car insurance companies in Boston
The best car insurance company for you is the one that meets your unique needs. For instance, it might be the one that offers the best rates for your teen driver. Or it might supply discounts that other insurance companies don’t offer.
The three insurance companies below are a great place to start your search.
Best insurer for cheap rates: GEICO
Best insurer for military families: USAA
Best insurer for discounts: Allstate
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Boston
The price you pay for car insurance is a result of many factors, including your driving record, age, gender, location, the kind of car you drive, and more. Fortunately, you can save on your car insurance in many ways as well.
To find the cheapest car insurance in Boston:
Shop around. Obtaining quotes from at least three different companies puts you in a better position to find the right policy for you.
Check out discounts. You may be able to score a discount if you pay for a year’s worth of coverage up front, buy car insurance and homeowners insurance from the same company, or maintain a clean driving record.
Raise your deductible. Increasing your deductible should lower your premium. But it also means you’ll pay more out of pocket when you file a claim.
Complete a defensive driving course. Some insurers will reduce your premium if you graduate from a course that teaches you how to drive defensively.
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Boston: State Farm
Massachusetts requires drivers to carry liability coverage. This includes bodily injury to others, bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto, and property damage.
Overall, liability coverage pays for other people’s medical expenses and damage you cause in a car accident. It doesn’t cover damage to your car or injuries suffered by you or your passengers.
Because of its limited coverage, you’ll generally find liability-only coverage rates to be far less expensive. Liability insurance costs an average of $95 per month in Boston.
Here, you can see average monthly quotes from several top insurers in Boston.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Boston: State Farm
Full-coverage car insurance can provide more financial peace of mind than liability-only coverage. While liability coverage applies to just the damage you cause to other people’s property or bodily injuries you cause, full-coverage car insurance includes liability coverage and also covers damage to your own car and passengers.
Boston drivers pay an average of $177 per month for full-coverage insurance. In the table below, you can see a list of average monthly quotes for full coverage in Boston.
Car insurance requirements in Massachusetts
Your coverage must meet the following minimum requirements in Massachusetts:2
Kristen Gryglik, senior sales representative at Comparion Insurance Agency in Boston, cautions that meeting only the state’s minimum requirements for liability coverage might be inadequate. “Insurers recommend higher limits to bulk up coverage in case you’re involved in a serious crash,” she says.
For example, if you cause a crash that results in $30,000 of unpaid medical bills for the other driver, and you only have the state’s required $20,000 of bodily injury coverage, you could be on the hook for the remaining $10,000.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident
In many cases, a car insurance company will raise your rates if you’ve been involved in some sort of traffic incident. This incident could be a speeding ticket, an at-fault accident, or being convicted of DUI.
In the sections that follow, you’ll see how each of these incidents can affect the rates you’ll pay for car insurance.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: State Farm
A speeding ticket will usually cause your car insurance rates to go up. But you may be able to escape a rate hike if it’s your first offense.
Boston drivers with a speeding ticket pay a monthly average of $127 for liability insurance. Here, you can see how a speeding ticket will affect your quotes in Boston.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: State Farm
An at-fault accident may trigger an increase in your car insurance premium. But in Massachusetts, you have the opportunity to appeal an at-fault determination.3 And some companies offer accident forgiveness coverage that ensures your rate won’t increase after a single accident.
Liability policies cost $136 per month, on average, for drivers in Boston with an at-fault accident.
Here, you can see the monthly quotes for drivers with an at-fault accident on their record.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: State Farm
While many states use the terms DUI (driving under the influence) or DWI (driving while intoxicated), this violation is called an OUI (operating under the influence) in Massachusetts. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is among the most serious incidents in the eyes of insurers.
If you’re cited for OUI, your insurer will almost certainly raise your rates and may drop you altogether. If that weren’t enough, you might also face jail time, fines, and revocation of your driver’s license, as well as legal fees.
Boston drivers with an OUI pay monthly averages of $153 for liability coverage and $285 for full coverage.
The following table provides some insight into the monthly rates you might pay with an OUI conviction on your record.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: State Farm
Seniors generally have the lowest car insurance rates of any age group. But because of their heightened risk of being involved in a car crash, motorists in their 70s and beyond might pay more for coverage. Drivers typically start noticing their rates going up around the time they turn 70. In some states, though, insurers must give discounts to older drivers who complete a defensive driving course.
Senior drivers in Boston pay an average of $75 per month for liability-only insurance.
Here, you can see how insurance quotes shift for older drivers.
Cheapest car insurance for teens: State Farm
Insurers typically charge higher premiums for young drivers because their inexperience makes them more likely to be involved in an accident. In fact, 16- to 19-year-olds run a greater risk of getting into a car crash than any other age group.4
Liability insurance costs $131 per month for teen drivers in Boston, and full coverage costs $245 per month.
To reduce the cost of car insurance for teens, parents can:
Keep a teen driver on their car insurance policy rather than have the teen maintain a separate policy.
Shop around for coverage, and obtain quotes from several insurers to find the best deal.
Look into good student discounts. Some insurers offer discounts, perhaps as high as 25%, for students who earn good grades.
Choose a vehicle that has good safety ratings and lower repair costs. For example, a mainstream sedan will likely be cheaper to insure than a luxury SUV.
The following table shows examples of monthly car insurance costs for Boston teens who obtain their own car insurance policies.
Is car insurance more expensive in Boston?
Car insurance in Boston is less expensive than statewide insurance costs. Full coverage costs about $177 per month in Boston, which is much lower than the statewide average of $145 per month.
Boston’s full-coverage cost is also significantly cheaper than the rates paid in New York.
More cities in Massachusetts
See how monthly liability and full-coverage rates compare in six other Massachusetts cities in the table below.