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Tennessee Car Insurance for Bad Credit Drivers
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Edited by John Leach | Reviewed by licensed insurance agent, Amber Benka
Last Updated March 9, 2022
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Cheapest Companies for Drivers With Bad Credit in Tennessee (2022)
For drivers with bad credit in Tennessee, it's important that you evaluate all of your potential insurance options to ensure you are finding the best rate. Comparing the right insurance companies will allow you to get the best possible insurance rate for drivers with bad credit.
To simplify comparing companies, Insurify has analyzed rates from top insurance providers in Tennessee. The following are the best insurance rates from carriers that offer car insurance for drivers with bad credit in Tennessee.
| Carrier | Avg. Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Travelers | $125 |
| Direct Auto | $132 |
| Safeco Insurance | $136 |
| GAINSCO | $140 |
| Elephant.com | $148 |
| SafeAuto | $150 |
| Dairyland Insurance | $153 |
| Midvale Home & Auto | $159 |
| American Family Insurance | $160 |
| Bristol West | $163 |
Bad Credit Car Insurance in Tennessee
Tennessee sports a simple motto: "Agriculture and Commerce." In other words, the state has a bustling economy, which means its residents have places to be. But if you're a driver in Tennessee with bad credit, are you bound to pay higher car insurance prices?
As a state that uses credit-based insurance scores, those with less-than-perfect credit scores are probably going to have to pay a bit more for car insurance. But don't worry: credit is only one of many factors that go into determining your score. And if you work on improving your score, you could eventually find affordable car insurance rates.
Tennessee Car Insurance Rates for Bad Credit Drivers
Excellent$158
Good$175
Average$178
Poor$186
Insurify's comparison tool will help you make sure you're getting the best possible quote even with a bad credit rating. You can have peace of mind you're not paying any more than need to, and customers save $48 per month on average.
How Much Does Bad Credit Impact Car Insurance Rates in Tennessee?
Whether you're in a bit of debt or you've paid some bills late, low credit is a reality for millions of Americans. And if you're a driver in Tennessee with a low credit score, you'll pay on average about 7.5 percent more for car insurance than drivers with good credit.
Thankfully, Tennessee's average car insurance rates are lower than in most other states. So while adding $13 more to your car insurance bill each month is far from ideal, you'll still be paying a fairly reasonable $186 per month on average if you're a driver with a low credit score.
Avg. Monthly Cost - for Drivers with Good Credit$173
Avg. Monthly Cost - for Drivers with Bad Credit$186
$13 ▴
7.51% ▴
Monthly Impact of Bad Credit on Rates
Percent Bad Credit Impact Rates
Can I Get Car Insurance With No Credit Check in Tennessee?
In Tennessee, car insurance companies are allowed to look at your credit history before determining your car insurance rate. So you'll probably undergo a credit check as you shop for car insurance in Tennessee.
But Tennessee drivers with bad credit still have options. You might be able to find a smaller regional car insurance carrier that caters their policies to bad-credit drivers. Meanwhile, some larger insurance carriers have also been known to offer more affordable prices to bad-credit drivers.
Tennessee Car Insurance Rates by Credit Tier
Since Tennessee uses credit-based car insurance rates, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Tennessee drivers with poor credit pay quite a bit more than drivers with excellent credit—roughly a $30 difference. Meanwhile, drivers with good or average credit pay right around $175 per month, which is only about $10 less than the premiums paid by poor-credit drivers.
| Credit Tier | Avg. Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Excellent | $158 |
| Good | $175 |
| Average | $178 |
| Poor | $186 |
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Car Insurance Rates With Bad Credit in Tennessee Cities
Tennessee features a wide array of towns and cities, from the calm and rural to the busy and urban. And the differences don't stop there. Drivers with bad credit in a major city like Memphis will pay almost twice as much for car insurance as those in the smaller city of Kingsport.
| City | Credit Tier | Avg. Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis | Poor | $251 |
| Nashville | Poor | $192 |
| Knoxville | Poor | $156 |
| Clarksville | Poor | $170 |
| Chattanooga | Poor | $174 |
| Kingsport | Poor | $130 |
Tips for Researching Bad Credit Tennessee Car Insurance Rates
Insurance prices and policies can vary significantly between companies, and a state like Tennessee draws a wide variety of choices when factoring insurance rates for drivers with bad credit.
Insurify's rate comparison tool will help you make sure you're getting the best possible quote based on your needs and location. You can have peace of mind you're not paying any more than you need to, and customers save $585 per year on average.
Compare Top Auto Insurance Companies
Use Insurify for all of your car insurance comparison needs! Compare and connect directly with the top insurance companies to find the best rates as well as the most personalized discounts and coverage options. Insurify’s network includes over 200 insurance companies throughout the U.S. who can work with you to get you the right auto insurance policy at the cheapest price. See All Auto Insurance Companies
FAQs - Tennessee Car Insurance
There are many different factors that go into the how expensive your car insurance is. That said, some of the reasons why you could be paying so much for your insurance include: living in a state with high minimum insurance requirements, being a young or new driver, committing past traffic offenses like at-fault accidents or DUIs, and having a low credit score.
Auto insurance costs will vary between locations and insurance carriers, depending on the county Tennessee. Insurify analyzed the latest data for the five most populous cities in Tennessee to find you the cheapest quotes in each of these metropolitan areas.
The way to find the carrier with the best auto insurance ratings in Tennessee and save on your insurance premiums is to compare quotes from all companies in your area. Use a car insurance quotes comparison site like Insurify to compare up to 10+ real quotes for your specific driver profile and unlock savings and discounts. Rates can fluctuate greatly based on whether you're a safe driver or a high risk one, but you should never overpay. Insurify provides the cheapest car insurance quotes and companies in your area in just a few seconds.
During the past three years in the United States, national premium costs have risen an average of 4.5 percent annually. In states where quotes have risen, this figure has been 7.8 percent; and in those where rates have fallen, prices have decreased by approximately 6.0 percent. Individual rates by state will of course vary depending on the driver’s history and a multitude of factors.
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Methodology
The car insurance quotes displayed are based on an analysis of Insurify’s database of over 40 million quotes from 500 ZIP codes nationwide. To obtain representative rates, Insurify’s data science team performs frequent comprehensive analyses of the factors car insurance providers weigh to calculate rates including driver demographics, driving record, credit score, desired coverage level, and more.
Insurify’s analysis also incorporates the Insurify Composite Score (ICS) assigned to each insurance provider. The ICS is a proprietary rating that weighs multiple factors reflecting the quality, reliability, and health of an insurance company. Ratings used to calculate the ICS include Financial Strength Ratings from A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch; J.D. Power ratings; Consumer Reports customer satisfaction surveys and customer complaints; mobile app reviews; and user-generated company reviews.
With the above insights and ranking methods, Insurify is able to offer car insurance shoppers insight into how various insurance providers compare to one another in terms of both cost and quality. Note, actual quotes will vary based on unique attributes including the policyholder’s driver history and their garaging address.
Content Writer at Insurify
Mark Steinbach is a writer based in Brooklyn, NY. In addition to his years of work as a copywriter, he is also a TV writer with a degree in English from Harvard University. When he isn't writing, he can be found playing tennis or doing crossword puzzles.