Cheap Car Insurance Quotes in Charlotte, North Carolina (2025)
Progressive offers the cheapest car insurance in Charlotte, with minimum-coverage policies as low as $74 per month.
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The overall cost of car insurance in Charlotte is $94 per month — higher than the statewide monthly average of $75.
Charlotte is North Carolina’s biggest city by population, having grown by more than 23,000 new residents since 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Its population size and rapid commercial and residential growth likely contribute to its higher car insurance rates.
Charlotte also had the most accidents in the state in 2022, with 118,588 recorded accidents, according to North Carolina Department of Transportation data. Of those, 351 were fatal.1
But drivers in the Queen City can still find affordable car insurance. Here’s what you need to know to navigate the Charlotte car insurance market.
Quick Facts
Liability coverage in Charlotte costs an average of $77 per month, and full coverage costs $111 per month.
Progressive, Nationwide, and Erie have the cheapest car insurance in Charlotte.
Charlotte ranks third in the state for frequency of crashes between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2022, NCDOT data shows.
How much is car insurance in Charlotte, NC?
Charlotte drivers pay higher car insurance rates than the overall North Carolina average, but Charlotte rates fall below the national average. In the table below, you can see how Charlotte car insurance costs compare.
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Cheapest car insurance companies in Charlotte
No single car insurance company is the cheapest for everyone since so many factors affect your rates. Check out some of the cheapest car insurance companies for Charlotte drivers in the table below.
Best car insurance companies in Charlotte
The best car insurance companies in Charlotte depend on your coverage needs and driving history. You can find the right auto insurance coverage for your needs by comparing quotes from multiple insurers.
Start your search with the insurers below.
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Our editorial team spent more than 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. The team weighted criteria 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 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
- Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses 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 55,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider 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 U.S., 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 scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.
Best insurer for coverage options: Travelers
Best insurer for customer satisfaction: Erie
Best insurer for high-risk drivers: Direct Auto
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Charlotte
Getting the cheapest car insurance in Charlotte will depend on your specific situation. Insurers determine your premium costs based on a number of factors, including your driving record, the age, make, and model of your car, your annual mileage, and the level of coverage you choose.
You have several ways to reduce your auto insurance costs to make sure you’re getting the best coverage at the right price:
Drive safely. The most effective way to keep your car insurance costs low is to maintain a clean driving record.
Compare quotes. Each insurance company uses its own calculations to determine your rates. Comparing quotes from multiple companies can help you find the best price.
Take advantage of discounts. Discounts are a common way for insurance companies to entice and keep their customers. You may be able to get a discount by bundling your auto and home insurance, paying in advance, driving fewer miles than average, or driving a car with anti-theft devices.
Raise your deductible. Your insurance company will lower your rates if you increase your collision and comprehensive deductibles. If you feel confident about your ability to pay a higher deductible, this can be an easy way to reduce your insurance costs.
Car insurance requirements in North Carolina
North Carolina is an at-fault state, which means insurers determine who’s at fault in causing an accident. In other words, if you cause an accident, your insurance will pay to repair property damage and cover medical costs for the other party.
North Carolina also follows the pure contributory negligence rule, which specifies that a person even 1% at fault for an accident can’t sue for damages.
Finally, all drivers in the Tar Heel State must also carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which pays out if a driver without insurance causes an accident that damages your car or causes an injury. The minimum requirement in North Carolina is for a driver’s uninsured motorist coverage to equal their policy’s bodily injury limit, but the coverage can’t exceed $1 million.2
The specific bodily injury and property damage coverage limits required in the state increase on July 1, 2025. The table below reflects the change in requirements:
Though the above liability levels are the minimum requirements to drive in North Carolina legally, many drivers increase their auto insurance coverage for greater financial protection from at-fault accidents. That may mean purchasing higher liability limits or buying additional coverages, such as:
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident
Incidents on your driving record can make it tougher to find cheap car insurance in Charlotte since any adverse incident in your driving history — such as speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, or DUIs — will increase your rates. Once you have a single incident on your record, insurers are more likely to see you as a potential risk. They’ll likely raise your rates or even decide to not renew your existing policy.
This doesn’t mean drivers with a spotty history are totally out of luck. Some insurers specialize in higher-risk drivers, and many insurance companies will continue to cover you even after an incident. Here’s how you can find affordable insurance in Charlotte after a driving incident.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: Nationwide
Speeding may seem like a harmless way to shave a few minutes off your commute, but it’s a dangerous habit that can easily turn lethal. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 32% of traffic fatalities in North Carolina in 2020 were speeding-related.
This is why both law enforcement and insurance companies take speeding seriously. Receiving a speeding ticket indicates that you’re a higher-risk driver, and your insurance company will likely raise your rates for several years after you receive just one citation for speeding.
