Lindsay is a freelance personal finance writer currently pursuing her Series 65 license. She enjoys helping readers learn money management skills that improve their lives.
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications
Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute
20+ years in insurance and communications
As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.
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*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on March 25, 2024
Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from March 25, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.
*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on March 25, 2024
Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from March 25, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.
Your credit score can affect your ability to find affordable car insurance, similar to how it influences the process of taking out a loan. In most states, insurers use a proprietary credit-based insurance score when determining your eligibility for coverage and calculating what you’ll pay for an insurance policy.[1]
Studies show that — in addition to demonstrating how well you manage your money — credit-based insurance scores can serve as an indicator to an insurer of how likely you are to file a claim.[2] Drivers with bad credit scores typically pay higher rates than people with good or excellent credit.
Quick Facts
Most states allow car insurance companies to consider drivers' credit history when setting insurance rates.
California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, and Utah prohibit or restrict the use of credit information in car insurance rating decisions.
Drivers with poor credit typically pay higher car insurance rates than those with good or excellent credit.
How does credit score affect car insurance quotes?
Generally speaking, drivers with good credit pay less for car insurance than drivers with lower credit scores. In fact, drivers with excellent credit can expect to pay as much as $2,000 less per year on auto insurance premiums than drivers with poor credit.
Your credit history helps determine your credit-based insurance score, a statistical tool auto insurance companies use to predict the chances (and potential cost) of you filing a car insurance claim. In other words, your insurance score predicts potential insurance losses. Your insurance score, therefore, directly affects your insurance pricing.
Keep in Mind
Your credit-based insurance score is separate from your FICO or Vantage score, which lenders use to determine your credit risk. Each insurer has its own proprietary process for using your credit information to calculate a credit-based insurance score.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with poor credit
Because a poor credit history may indicate a greater likelihood of having an accident or filing a claim, insurers tend to charge higher premiums if you have bad credit and live in a state that allows them to do so.[3]
On average, drivers with poor credit pay $125 per month for liability-only policies, and $256 per month for full coverage. The following table shows average quotes from some of the cheapest companies for drivers with poor credit.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Thursday, March 14 at 12:00 PM PDT.
Insurance Company
Full Coverage
Liability Only
COUNTRY Financial
48
22
Hugo
66
58
NJM
89
56
Mile Auto
106
57
Root
118
74
USAA
126
58
Metromile
132
86
Safeco
132
70
Auto-Owners
134
62
GEICO
139
63
Allstate
149
67
Progressive
159
90
Mercury
164
90
CSAA
166
104
Erie
168
101
State Farm
182
83
National General
183
80
Nationwide
196
89
American Family
199
88
Elephant
211
118
Travelers
218
99
State Auto
226
112
The Hartford
229
147
Direct Auto
236
114
Shelter
238
132
AssuranceAmerica
245
140
Liberty Mutual
252
120
Dairyland
277
101
Farmers
281
124
21st Century
291
131
The General
301
138
GAINSCO
312
144
Bristol West
316
140
Anchor
319
125
Infinity
333
196
Amica
344
211
Commonwealth Casualty
367
139
Chubb
526
243
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
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Cheapest car insurance for drivers with good credit
A good credit score is usually considered to be between 670 and 739. This range is near or slightly higher than the average credit score in the U.S., according to FICO.[4] If this applies to you, you’ll typically pay less for car insurance than someone with poor credit but a bit more than if you had excellent credit.
The following table shows average monthly quotes from top insurers for drivers with good credit.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Thursday, March 14 at 12:00 PM PDT.
Insurance Company
Full Coverage
Liability Only
COUNTRY Financial
48
22
Hugo
53
47
NJM
59
37
Auto-Owners
81
37
Mile Auto
93
50
Erie
95
57
USAA
99
46
Root
104
66
State Farm
112
51
GEICO
117
53
Metromile
124
80
Safeco
132
71
Allstate
139
62
CSAA
140
88
Clearcover
143
85
Progressive
151
85
Mercury
165
90
American Family
171
76
The Hartford
176
113
Elephant
183
102
Nationwide
185
84
National General
190
83
Liberty Mutual
196
93
Travelers
200
91
Direct Auto
201
97
Shelter
203
113
State Auto
217
107
AssuranceAmerica
222
127
Farmers
243
107
Chubb
245
113
Dairyland
246
89
The General
253
116
Anchor
265
104
21st Century
269
121
GAINSCO
270
125
Bristol West
285
126
Foremost
291
144
Amica
303
186
Infinity
329
194
Commonwealth Casualty
331
125
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with excellent credit
You’ll typically pay the lowest rates for car insurance by credit tier if you have excellent credit. However, several different factors affect your insurance premium, so your credit score only plays a partial role. If you have excellent credit but a very poor driving record, you may face higher rates.[5]
The average cost of car insurance for drivers with excellent credit is $175 per month for full coverage and $85 for liability. The table below shows the average rates top insurers offer to drivers with excellent credit.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Thursday, March 14 at 12:00 PM PDT.
