Full coverage insurance is also very affordable from Erie. The company charges $101 per month, which is 32% cheaper than the national average.

Unfortunately, Erie Insurance is only available in 12 states and Washington, D.C. That means most drivers can’t buy a policy from Erie. Drivers that can’t get car insurance from Erie should consider State Farm.

If you can get coverage from Erie, you can rest assured that you’ll be taken care of if you’re in an accident or need to make changes to your policy. Erie has a reputation for excellent customer service. It earned the second-highest score on J.D. Power’s claims satisfaction survey.

Choosing a company with a reputation for great service is just as important as finding the cheapest rate. If you’re ever in a car crash, you’ll want your insurance company to make the claims process easy so you can get back to normal quickly.

Amica earned one of the highest scores on J.D. Power’s claims satisfaction survey, which means drivers are happy with its claims process. In addition, it only receives around two-thirds as many complaints as other insurance companies of a similar size, according to the NAIC.

Amica’s great service comes at a price though. A full coverage policy from Amica costs around $208 per month, which is 41% more expensive than the national average. Although the company offers lots of discounts, most drivers can probably find cheaper coverage elsewher

Since young drivers are more likely to get in an accident, teen drivers generally pay high car insurance rates. Parents that add a teenager to a policy will find the cheapest quotes at Auto-Owners.

Full coverage from Auto-Owners costs around $153 per month for a 50-year-old and an 18-year-old on the same policy. That’s $118 less per month than average.

Auto-Owners also has affordable rates for young drivers who buy an individual policy. Minimum coverage from Auto-Owners costs $121 per month for an 18-year-old driver, on average. That’s 34% cheaper than the national average.

Monthly quotes for an 18-year-old driver

Auto-Owners offers several discounts for teen drivers to save money on car insurance. Young drivers can earn a good student discount of up to 20% by maintaining a “B” average or better.

Drivers can expect a great customer service experience with Auto-Owners. This can be particularly useful for teen drivers, who are more likely to get in an accident and might need extra help from an agent who can walk them through the claims process. The company receives fewer complaints than competitors of a similar size, according to the NAIC.

New drivers tend to pay more for car insurance. Their lack of experience behind the wheel means they’re more likely to make a mistake and cause an accident. This makes them more expensive to insure.

New drivers under age 25 pay around $100 per month for a minimum coverage policy from Allstate. That’s $89 per month cheaper than average. Allstate has the cheapest minimum coverage rates for new drivers over 25, too. At $34 per month, coverage from Allstate is $41 less per month than average for these drivers.

Allstate also offers lots of discounts that new drivers can easily qualify for. For example, Allstate offers discounts for making automatic payments or signing up for its usage-based program, which tracks your driving habits and helps you save more as you get more driving experience.

However, new drivers who get in an accident may not have the best experience with Allstate. Although Allstate receives fewer NAIC complaints than similar insurance companies, Allstate scores below average on J.D. Power’s claims satisfaction survey.

Best car insurance for drivers with accidents or tickets: Farm Bureau

If you’ve caused a car crash recently, insurance companies are going to charge you higher rates. However, they won’t all penalize you to the same degree.

Other companies increase rates by an average of 49% after an at-fault accident, or an extra $72 per month. With Farm Bureau, you can expect an average rate increase of only $43 per month.

Full coverage car insurance quotes with an accident

Best car insurance company for drivers with bad credit: Geico

Your credit score can have a major impact on the price of your auto insurance in most states. Drivers with poor credit pay an average of 72% more for car insurance than people with a good credit score.

Drivers with a poor credit score will only pay 51% higher car insurance rates with Geico.

Full coverage rates for drivers with poor credit

Drivers get a 10% discount when they sign up for the Nationwide SmartRide program. You’ll use an app or plug-in telematics device to monitor your driving habits for four to six months, and then you can earn a permanent discount of up to 40%.

One major benefit of SmartRide is that your rates can’t go up if you get a bad driving score, unlike with some other usage-based programs.

That makes SmartRide ideal not just for safe drivers but also for people who want help improving their driving abilities.

People that don’t drive often can also save with Nationwide SmartMiles, which is the company’s pay-per-mile program. With SmartMiles, you pay a monthly base rate plus a per-mile rate, so you’re rewarded with lower rates for driving less.

However, Nationwide’s rates are on the expensive side for drivers that don’t qualify for discounts or aren’t comfortable having their driving tracked. At $164 per month, full coverage insurance from Nationwide is 11% more expensive than the national average.

