A typical car insurance cost in 2026 is about $2,150 a year, or $179 a month, by this site’s planning figures for a full coverage policy on a midsize sedan driven by an adult with a clean record. Two things you do not control move that figure the most: your state and your age. The state figures run from $1,200 in Maine and Vermont to $3,400 in Florida, and an 18-year-old pays close to three times what a 40-year-old pays for the same coverage. The yearly column below is the premium our cost of car ownership calculator adds to your yearly total, so this page and that tool always agree. If you are still deciding whether you need collision and comprehensive at all, read what full coverage costs and when to drop it first.
Average Cost of Car Insurance by State in 2026
Each row is an annual full coverage premium for one driver, one midsize sedan and no accidents or tickets, so every row uses the same profile. Monthly is the yearly figure divided by 12. The last column compares each row with the $2,150 national figure, so 158% means a Florida driver pays 58% more than the typical auto insurance premium.
| State | Yearly premium | Per month | vs US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,900 | $158 | 88% |
| Alaska | $1,800 | $150 | 84% |
| Arizona | $2,200 | $183 | 102% |
| Arkansas | $2,100 | $175 | 98% |
| California | $2,700 | $225 | 126% |
| Colorado | $2,600 | $217 | 121% |
| Connecticut | $2,000 | $167 | 93% |
| Delaware | $2,300 | $192 | 107% |
| District of Columbia | $2,400 | $200 | 112% |
| Florida | $3,400 | $283 | 158% |
| Georgia | $2,500 | $208 | 116% |
| Hawaii | $1,500 | $125 | 70% |
| Idaho | $1,300 | $108 | 60% |
| Illinois | $2,000 | $167 | 93% |
| Indiana | $1,500 | $125 | 70% |
| Iowa | $1,500 | $125 | 70% |
| Kansas | $2,000 | $167 | 93% |
| Kentucky | $2,500 | $208 | 116% |
| Louisiana | $3,300 | $275 | 153% |
| Maine | $1,200 | $100 | 56% |
| Maryland | $2,300 | $192 | 107% |
| Massachusetts | $1,800 | $150 | 84% |
| Michigan | $2,900 | $242 | 135% |
| Minnesota | $2,000 | $167 | 93% |
| Mississippi | $1,900 | $158 | 88% |
| Missouri | $2,300 | $192 | 107% |
| Montana | $2,100 | $175 | 98% |
| Nebraska | $1,900 | $158 | 88% |
| Nevada | $3,000 | $250 | 140% |
| New Hampshire | $1,400 | $117 | 65% |
| New Jersey | $2,500 | $208 | 116% |
| New Mexico | $2,000 | $167 | 93% |
| New York | $3,300 | $275 | 153% |
| North Carolina | $1,800 | $150 | 84% |
| North Dakota | $1,600 | $133 | 74% |
| Ohio | $1,400 | $117 | 65% |
| Oklahoma | $2,300 | $192 | 107% |
| Oregon | $1,800 | $150 | 84% |
| Pennsylvania | $2,200 | $183 | 102% |
| Rhode Island | $2,400 | $200 | 112% |
| South Carolina | $2,200 | $183 | 102% |
| South Dakota | $1,900 | $158 | 88% |
| Tennessee | $1,900 | $158 | 88% |
| Texas | $2,500 | $208 | 116% |
| Utah | $1,900 | $158 | 88% |
| Vermont | $1,200 | $100 | 56% |
| Virginia | $1,600 | $133 | 74% |
| Washington | $1,900 | $158 | 88% |
| West Virginia | $2,000 | $167 | 93% |
| Wisconsin | $1,500 | $125 | 70% |
| Wyoming | $1,600 | $133 | 74% |
| US average | $2,150 | $179 | 100% |
Twenty of the 51 rows sit above the national figure and 31 sit below it. The five most expensive entries are Florida ($3,400), Louisiana and New York ($3,300 each), Nevada ($3,000) and Michigan ($2,900). The cheapest are Maine and Vermont ($1,200), Idaho ($1,300), then New Hampshire and Ohio ($1,400). Over five years of ownership, the gap between Florida and Maine alone comes to $11,000 for an identical vehicle and driver.
