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What Is an Auto Insurance Quote?
A car insurance quote is an estimate of how much you’re likely to spend on car insurance coverage. This is calculated from the type of coverage you select and self-reported information. Each insurer weighs these factors differently, so quotes for the same kind of policy may vary between companies. To get an overall sense of what you’ll pay for a car insurance policy, we recommend comparing quotes from several different providers.
What Factors Determine My Car Insurance Quote?
Auto insurers compute quotes differently, but they all tend to use the same determining factors. These include:
- Location: If you live in an area that has high rates of property crime or car accidents, you may see higher car insurance rates.
- Age: Teen drivers and drivers over 55 years old typically pay the most for auto coverage.
- Driving record: If you have any traffic violations on your driving history like speeding tickets, DUI convictions or recent at-fault accidents, you’ll likely pay higher premiums.
- Credit history: A higher credit score means a lower car insurance premium (except in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan).
- Gender: Providers (outside of California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) may give you higher or lower car insurance costs based on your gender.
- Marital status: Married drivers (except for those in Massachusetts and Michigan) usually pay less for car insurance than single drivers.
- Type of vehicle: Higher-end vehicles like luxury or sports cars are more expensive to maintain and therefore more expensive to insure.
The deductible you choose also determines your quote. When filing an insurance claim, the deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket before your policy kicks in. The higher the deductible you select, the lower your total insurance cost will be.
Another important factor in determining your quote is your selected coverage option. If you opt for a policy that simply satisfies your state minimum auto insurance requirements, you’ll get a quote for a much lower amount. But if you choose a full-coverage policy or add additional types of insurance, your quote will be higher.
What Types of Coverage Can I Choose From?
Almost all states (except for New Hampshire and Virginia) legally require drivers to hold auto insurance. Typically, drivers need to carry liability insurance at minimum. If your car is financed, you may be obligated to have full coverage per your lender.
The standard types of auto insurance coverage are:
- Bodily injury liability insurance (BI): BI covers the medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering expenses for another party after an accident you cause.
- Property damage liability insurance (PD): PD covers the cost of repairs to another party’s vehicle or other physical property if you’re at fault for an accident.
- Collision coverage: Collision covers accident-related damages to your vehicle regardless of who’s at fault.
- Comprehensive insurance: Comprehensive covers damage to your car from non-collision incidents like vandalism, theft, fire, floods or natural disasters.
- Medical payments (MedPay): MedPay helps cover medical expenses for you and your passengers in the event of an accident no matter who’s at fault.
- Personal injury protection (PIP): As with MedPay, PIP covers you and your passengers’ medical bills after an accident. It can also cover some funeral expenses.
- Uninsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM): This insurance helps cover your medical costs and vehicle repairs if you’re hit by an uninsured or underinsured motorist.
How Much Is an Average Car Insurance Quote?
The national average for a full-coverage insurance policy is $2,008 per year. This is based on the driver profile of an unmarried 35-year-old with a 2022 Toyota Camry, good credit and a clean driving record. What you pay will vary depending on your personal factors.
How To Get Free Car Insurance Quotes
There are a few things to do before looking for free car insurance quotes.
- Set your budget. Before you start shopping for car insurance, you should know how much you can afford.
- Determine your ideal level of coverage. It’s good to know how much car insurance you need — you may be happy with the minimum liability coverage, but comprehensive coverage could better suit your needs.
- Research the insurers you’re considering. Make sure you’re choosing a reliable insurance provider by looking at customer reviews on sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot. Check out a company’s AM Best ratings too, as strong reviews indicate solid finances, meaning the provider can easily pay claims.
- Choose how you want to get quotes. There are many options when it comes to sourcing quotes (both online and in person) which we’ll explain in the next section.
Where Can I Find Free Car Insurance Quotes?
There are a few different methods for getting free quotes and other insurance information.
Local Captive Agents
Captive insurance agents are tied to a specific auto insurance company. They won’t offer you quotes from any other provider, so it won’t be easy to instantly compare rates. You can call these agents or visit their offices to have them walk you through the quotes process.
