Drivers in Roanoke pay an average of $130 per month for car insurance. The city’s rates are cheaper than both Virginia’s monthly average of $146 and the national average of $144 per month.
Even though rates are cheaper on average in Roanoke, your exact rate depends on your unique driving factors. Your age, driving record, and coverage levels all have an effect on your premium. Always compare car insurance quotes from multiple insurers before buying a policy.
Cheapest car insurance companies in Roanoke
Finding the cheapest car insurance can be tricky because different companies calculate rates differently. They base them on many factors, and how important each factor is in the final calculation varies.
To get the best rates, compare a few different insurers to see which can offer you the best deal on your coverage.
Best insurer for cheap rates: Auto-Owners
Best insurer for families: State Farm
Best insurer for military members, veterans, and their families: USAA
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Roanoke
Various factors go into car insurance rate calculations, including your driving record, credit history, the kind of car you drive, how much you drive, and even where you park it.
Here are a few ways to get cheap car insurance in Roanoke:
Compare car insurance quotes. Shop around and compare rates from multiple car insurance companies before deciding on a policy. Each insurer weighs factors differently, so you may find cheaper rates for the same coverage from certain companies.
Apply for discounts. Insurance companies offer various discounts to help you save money on an auto policy, like good student and defensive driver discounts.
Bundle home and auto insurance policies. You can usually save on coverage if you bundle your car insurance with homeowners or renters insurance.
Maintain a clean driving record. Drivers with clean records typically pay the cheapest premiums. Drive defensively, and avoid speeding.
Select a higher deductible. A higher deductible means a lower premium — just make sure you can afford it if you need to file a claim.
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Roanoke: Auto-Owners
Liability-only car insurance coverage is basic coverage that includes bodily injury and property damage liability coverage if you cause a crash that results in someone’s injury or damages their property.
Liability-only coverage costs an average of $99 in Roanoke. The table below shows the cheapest liability-only coverage in the city.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Roanoke: Auto-Owners
Whereas liability-only coverage reimburses damages other people suffer, full-coverage car insurance also covers your own injuries and damage to your vehicle. Full coverage entails the state minimum liability insurance requirements, as well as collision and comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverage is for collisions with another vehicle or a stationary object. Comprehensive coverage is for all other mishaps, including damage from weather and fallen trees, fire, vandalism, theft, and accidents involving animals.
You’ll usually need full coverage if you lease a car or finance your purchase of one, but it’s worth considering, even if your lender doesn’t require it. Car insurance repair costs can skyrocket quickly, and you don’t want to be stuck with the full bill.
Roanoke drivers pay a monthly average of $161 for full-coverage car insurance.
Car insurance requirements in Virginia
In Virginia, drivers must obtain minimum amounts of bodily injury and property damage liability coverage. The specific coverage limits required in the state increased on Jan. 1, 2025. The table below reflects the change in requirements:4
Other coverages available to you may include:
Virginia Automobile Insurance Plan
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident
An incident is an at-fault accident or a moving violation that gets reported to your insurance company, such as a speeding ticket or driving under the influence conviction. Incidents often lead to a rate increase, although different insurers have different rules around how much rates should increase for comparatively minor or first-time incidents.
Some increases could even be on your record for three years before your insurer removes the premium increase.6 However, you can still find affordable car insurance with the right insurance companies. Below, you’ll see which insurers offer the cheapest premiums for drivers with varying incidents on their records.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: Auto-Owners
Speeding tickets make you a riskier driver to insure, so there’s a good chance your insurer will raise your rates if you get one — and it’s almost certain to if you have two or more tickets in a few-year period.
How much of an increase you’re likely to see depends on your overall driving history and your insurance company. But the cheapest car insurance you’ll find in Roanoke with a speeding ticket is $61 per month, from Auto-Owners.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: Auto-Owners
Drivers who file a claim after an accident for which they were primarily at fault can expect their insurance company to increase their premium by a certain percentage, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). The exact percentage varies by company, but most keep the increase in place for three years.
The cheapest car insurance you’ll find in Roanoke with an accident is from Auto-Owners, with liability rates of $62 per month.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: Auto-Owners
A DUI conviction has many serious consequences, including an almost certain increase in your premium. Some insurers may even refuse to provide you coverage after one.
A DUI conviction will increase your rates, but you might find more reasonably priced coverage options from these insurers. The cheapest car insurance you’ll find in Roanoke with a DUI is $77 per month, from Auto-Owners.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: Auto-Owners
Good drivers enjoy low prices from around the time they turn 35 until they hit their 70s. Their rates typically begin to climb after that because with age comes a reduced likelihood of avoiding serious injury or death in the event of a car accident.
Virginia drivers do get a bit of a break, however. State law requires insurance companies to give a reduction in premiums to drivers age 55 and older if they’ve successfully completed a motor vehicle accident-prevention course approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to the Virginia Bureau of Insurance.6
The cheapest insurer for senior drivers in Roanoke is Auto-Owners, with a monthly liability rate of $41.
Cheapest car insurance for teens: Auto-Owners
Teens’ inexperience and relative immaturity put them at high risk of getting into an accident, so they pay the highest rates of any age group. But most insurance companies give teen drivers lots of ways to save on their premiums.
Some ways to save include:
Maintain a good driving record.
Keep up your grades to qualify for a good student discount.
Avoid high-performance vehicles.
Build good credit.
Increase your deductible to whatever amount you could afford to pay out of pocket if you had to file a claim.
Auto-Owners is the cheapest insurer for teenagers in Roanoke, with liability-only rates of $100 per month.
Roanoke car insurance quotes by credit tier
Credit history has a strong correlation to insurance risk, meaning that drivers with good credit are statistically less likely to file insurance claims. For this reason, auto insurers factor credit scores into the insurance scores that help them predict insurance losses, according to Triple-I.7
As a result, you’ll pay less for insurance if you have excellent or good credit than if you have poor credit. Here’s what that looks like in terms of average rates for different credit tiers.
Is car insurance more expensive in Roanoke, Virginia?
No. Roanoke drivers pay an average of $130 per month for car insurance.
The city’s rates are cheaper than both Virginia’s monthly average of $146 and the national average of $144 per month.
More cities in Virginia
Roanoke’s yearly average is also less than that of many other cities in Virginia. Some of the factors at play might include differences in crime rates from one ZIP code to the next, medical and legal costs, average commutes, and traffic congestion.8
Newport News’ population is more than double that of Roanoke and nearly triple Lynchburg’s.9 It’s also in a more urban area, adjacent to Norfolk and Virginia Beach, than either of the smaller cities, which could account for the higher rates.