That’s why drivers that need more coverage than a basic car insurance policy provides should consider Travelers.

Accident forgiveness Your rates won’t go up after an accident, even if it’s your fault

Gap insurance Pays off the difference between what your car is worth and what you owe if you have a loan or lease

New car replacement If your brand new car is totaled, you’ll get a brand new replacement

Rental car coverage Get a rental car for daily activities if your vehicle is in the repair shop after a crash

Rideshare coverage Covers you when you’re off duty if you drive for Uber, Lyft or another rideshare or meal delivery service

Roadside assistance Call for roadside help if you have a flat, you run out of gas or your car breaks down on the side of the road

However, car insurance from Travelers isn’t cheap. At $146 per month, a full coverage policy from Travelers costs about the same as the national average. That’s before the cost of adding on extra coverage.

Best car insurance for military members and veterans: USAA

A full coverage policy from USAA costs $91 per month, on average. That’s 39% cheaper than the national average.

USAA is one of the top-ranked companies for customer support. According to the NAIC, USAA consistently receives fewer complaints from drivers than its competitors. USAA also holds the highest J.D. Power claims satisfaction score nearly every year.

USAA offers discounts that cater to the lifestyles of military drivers. If your vehicle is garaged on a military base, you can get a discount of 15% on the cost of comprehensive insurance. You can also get a vehicle storage discount that can save you up to 60% on car insurance if your vehicle is stored in a secure location while you’re deployed.

Unfortunately, you’ll need to qualify for USAA membership to get a car insurance policy. Membership is limited to current and former military members and certain family members.

Compare the best car insurance companies by state

The best car insurance company for you will depend on where you live. A great way to save money on car insurance is to compare quotes from multiple insurance companies in your area.

List of the top-rated car insurance companies

The key to finding the best car insurance is to comparison shop and research multiple insurance companies. Besides our top-rated insurance picks, you have dozens of other companies to choose from that offer affordable rates and great customer support.

How to find the best car insurance for you

The best car insurance company should have the best coverage and support you can afford.

How to find the best car insurance company for affordable rates

If you could get the same car insurance coverage for a cheaper price with a different insurer, wouldn’t you do it? You may be surprised by how often this could apply to you.

Get quotes from multiple companies to find the best deal for you

Every car insurance company calculates rates differently for a given driver. You could get a cheaper insurance policy with the same quality of service.

For example, nearly all companies charge higher rates if you have a recent accident or driving incident. But not all companies penalize you to the same extent. Someone with an accident history is treated differently by each company based on that company’s risk calculation for that particular driver.

Each car insurance company will also have unique calculations for the type of car you drive, where you live, your credit history and a variety of other factors. That’s why you should compare quotes from multiple companies, especially if your driving record recently changed.

Ask for car insurance discounts to help you save even more

In addition, you may qualify for car insurance discounts that could affect which company is the cheapest for you. Make sure your final quote has all the discounts you qualify for. Compare rates between companies after you’ve applied all available discounts.

How to find an insurance company with the best coverage

All the best auto insurance companies offer the same standard coverages — some of which are required by your state — that offer protection for personal injury and property damage on the road.

Optional coverage you can pay to add

Beyond these basic coverages, insurance companies may offer optional coverages or features. None of these are required by law, and you might not need every one.

How to find the best company for customer service

To get a feel for the quality of a company’s customer service, you can:

Start your research with our editor recommendations. Our editorial ratings out of five stars are an estimate of each company’s overall quality — combining service, value and coverage — but customer service is weighted heavily in the final score.

The J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study surveys customers to measure the quality of the claims process — the most important part of an insurer’s customer service — by overall satisfaction, claim servicing, settlement of the claim and other factors.

If you want to get some hard data on the support experience, check out the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) website. The NAIC measures service using a customer complaint index, which indicates how often drivers file official complaints about an insurance company compared to the national median.

A financially strong company will pay your claim

An insurance company provides you with financial protection when you’re facing high costs. The last thing you want is a provider that can’t cover your expenses because it can’t meet its own financial obligations.

The best way to quickly assess an insurance company’s financial stability is through a financial strength rating from professional analysts. We recommend the AM Best financial strength rating. AM Best, a credit rating agency, independently assesses the ability of insurance companies to pay their claims and rates them on a traditional grading scale from A++ to D-.

An A- rating or higher indicates an excellent or superior ability to pay claims. A company with a rating below a B or that’s recently had its rating downgraded might have financial problems.