Is Car Insurance Cheaper if You're Married?
Married couples usually pay cheaper car insurance rates than single drivers, but that’s not always the case.
Written by Macy Fouse
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
- Is car insurance cheaper if you’re married?
- Why car insurance rates are lower for married people
- When car insurance won’t be cheaper when you’re married
- How much lower are auto insurance rates for married people?
- Best insurance companies for married people
- FAQs
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Tax breaks and health insurance aren’t the only financial perks to tying the knot—married couples typically benefit from lower
car insurance
rates, too! That won’t be the case if your spouse has a spotty driving record, though.- Married couples are statistically less likely to file claims or sustain car accident injuries than single drivers.
- Combining policies could save married drivers around 6% on their annual car insurance premiums.
- Your insurance rates could be negatively impacted if your spouse is considered a higher-risk driver.
- Married couples are statistically less likely to file claims or sustain car accident injuries than single drivers.
- Combining policies could save married drivers around 6% on their annual car insurance premiums.
- Your insurance rates could be negatively impacted if your spouse is considered a higher-risk driver.
MORE: The best type of car insurance to get if you’re married
Is car insurance cheaper if you’re married?
Yes. Whether a married couple shares a single car or just shares the same car insurance policy, car insurance tends to be cheaper if you’re married.
In some states, car insurance premiums may also be cheaper for couples in a domestic partnership. However,
Massachusetts
, Montana
, and Hawaii forbid auto insurance providers to use a customer’s marital status when determining their car insurance rates
. Why car insurance rates are lower for married people
Getting married doesn’t instantly make someone a better driver, so what’s the deal?
As it turns out, there are a handful of different reasons married drivers usually score lower car insurance rates than single drivers. Here’s a look at the two biggest ones:
Lower risk
The biggest reason married drivers enjoy lower average car insurance rates is the same reason anyone gets
lower car insurance premiums
—they’re often lower risk than their legally-single peers. While this doesn’t sound fair, car insurance companies determine your coverage rates based on hard data and risk assessment—period. It’s nothing personal: Studies show that married drivers statistically file fewer claims than single drivers with similar driving records, so auto insurance companies reward that tendency with lower rates.
Married drivers were also found less likely to be injured in a car accident than drivers who had never been married. Married drivers may also spend less time driving than single drivers since the task of driving is presumably split some of the time. Less time on the road means fewer chances for accidents—posing a lower risk for insurers.
Joint policy discounts
Tying the knot means joining together almost everything in your life—and that might include your car insurance policies.
Combining your separate car insurance coverage into a single policy is likely to qualify you for a provider’s
multi-car discount
. If you and your spouse have renters insurance
, homeowners insurance
, or life insurance with the same provider, you could also score a multi-policy discount by bundling these coverages
with your auto insurance policy. While these
car insurance discounts
don’t specifically depend on your marital status, married couples are more likely to qualify for them than single drivers. RECOMMENDED
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When car insurance won’t be cheaper when you’re married
Getting married and combining policies doesn’t always lead to cheaper car insurance rates, though. Since joint car insurance rates will still be calculated based on both of your driving profiles, there are quite a few cases where combining policies could equal higher rates.
Let’s look at a few circumstances where it may be cheaper to keep separate car insurance policies:
- Your spouse has a relativelybad driving recordwith multiple moving violations, an at-fault accident, or a major violation like reckless driving or aDUI.
- You and your spouse both drive expensive kinds of car.
- Your spouse is ayoung driverunder 25 years old—although some insurance companies will disregard age and experience for married drivers.
The opposite of these is usually true, too. For instance, if your spouse is considered a safe driver with an excellent credit score and a
clean driving record
, your rates may decrease more than you expect. If your spouse is considered to be a
high-risk driver
, it may be to your advantage to keep separate policies and ask for a named-driver exclusion
on your policy if possible. This would prohibit your spouse from driving your car, but it would also prevent your rates from increasing as a result of their driving histories.No matter what your circumstances are,
cheap car insurance
rates as a married couple are far from a guarantee. That’s why it’s always best to go over possible problem areas in your driving profiles before deciding to combine policies. And, as always, you’ll find the best options by comparing car insurance quotes from multiple providers. How much lower are auto insurance rates for married people?
On average, car insurance rates for married people drop between 5% and 6.5% for a total savings of between $96 and $123 on their annual coverage. These numbers depend on a wide array of factors, though—including the type of coverage you choose, your driving profiles, the area you live in, and your car insurance discount eligibility.
Best insurance companies for married people
Just like single-car insurance policies, no one company offers the best rates for every married couple—but some are typically better than others. Here are a few options you may want to consider when
comparison shopping
:- Erieusually has some of the best rates for married folks, averaging less than $100 per month forfull coverage. On the downside, Erie is only available in a handful of states.
- State Farmis a good option for married drivers, coming out at almost $100 per month for full coverage.
- If you qualify,USAAhas the all-around cheapest coverage for married drivers, averaging about $81 a month for full coverage.
- Progressivenormally has decent discounts for married couples, averaging a 21% savings—but the coverage itself is often more expensive than other options.
Keep in mind that these are based on averages, though—they may not be the best option for you and your spouse. The only way to find the best cheap car insurance for your needs is to compare quotes from at least three to five car insurance companies.
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FAQs
Do you have to tell your car insurance company that you’re married?
While you don’t have to combine your car insurance policies when you get married, you generally have to list your spouse in your policy if they’re part of your household and will have access to your car.
Even if you don’t add them, your insurance provider is likely to find out and require you to add them anyways since marriage records are publicly available. If you’re worried your spouse’s record will impact your rates, you can ask to list them as an excluded driver on your policy.
Do car insurance rates go down when you get married?
For the most part, yes. Since married couples statistically pose a lower risk for car insurance companies, getting married and combining auto insurance policies will lead to lower rates. However, if your spouse has a less-than-ideal driving profile or spotty driving record, combining your policies could lead to higher rates. That’s why it’s best to weigh all of your options before deciding whether or not to combine your policies.
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