Why Car Insurance Cost Varies So Much by State
An insurer prices the insurance claims it expects to pay where the car is garaged, and state law sets who pays a claim and how much coverage every driver must carry. Three patterns show up in the table.
- No-fault laws. Twelve states use a no-fault system, where your own policy pays your injury costs through personal injury protection no matter who caused the traffic collision: Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Utah, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Three of the five most expensive entries in the table (Florida, New York and Michigan) are on that list. No-fault alone does not guarantee a high price, though; Hawaii and North Dakota are no-fault and sit well below average.
- Uninsured drivers. The Insurance Research Council estimates 15.4% of US drivers had no policy in 2023, from 28.2% in Mississippi and 24.1% in New Mexico down to 5.7% in Maine. When more drivers carry nothing, the uninsured motorist insurance coverage in every insured driver’s policy pays more claims. Maine has both the fewest uninsured drivers and one of the two lowest premiums in the table.
- Local claim costs. Repair labor rates, theft, hail and flood claims, and how often injury claims go to court all vary by ZIP code. That is why premiums for a city address in a cheap state can top a rural address in a pricier one.
Minimum insurance requirements differ too, but they barely touch the table, because every row prices full coverage well above any state floor. The minimums matter more for a driver who drops to liability only: you still have to meet your state’s minimum insurance requirements, and New Hampshire is the only state that does not require liability insurance for most drivers.
Car Insurance by Age: What Drivers Pay From 16 to 75
Age is the other big factor. The figures below are 2026 Quadrant Information Services rate data, published by Insurance.com, for one profile: a Honda Accord LX, 100/300/100 liability limits, $500 deductibles on comprehensive and collision coverage, a clean record and good credit. The fourth column shows each row as a multiple of a 40-year-old’s premium, and the last column applies that multiple to the $2,150 national figure from the first table.
| Age | Female | Male | Times a 40-year-old | At the $2,150 US average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | $9,846 | $10,928 | 4.03 | $8,660 |
| 17 | $8,121 | $9,105 | 3.34 | $7,180 |
| 18 | $7,047 | $7,946 | 2.91 | $6,260 |
| 19 | $5,395 | $6,041 | 2.22 | $4,770 |
| 20 | $4,893 | $5,454 | 2.01 | $4,320 |
| 21 | $4,020 | $4,441 | 1.64 | $3,530 |
| 25 | $2,997 | $3,091 | 1.18 | $2,540 |
| 30 | $2,729 | $2,734 | 1.06 | $2,280 |
| 40 | $2,585 | $2,570 | 1.00 | $2,150 |
| 50 | $2,418 | $2,424 | 0.94 | $2,020 |
| 60 | $2,297 | $2,327 | 0.90 | $1,940 |
| 65 | $2,333 | $2,373 | 0.91 | $1,960 |
| 70 | $2,467 | $2,528 | 0.97 | $2,090 |
| 75 | $2,681 | $2,803 | 1.06 | $2,280 |
The car insurance premium halves between 16 and 20, keeps falling through the early 20s, and is lowest around 60. A 16-year-old boy pays $1,082 more than a 16-year-old girl, but from 30 to 60 the gender gap is under $35 a year. After 65 the price climbs again, and by 75 it is back to roughly what a 30-year-old pays.
Estimate Your Premium From State and Age
Multiply your state’s yearly figure by the multiple in your row. An 18-year-old in Ohio comes out near $4,070 ($1,400 x 2.91), while the same 18-year-old in Florida comes out near $9,890 ($3,400 x 2.91). That is $5,820 a year apart for the same driver and vehicle, which is why the registration address of a young driver matters as much as the model. Treat the result as a planning number for a budget, not a price, then adjust it with the factors in the next section.
