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
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:
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
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,
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.
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
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.
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
, 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
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—
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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Jerry automatically shops for your insurance before every renewal. Members save $872/year.