Independent Agents or Brokers
Insurance brokers and independent agents are authorized to sell policies from different providers. These agents can give you quotes from several companies at once, helping you compare and get the best rates.
Online Quote Tools
Most insurance companies have an instant quote tool on their website, which means you can quickly get quotes from different insurers. Some websites also offer quote comparison tools, saving you even more time.
What Information Should I Provide for a Car Insurance Quote?
Regardless of which method you choose, you’ll need to provide the following information to get free car insurance quotes:
- Basic personal information: Providers will need your name, contact information, occupation and birthdate.
- Driver’s license information: You and any driver that will be on the policy will need to provide your driver’s license number.
- Vehicle information: You should have the vehicle’s current mileage on hand, as well as an estimate of your annual mileage and vehicle identification number (VIN). You’ll also need to state how often you drive and whether or not you use your car for business.
- Five years of driving history: Insurers will want to see any tickets, accidents or other road violations for every driver that will be on your policy.
- Your current auto insurance policy: Be ready to provide information about your current policy and insurance company.
Get Free Car Insurance Quotes: The Bottom Line
A car insurance quote is an estimate of what you may pay for an insurance policy based on the personal and vehicle information you provide. Each company calculates quotes differently, so it’s a good idea to compare several quotes before committing to a provider.
Top Auto Insurance Recommendations
The best way to find insurance rates that fit both your budget and needs is to compare quotes from different providers. We recommend starting with State Farm and Geico, two of the top auto insurers on the market.
Compare: State Farm vs. Geico
State Farm: Best Customer Experience
State Farm is the largest car insurance company in the nation, known primarily for its below-average rates. The company has many agents across the country as well as an online tool, making it easy to get free car insurance quotes. In addition to the standard offerings, State Farm also provides a variety of add-on insurance options, including roadside assistance and rental car reimbursem*nt.
Read more: State Farm insurance reviews
Geico: Best for Budget-Conscious Drivers
Geico is an excellent option if you’re looking for cheap car insurance, since it offers high coverage limits at low prices. Geico also offers multiple car insurance discounts to help you save even more. For example, you can reduce your premium by bundling your auto coverage with renters or homeowners insurance. Though the company has fewer captive agents than other insurers, it does have an instant quote tool on its website.
Read more: Geico insurance reviews
Get Free Car Insurance Quotes: FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about how to get free car insurance quotes.
Yes, most car insurance companies offer free quotes. This is helpful if you’re searching for a new policy, as you can get several quotes and compare to find the company whose price and coverage options match your needs.
Car insurance companies in all states except California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan check your credit when calculating your quote, but they use what’s called a “soft pull,” which is an inquiry that doesn’t affect your credit score. These inquiries will show up on your personal credit report, but lenders won’t be able to see them.
Based on our research, we found that the cheapest car insurance company in the U.S. is USAA. However, USAA is only available to military members, veterans and their families. If you don’t qualify, Geico is the cheapest major provider according to our research.
All but two U.S. states legally require drivers to hold car insurance. In New Hampshire, you don’t have to carry car insurance as long as you can prove that you could provide sufficient funds in the event of an at-fault accident. In Virginia, you can drive without insurance as long as you pay the $500 Uninsured Motorist Fee to your local DMV.
Our Methodology
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
- Cost: Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
- Coverage: Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Reputation and experience: Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
- Availability: Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
- Customer experience: This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.
Our credentials:
- 800 hours researched
- 45 companies reviewed
- 8,500+ consumers surveyed
*Data accurate at time of publication.
Daniel RobinsonWriter
Daniel is a MarketWatch Guides team writer and has written for numerous automotive news sites and marketing firms across the U.S., U.K., and Australia, specializing in auto finance and car care topics. Daniel is a MarketWatch Guides team authority on auto insurance, loans, warranty options, auto services and more.
Rashawn MitchnerManaging Editor
Rashawn Mitchner is a MarketWatch Guides team editor with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance and insurance topics.