Factors That Affect Car Insurance Rates Beyond State and Age
Within one ZIP code and one birth year, insurance companies use a handful of other inputs to set your price. The table below names them, explains why each one moves the premium, and says what you can change. None of them carries a fixed dollar amount, because every insurer weights them differently; that spread is the main reason quotes for the same driver can sit hundreds of dollars apart.
| Factor | Why it moves the price | What you control |
|---|---|---|
| Driving record | At-fault crashes and tickets predict future claims; surcharges usually last three to five years | Renewal timing; re-shop once an incident ages off |
| Credit-based insurance score | Used in most states as a claims predictor; California, Hawaii and Massachusetts do not allow it | Paying bills on time over the long run |
| Vehicle | Repair cost, theft rate and safety ratings set the collision and comprehensive price | Getting a quote before you buy |
| Coverage and deductible | Higher liability limits cost more; higher deductibles cost less | Limits, deductibles and optional add-ons |
| Car loan or lease | The lender or lessor requires collision and comprehensive, and a lease often requires gap coverage | Little until the loan is paid off |
| Annual mileage | More miles means more exposure to a crash | Reporting real mileage; low-mileage or telematics programs |
| Insurance history | A lapse in coverage reads as higher risk to the next insurer | Never letting a car insurance policy lapse, even between vehicles |
Two of these trip people up. A financed vehicle has to carry full coverage until the car loan is paid off, so dropping collision is not an option on a new purchase, and a lease adds its own minimum limits on top; a lease vs buy comparison lets you weigh that. Electric vehicles also tend to cost more to insure than a comparable gas model because battery and body repairs are expensive, a line worth adding when you run an electric vs gas car cost comparison.
Pickup Insurance Compared With a Sedan
Pickup data points two ways depending on who collects it. A comparison site’s August 2026 study of 2025 and 2026 models put full-size trucks between $2,766 and $2,890 a year, a spread of only $124, with the compact Ford Maverick lowest at $2,291:
| Pickup | Size | Average yearly premium |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Maverick | Compact | $2,291 |
| Ford Ranger | Midsize | $2,413 |
| Toyota Tacoma | Midsize | $2,731 |
| Ford F-Series | Full-size | $2,766 |
| Chevrolet Silverado | Full-size | $2,805 |
| Ram 1500 | Full-size | $2,843 |
| Toyota Tundra | Full-size | $2,890 |
| Ram 2500 | Heavy-duty | $3,033 |
| Ram 3500 | Heavy-duty | $2,332 |
Quote data from June 2026 shows the opposite pattern: pickups averaged $197 a month against $246 for sedans, about 20% less. The ownership tool on this site sits between the two sources and prices a pickup at 1.05 times the sedan figure, about $2,260 a year at the national average. Two exceptions can push a pickup well above that: some heavy-duty models (the Ram 2500 tops the list above at $3,033, though the Ram 3500 is among the cheapest at $2,332) and a truck used for work, which may need a commercial auto policy instead of personal coverage.
The National Average Car Insurance Rate Depends on Who You Ask
Three 2026 figures for the average cost of car insurance sit $772 apart, and none of them is wrong:
- $2,150 on this site: one adult, one midsize sedan, clean record, used as the planning baseline across this site’s tools.
- $2,237 from a comparison site’s analysis of more than 250 million quotes through June 2026: drivers 20 to 70, $1,000 deductibles, liability limits between the state minimum and 50/100.
- $2,922 from auto insurance policies actually sold through a credit bureau’s marketplace in the 12 months through August 2026. The same data put minimum coverage at $1,580 a year.
Deductibles, liability limits, the mix of drivers and whether the number is a quote or a sold policy all shift the average rate. Compare any figure you read with your own limits before deciding your premium is high. This site uses the lowest of the three on purpose: its tools need one fixed driver profile, so a change in your total comes from your own inputs rather than from a shifting survey mix.
