Car Insurance Cost

Car Insurance Cost
Written by R.E. Fulton
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
Updated on Sep 27, 2022

How are auto insurance rates determined?

The cost of car insurance varies based on a wide range of factors, from your driving record, gender, and credit score to marital status, age, and ZIP code. 
That’s what makes finding affordable insurance so difficult—and why
Jerry
exists. Jerry isn’t just a licensed insurance broker; it’s the super app that can take all of your information, synthesize it in seconds, and use it to find quotes tailored to you in under a minute. Here's how much real Jerry customers pay (and saved!) on their car insurance:
Quote DateCar
Before Jerry
After Jerry
LocationZip CodeNameAgeInsurance Company
March 29, 2023Dodge Charger SXT$292/mo.$174/mo.Grandview, MO64030Edward R.33Dairyland
March 26, 2023Hyundai Tucson Limited$355/mo.$158/mo.Tempe, AZ85282Lina H.33Progressive
March 22, 2023Ford Fusion SE$175/mo.$106/mo.New Orleans, LA70119Oscar C.31Progressive
March 21, 2023Nissan Versa SV$300/mo.$193/mo.Atlanta, GA30340Dean S.48Progressive
March 8, 2023Nissan Rogue Select S$100/mo.$96/mo.University City, MO63130Susie G.27Progressive
When you sign up with Jerry, we’ll ask you a few questions, such as: 
  • Have you filed any car insurance claims in the last five years? 
  • Do you have any violations from the last five years?
  • What is the full name of the primary driver associated with your policy? 
Jerry won’t sell the information you provide in your answers. Instead, these questions help us to nail down some crucial information: who you are, how you drive, and how much risk you present to an insurance company. Let’s break down a little further how these factors influence your rate. 

Car insurance cost for teens 

Crash data indicates that teenagers—especially 16- and 17-year-olds—have the highest rate of car accidents, but these accidents are often (not always) minor. That’s because teens are still learning how to drive, and while they may mess up, they’re also driving with caution and supervision a lot of the time. 
But there are still ways to save if you have a teenage driver on your policy. Good student discounts and
driver training discounts
can help with increased costs. So can
Jerry
—by connecting you with quotes that keep your rate increase low. 
Carrier16171819
State Auto$1,933$2,226$1,716$2,448
Metlife$1,933$2,336$2,830$3,990
Clearcover$1,933$2,336$2,830$2,291
Travelers$1,933$2,336$2,972$2,581
Commonwealth Insurance$1,933$2,336$2,492$2,594
Nationwide$1,933$2,336$1,677$2,762
AAA$1,933$2,294$2,912$2,589
Gainsco$1,933$2,336$3,092$2,703

Car insurance cost for young drivers

While older drivers tend to have fewer risk factors and lower rates overall, young drivers are associated with a high rate of accidents—especially fatal ones. 
It makes sense: young adulthood is all about newfound freedom and opportunity, and caution doesn’t always come along for the ride. Drivers aged 16 to 25 typically have the highest rates on car insurance to reflect the heightened risk they pose to insurance companies, but you can expect your rate to drop every year, with significant decreases at 21 and 25 years old. 
How can young drivers save on car insurance?
Young drivers should look out for car insurance discounts like Good student discounts,
Student away at school discounts
, and
Responsible payer discounts
.
See how your age could be affecting your auto insurance rate below. 
Carrier202122232425
Mercury$2,805$2,940$2,711$2,636$2,431$2,335
Bristol West$3,046$3,025$2,712$2,602$2,515$2,455
Electric$2,722$2,709$2,499$2,429$2,369$2,280
Infinity$2,882$3,087$2,712$2,655$2,448$2,312
Dairyland$2,585$2,651$2,526$2,350$2,403$2,376
Clearcover$2,410$2,411$2,103$2,005$1,889$1,859
State Auto$2,858$2,504$2,229$2,095$2,044$1,945
Commonwealth Insurance$2,452$2,090$2,140$1,737$1,860$1,845

Car insurance cost for seniors

Seniors typically have some of the lowest car insurance rates around—at least until they hit 80 years old! 
That’s because seniors have more experience driving than anyone else on the road, and they tend to be more careful. On average, a 65-year-old will have fewer speeding tickets and other violations than, say, a 26-year-old. They’re also likely to drive less, which can lower rates. 
But elderly drivers do have some risks that others don’t. For instance, failing eyesight and poor response time can contribute to accidents and rate increases. 
Seniors will find the lowest rates on car insurance from companies that understand their needs and offer discounts for loyalty and safe driving. Check out the features below to see how seniors’ car insurance rates can change. 
Carrier60657075
Progressive$1,500$1,494$1,626$1,605
Kemper$1,343$1,860$1,727$1,737
Metlife$1,350$846$1,797$1,728
Infinity$1,543$1,753$2,062$2,373
Oregon Mutual$1,574$1,586$1,797$1,728
Bristol West$1,711$1,833$1,754$1,671
State Auto$1,450$1,668$1,840$1,237
Nationwide$1,553$1,546$1,818$1,939

