In a city where the local football team is anything but mediocre, car insurance rates are just that: middle of the road. If you’re a driver in Kansas City, Missouri, you’ll spend an average of $169 per month on car insurance. That’s a bit higher than the national average of $144.

What drives car insurance prices higher in Kansas City, Missouri, is likely its population of more than half a million people. With so many drivers, the risk of an accident goes up. You also might find yourself riding your brakes a lot driving down Interstates 70 and 29 in rush-hour traffic.

Here’s what you should know about comparing quotes and finding affordable coverage in Kansas City.

3 of the cheapest car insurance companies in Kansas City

The best car insurance companies in Kansas City aren’t the same for everyone. Whether an insurer is a good fit for you or not will often depend on your driving record — and what you’re looking for in an insurer. For example, some insurers specialize in offering cheap car insurance rates, while you might be more concerned about having the best coverage you can get.

The best way to find the right insurer for you is to compare quotes. In Kansas City, it’s a good idea to start with quotes from the following three insurers.

Best insurer for military members: USAA

Best insurer for stability: State Farm

Best insurer for discounts: Allstate

How to get the cheapest car insurance in Kansas City

You’ll need to comparison shop to find cheap auto insurance rates in Kansas City, and the quotes you receive will depend on your driving history, age, credit history, marital status, and type of car you drive.

No matter the quotes you receive, you can also lower your car insurance by doing the following:

• Opt for liability-only coverage. Liability-only coverage means that you (not the insurance company) are on the hook to pay for your own damages and medical bills if you’re in an accident determined to be your fault. As such, because the insurer is assuming less risk, the premiums you pay will be lower than for full-coverage insurance.

• Raise your deductible. A higher deductible means you’re assuming more of the up-front risk, so you’ll pay a lower premium. While this may seem appealing, be sure you don’t set your deductible so high you can’t afford to pay it if you need to file a claim.

• Ask about discounts. You should always ask your insurance agent periodically if they can steer you to any discounts that’ll bring your rates down. Discount opportunities change, so check regularly what discounts you may qualify for.

Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Kansas City: USAA

Liability-only car insurance shields you financially if you’re involved in an at-fault accident. If you damage another person’s car, or the other driver and passengers are hurt, your insurance would pay for the repairs and hospital bills. If you’re injured, or your own car is damaged, your liability insurance won’t pay for those expenses.

Liability-only policies in Kansas City, Missouri, cost an average of $125 per month. You can see a collection of average quotes below from top insurers in Kansas City.

Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Kansas City: USAA

Liability-only insurance covers the expenses of other cars, drivers, and passengers in an accident you cause. Full-coverage car insurance provides this same coverage and also covers any damage or hospital expenses that involve you, your passengers, and your vehicle. You may want to have full-coverage car insurance if you have an expensive car or if you’d find it financially challenging to replace or repair your car if it was wrecked.

Kansas City, Missouri, drivers pay an average of $212 per month for full-coverage auto insurance.

Car insurance requirements in Missouri

To drive legally in Missouri, you need to have at least a liability-only car insurance policy. When you register or renew your license plates, you’ll need to show proof of coverage.

You also need to have proof of insurance in your vehicle at all times. If you’re pulled over and can’t prove you’re insured, you may get a ticket, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue.3

The table below spells out the minimum requirements you’ll need for car insurance coverage in Missouri.

If you want coverage that exceeds the minimum requirements in Kansas City, you could choose from the following options:

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident

If you have an at-fault incident on your record, such as an at-fault accident, speeding ticket, or a DUI, it’ll generally result in higher premiums. But each incident type can affect your rates in different ways.

In the sections that follow, you’ll see average monthly quotes based on which incident types appear on your record.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: USAA

Missouri is known for monitoring speeding aggressively and passed a law in May 2023 forbidding handheld cell phone use while driving. You’ll certainly want to monitor your speed in the Show-Me State.

The average cost of auto insurance for a driver with a speeding ticket in Kansas City, Missouri, is $152 for liability-only coverage and $257 for full coverage.

Here, you can see how a speeding ticket affects your rates.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: USAA

If you have an at-fault accident on your record, it’ll likely elevate your premiums. The good news is that if you go a few years without another accident, your rates will eventually drop.

The average cost of auto insurance for a driver with at-fault accident in Kansas City, Missouri, is $162 for liability-only coverage and $275 for full coverage.

Here’s a list of average monthly rates for drivers in Kansas City with an at-fault accident on their record.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: USAA

A DUI can cause insurance premiums to skyrocket, and some insurers may drop you altogether.

Kansas City, Missouri, drivers with a DUI on record pay an average of $201 per month for liability-only coverage and $341 for full coverage.

Fortunately, some companies specialize in insuring drivers with a DUI. Here, you can see a collection of average monthly quotes in Kansas City for drivers with a DUI.

Cheapest car insurance for seniors: USAA

Insurers calculate premiums for auto policies by looking at many different factors, and your age is one of them. If you’re 70 or older, you’ll notice that your premiums may increase. It may be unfair to you specifically, but statistics show that drivers have more driving incidents as they age.

Drivers older than 60 in Kansas City, Missouri, pay a monthly average of $105 for liability-only coverage and $179 for full coverage.

The table below shows what senior drivers pay each month, on average, in Kansas City.

Cheapest car insurance for teens: USAA

Many teenage drivers are conscientious, careful drivers who take safety seriously, but they don’t have much experience driving, and inexperience can lead to errors. As such, insurers charge higher premiums for this age group.

Teen drivers in Kansas City, Missouri, pay a monthly average of $234 for liability-only coverage and $396 for full coverage.

Fortunately, you have ways to lower your insurance costs. Driving a type of car that insurers consider particularly safe might allow for lower rates. Insurers also often charge lower premiums when a teenager stays on their parents’ policy than if a teen driver has their own car insurance policy. Good grades can also land you a student discount.

Kansas City car insurance quotes by credit tier

As with many states across the country, Missouri allows insurers to consider credit histories when determining premiums. Fair or not, insurers have determined that a person’s credit history is often an indicator of how safe of a driver they are. So, drivers who have excellent or good credit scores tend to pay much lower insurance premiums than drivers with poor credit scores.

The chart below shows how credit tiers can affect drivers’ insurance premiums in Kansas City.

Is car insurance more expensive in Kansas City?

It’s more expensive to pay for auto policies in Kansas City, Missouri, than in many other parts of the country. The U.S. national average is $104 per month for liability-only coverage and $184 for full coverage.

In Kansas City, you’ll pay more for liability coverage at $125 per month, but less for full coverage at $169 per month.

More cities in Missouri

Below, you can see average car insurance premiums in some other Missouri cities and how they compare to the average rate in Kansas City.