Car insurance prices are also falling for the first time in years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics motor vehicle insurance index was 5.1% lower in August 2026 than in August 2025, and it has dropped every month since February. Annual readings turned negative in May 2026, the first declines since a run of increases that began in 2021 and peaked above 22% in April 2024.
How to Compare Car Insurance Quotes and Pay Less
Location and age set the range; shopping decides where you land in it. A car insurance calculator on an insurer’s site gives a rough range, but only a quote prices your record and address. To get a car insurance quote that is worth comparing, have your license number, VIN, current declarations page and annual mileage ready.
- Get at least three quotes with identical car insurance coverage. Use the same liability limits, deductibles and drivers on each auto insurance quote. The cheapest car insurance rates often come from quotes that cover less.
- Ask every insurance provider for its discount list. Common car insurance discounts include bundling home and auto insurance policies, paying in full, a good student rate, and a telematics program that tracks braking and mileage.
- Check the deductible. Moving from $500 to $1,000 lowers the car insurance premium; keep the higher deductible only if you could pay it tomorrow.
- Re-quote at birthday milestones. The multiple drops from 2.22 at 19 to 1.64 at 21 and 1.18 at 25. Your renewal may not reflect that automatically.
- Re-quote after a move. Crossing a state line can change your car insurance rate by $1,000 or more a year, in either direction.
- Use an independent insurance agent if you would rather compare quotes from several car insurance companies through one person.
Shopping once is not enough. Renewal prices drift, and staying put without checking can mean you pay more for car insurance than you need to, so it pays to shop around and compare quotes every year or two, and again after any of the changes in the factors table.
Start with your state’s row, multiply it by your age multiple, then enter the result in the insurance per year field of the cost of car ownership calculator to see it next to depreciation, fuel and repairs. If the vehicle is older and paid off, check full coverage car insurance cost before deciding what to carry.
Questions About Monthly and Yearly Premiums
Is $200 a month expensive for car insurance?
For one adult with a clean record, slightly. $200 a month is $2,400 a year, above the $179 national monthly figure but below the typical full coverage premium in 11 states, including Florida, Louisiana, New York and Texas. For a driver under 25, $200 a month for full coverage is a good price: every age under 25 in the table costs more than that at the national average.
Is $150 a month a lot for car insurance?
No, for full coverage it is below average. $150 a month is $1,800 a year, under the $2,150 national figure and at or below the yearly figure in 16 states, from Maine and Vermont at $1,200 to Alaska, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Oregon at $1,800. For minimum liability coverage only, $150 is a bit above the $132 monthly marketplace average.
Is $100 a month expensive for car insurance?
No. $100 a month is $1,200 a year, the lowest figure in the table (Maine and Vermont) for full coverage, and below the $132 monthly average for minimum coverage. If a $100 quote is for full coverage in a pricier state, check that the limits and deductibles match what you asked for.
How much is car insurance per month?
About $179 a month for full coverage at the national average, ranging from $100 in Maine and Vermont to $283 in Florida in the first table. Minimum liability coverage averaged $132 a month in 2026 marketplace sales data.
What age does car insurance go down?
The steepest drops come in the teen years, when each birthday from 16 to 20 takes about $540 to $1,780 off a full coverage bill. The declines shrink after 21, and from 25 the premium eases slowly until about 60, the cheapest point, then rises again after 65.
Are car insurance rates going up in 2026?
Not on average. The federal motor vehicle insurance price index was 5.1% lower in August 2026 than a year earlier. Your own renewal can still rise after a claim, a ticket, a new car or a move.
Which state has the cheapest car insurance?
In the first table, Maine and Vermont at $1,200 a year, followed by Idaho at $1,300 and New Hampshire and Ohio at $1,400. Rate surveys do not always agree on the order, but Experian’s 2026 marketplace data also puts Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine among the cheapest.
Estimates only, not a quote. Premiums are 2026 planning figures for one driver profile and are not an offer of coverage; your insurer sets the rate you pay. Last reviewed: October 2026.