Car insurance cost after DUI

High-risk drivers pay more for insurance than drivers with a proven record of safety—and nothing is a bigger blow to your driving record than a
DUI conviction
Will your car insurance cost increase after a DUI?
After a DUI, you can expect an 80% bump to your car insurance premium—minimum. You may even be required
to file an SR-22 certificate
with your state’s DMV, which will contribute to your record as a high-risk driver. 
Because the law and insurance companies both take DUIs so seriously, it can be difficult to find affordable insurance with one on your record. But it’s still possible to get
car insurance with a bad driving record
—you just have to know where to look. With Jerry, you could find cheap insurance with a DUI in under a minute. 
CarrierClean RecordAfter DUI
Annual Savings With Jerry
Aspire Advantage$1,652$1,780$962
Mapfre$1,807$1,853$947
Infinity$1,995$1,971$1,024
Plymouth Rock$2,290$2,577$1,440
Progressive$1,817$2,008$1,015
AAA$2,296$2,490$1,027
Commonwealth Insurance$1,622$1,641$901
Kemper$1,729$1,788$936

Car insurance cost after a speeding ticket

A speeding ticket might not seem like that big a deal—after all, it happens to everyone, right? 
Yes and no. A speeding ticket isn’t the most serious driving violation, especially if you’re going less than 15 miles per hour above the speed limit. But even a minor speeding ticket could raise your car insurance premium by an average of 21%, and repeated tickets could lead to a significant rate bump. 
Take a look at the table below to see how speeding tickets could be costing you money on insurance.
CarrierClean RecordAfter Speeding Ticket
Annual Savings With Jerry
Oregon Mutual$2,331$2,195$1,059
Safeco$1,896$2,150$1,043
Electric$2,058$2,376$1,025
Plymouth Rock$2,290$2,414$1,165
Mercury$1,884$2,218$1,113
Kemper$1,729$2,010$1,038
Clearcover$1,772$1,875$1,088
Dairyland$2,035$2,434$1,114

Car insurance cost by gender

Here’s a big one: gender, or sex assigned at birth. It’s long been a major part of how car insurance companies determine rates, but that may be starting to change. 
In some ways, sex assigned at birth can be an easy predictor of insurance risk. According to data from the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
, men cause and die in more car accidents each year than women, both because they drive more miles overall and because they’re more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors. 
Average monthly price for Female drivers
Young drivers$154
Average drivers$119
Senior drivers$110
Average monthly price for Male drivers
Young drivers$159
Average drivers$121
Senior drivers$110
Average monthly price for Non-binary drivers
Young drivers$185
Average drivers$123
Senior drivers$86
With those facts in mind, insurance companies prefer to charge men more for the same coverage, because they perceive a higher risk of claims associated with male policyholders. 
Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that. For one thing, gender isn’t a constant binary. Transgender and non-binary individuals may have a difficult time getting insurance that matches their gender when insurance companies base their evaluation of risk on sex assigned at birth (that is, the government gender marker associated with your legal name).  
But things are changing. Jerry’s research shows that
over 50% of non-binary drivers
live in a state that permits a neutral X gender marker on driver’s licenses. And in several states, insurance companies cannot use gender to calculate insurance premiums or must offer a gender-neutral option. Those states include:
  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • Hawaii
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Montana
  • North Carolina
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
If you don’t live in one of the above states, though, don’t worry too much—
the effect of gender on car insurance rates
mainly impacts teenage drivers. 

Car insurance cost by credit tier

In most states,
your credit score can affect your car insurance rate
. The exceptions are: 
  • California
  • Hawaii
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Oregon
  • Utah
  • Washington
If you live outside of these states, you’re likely to pay a higher rate for the same coverage if your credit score goes down. But not every company weighs credit history the same: for instance, drivers with poor credit are likely to get better rates from Progressive than Allstate (all other factors considered). 
Take a look at the table below to see how your credit score might be impacting the rates you pay for auto insurance (and how raising it could improve your odds for a better quote!). 
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