In Charlotte, a speeding ticket increases the average cost of car insurance to $157 per month for full coverage and $109 for liability only. If you’ve received a speeding ticket, the following insurers offer the cheapest car insurance for Charlotte drivers.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: Erie
It’s likely that your insurance company will raise your rates after you’ve been found at fault in an accident. Depending on the severity of the accident and your driving history, your insurance company may drop you after an at-fault accident, though this is uncommon.
Buying accident forgiveness coverage before something happens could help you avoid an accident surcharge, but you generally need a clean driving record for at least three years to be eligible.
Charlotte drivers with at-fault accidents on their records face average monthly insurance costs of $114 for liability-only coverage and $164 for full coverage. These insurance companies offer the cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident in Charlotte.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: Erie
Driving under the influence endangers everyone on the road, and the severity of a DUI is reflected in increased car insurance rates.
“A DUI can make it very difficult for you to obtain standard auto insurance,” says Mark Friedlander, director of corporate communications for the Insurance Information Institute. “You could pay 100% or more for coverage compared to a driver with a clean record.”
Drivers with a DUI on their record in Charlotte pay average car insurance rates of $196 per month for full coverage and $136 for liability only. You may find the cheapest insurance for your circumstances from the following companies.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: Nationwide
Age has its privileges, especially regarding lower car insurance rates. Car insurance premiums are generally at their highest for teens and young adults, with rates decreasing around age 25.
Premiums tend to remain low for safe drivers until age 70. Slower reaction times and age-related vision and hearing changes come into play, making senior drivers a little more likely to get into accidents despite having decades of experience.
Still, senior drivers tend to have the lowest rates of any age group, and that’s true in Charlotte, where the average insurance costs for seniors are $69 per month for liability-only coverage and $100 for full coverage. The following companies in Charlotte offer the cheapest car insurance for senior drivers.
Cheapest car insurance for teens: Erie
Teenagers exhibit some risky behavior on the road, so insurance companies charge higher rates to teenage drivers. Insurers know these drivers are among the most likely to get into accidents, so they account for the increased risk.
Teens and their parents can lower their insurance rates with these strategies:
Stay on your parents’ insurance policy. This is generally cheaper than purchasing a separate policy for a younger driver. And teens younger than 18 can’t legally purchase their own policies without the written consent of a parent or guardian.
Drive a safe and practical car. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recommends a list of suitable cars for teens.
Qualify for a student discount. Many insurance companies reward teen drivers who maintain good grades or who live on campus while attending college.
Take a defensive driving course. Insurers may also offer discounts to teen drivers who have completed such a course.
The following insurers offer some of the cheapest car insurance for teens in Charlotte:
Charlotte car insurance quotes by credit tier
North Carolina auto insurance companies can use your credit history as a factor in your premium costs. That means having good to excellent credit means you’ll likely pay lower rates than a driver with a fair-to-poor credit score.3
Drivers with less-than-perfect credit scores should do what they can to improve their scores. Not only will that help their ability to qualify for credit, but it may also help lower their insurance costs.
The chart below shows the average monthly cost of full-coverage insurance in Charlotte by credit tier.
Cost of car insurance in other North Carolina cities
Understanding the average insurance rates in other cities in the state can help Charlotte residents make the best decisions about their insurance coverage. Here are average monthly car insurance rates in other North Carolina cities.
Charlotte car insurance FAQs
If you’re shopping for car insurance in Charlotte, the additional information below can help as you research your coverage options.
How much is car insurance in Charlotte?
Car insurance in Charlotte costs an average of $111 per month for full coverage and $77 for liability-only policies. Your rates may be more or less than average depending on factors like your driving history, make and model vehicle, and age.
What company has the cheapest car insurance in Charlotte?
Progressive offers the lowest car insurance rates in the Queen City, with minimum-coverage policies averaging $74 per month. Charlotte drivers can also find cheap rates with the city’s second- and third-cheapest insurers, Nationwide and Erie, whose liability rates average $76 and $76 per month, respectively.
What are the best car insurance companies in Charlotte?
With an Insurify Quality (IQ) Score of 8.5 out of 10 and an AM Best financial strength rating of A++ (Superior), Travelers is the best car insurance company in Charlotte. Of the insurers Insurify has rate data for, other top Charlotte choices include Erie and Direct Auto.
Is North Carolina a no-fault state?
No. North Carolina is an at-fault state, meaning that the driver at fault is responsible for paying the injured party’s expenses.
What are the penalties for driving without insurance in North Carolina?
Driving without insurance in North Carolina can lead to fines, a suspended license, suspended registration, and even jail time.
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