Insurance Company
Full Coverage
Liability Only
COUNTRY Financial
41
19
NJM
46
29
Hugo
53
46
Auto-Owners
62
29
Erie
64
38
Mile Auto
79
43
USAA
89
41
Root
90
57
State Farm
90
41
Metromile
96
62
GEICO
103
47
CSAA
112
70
Safeco
117
62
Allstate
120
53
Progressive
125
70
Mercury
128
70
Clearcover
132
79
American Family
151
67
Elephant
154
85
Liberty Mutual
155
73
State Auto
156
77
National General
160
70
Nationwide
169
77
The Hartford
172
110
Travelers
172
78
Shelter
178
99
AssuranceAmerica
184
105
Direct Auto
192
92
Amica
206
126
Dairyland
208
76
Farmers
209
92
Chubb
216
100
The General
226
104
GAINSCO
234
108
21st Century
258
116
Anchor
263
103
Bristol West
265
117
Commonwealth Casualty
275
104
Infinity
299
176
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
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How credit score affects car insurance costs by state
Where you live — including your state, city, and ZIP code — can also affect rates due to the area’s risk factors and insurance laws. States that limit or restrict insurers’ use of credit scores include California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, and Utah.[6]
The table below shows what drivers in each state pay overall per month for coverage by credit tier.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Thursday, March 14 at 12:00 PM PDT.
State Name
Good Credit
Poor Credit
North Carolina
75
92
New Hampshire
75
123
Hawaii
82
109
Wisconsin
86
116
Ohio
93
121
Indiana
95
114
South Dakota
97
139
Iowa
98
131
Idaho
98
133
Alabama
101
130
Wyoming
101
138
Vermont
103
128
North Dakota
105
149
Kansas
108
155
Mississippi
109
170
West Virginia
109
141
Tennessee
113
156
Maine
120
149
Illinois
125
161
New Mexico
125
165
Utah
126
171
Virginia
126
147
Oklahoma
127
184
Oregon
129
151
Arizona
130
180
Massachusetts
132
239
Pennsylvania
132
163
Minnesota
134
180
Nebraska
135
169
Colorado
135
183
Montana
138
168
Arkansas
139
188
Washington
141
158
United States
144
190
Missouri
145
205
Rhode Island
146
187
Delaware
152
200
New Jersey
153
211
California
157
219
Washington D.C.
160
214
New York
165
208
Texas
169
230
Georgia
178
239
Kentucky
188
266
South Carolina
195
246
Maryland
214
262
Louisiana
218
263
Nevada
223
293
Florida
243
320
Connecticut
246
314
Michigan
254
300
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
How to find out what your credit score is
Though insurers typically use credit-based insurance scores, you don’t have access to this information on your own as a consumer. These insurance scores are mostly based on your existing credit reports with the three national consumer credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) and LexisNexis, a data and analytics company that records any insurance claims you’ve made in the past seven years.
If you want to, you can ensure that your credit and claims reports are accurate and dispute them if you find an error. You can check your credit reports — and determine your credit score — with the three consumer credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. And to view your LexisNexis insurance claim report, called a Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) report, you can visit its consumer-facing website.
How to improve your credit score
In general, you can improve your credit-based insurance score by following all the same steps that you would take to improve your credit score. The following tips can help you improve your credit score over time:
Pay off your credit card debt.
Set up auto pay so you don’t miss any credit card payments.
Don’t apply for any new credit cards or loans unless you really need to.
Build your credit by becoming an authorized user on someone else’s account.[7]
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Factors that affect car insurance rates
Your credit history isn’t the only factor that insurers use to set your car insurance rates. Some factors have an even greater effect on your rates than your credit profile.
Auto insurers commonly consider the following personal rating factors to determine risk:
Age
Teenage drivers generally pay the highest rates because of a lack of experience driving, and senior drivers face increased rates due to new risk factors associated with aging.
Location
States have different minimum insurance requirementsand regulations for insurance companies, which can affect average rates. Premiums also vary by city and ZIP code based on risk factors like vehicle theft rates, population density, accident severity, repair costs, weather, and more.
Driving history
Drivers with a history of speeding tickets, DUIs, at-fault accidents, or other major infractions present a greater risk, so insurers charge them more.
Chosen coverage and deductibles
If you select higher deductibles for comprehensive and collision coverages, you’ll typically pay less for your premiums. And you’ll pay higher rates if you purchase more coverage.
Credit score and car insurance FAQs
If you still have questions, the following information should help you understand how your credit score can affect car insurance rates.
Which states don’t use credit factors?
California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan either ban or limit insurers from considering your credit history when determining your insurance premium. Oregon and Utah have limits on how insurers can use your credit history in specific circumstances. In Oregon, insurers can't use credit information to rate new insurance applicants. And in Utah, credit information can't be the sole reason an insurer denies a policy application.
What are the best options for no-credit-check car insurance?
About 95% of all car insurers use your credit history, so you don’t have many options for a true no-credit-check insurance company unless you live in a state that prohibits insurers from using your credit score. Root is one car insurance company taking steps to remove credit history as an insurance factor that influences policyholder rates.
Does it hurt your credit score to get car insurance quotes?
No. Insurance companies do a soft credit inquiry, which will show up on your credit report without affecting your credit score. A hard credit inquiry will affect your score when you apply for credit.
Why do car insurance companies use credit scores to determine premiums?
The credit-based insurance scores that insurers use help them predict how likely you are to file a claim and, thus, how much they should charge. That’s a bit different than how creditors use your credit score to predict how likely you are to pay late on a loan or credit card.
Lindsay VanSomeren is a freelance personal finance writer living in Suquamish, WA. Her work has appeared with FICO, Credit Karma, The Balance, and more. She enjoys helping people learn how to manage their money better so they can live the life they want.
Edited byKatie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Katie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications
Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute
20+ years in insurance and communications
As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.