What is the best and cheapest car insurance for you?

Published: Apr 01, 2021 8 min read
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Looking to save on your car insurance policy? We’ve researched auto coverage options and insurance companies to help you find the cheapest car insurance that does not compromise your protection.

Our Top Picks for Cheap Car Insurance Companies of 2021

These are the companies with the best cheap auto insurance options of 2021 according to Money:

  • GEICO: Cheapest Rates
  • Progressive: Best for Families
  • Liberty Mutual: Best Discount Variety
  • State Farm: Best Rates from Local Agents
  • The General: Best for Accident History
  • Root: Best for Safe Drivers
  • Travelers: Best for Hybrid-Electric Vehicles
  • USAA: Best for Military Families
  • Allstate: Best for Fast Claims Service
  • Farmers: Best for High Mileage Drivers

Read on to find out why these were categorized this way. Does more than one category apply to you? Still undecided which one would offer you the best protection for your car and your wallet?

You can easily find out which one of these (or more) is best for you by logging in to your current car insurance provider through Savvy and see which insurance company--out of hundreds they search for--offers you a lower price for the same coverage. All in 30 seconds or less.

If you decide that one is right for you, Savvy’s team is there to help you make the switch, 100% free of charge. Savvy takes privacy seriously so your credentials will never be made accessible to Savvy and information is encrypted end-to-end. Try it out below.

Best Cheap Car Insurance Reviews

Geico: Cheapest Rates

GEICO has the lowest annual rates for non-military drivers, averaging $2,145 for safe drivers and $5,665 for teen drivers, making it an affordable car insurance option. Geico’s website classifies each of the company’s discounts by type, helping you know how much you’d save before even applying.

GEICO now also has a pay-as-you-drive option through its DriveEasy app. Depending on your driving manners, like distraction-free driving and braking, the company will give you a score and base your car insurance rate on it.

Progressive: Best for Families

Progressive offers lower rates for those young drivers who are high school and college students. The company offers four different car insurance discounts:

  • Multi-car
  • Good student
  • Teen drivers
  • Distant college student

These discounts are simple to claim: the good student discount requires only a B average throughout the school year. The distant college student discount helps drivers age 22 or younger who travel more than 100 miles to get to campus.

Liberty Mutual: Best for Discount Variety

With 17 discounts to choose from, and with simple requisites for most discount programs, you should be able to find cheap auto insurance with Liberty Mutual. The company also offers more specific discounts than other insurers, including:

  • Military
  • Alternative-energy discounts for hybrid cars
  • Pay-as-you-drive (ByMile)
  • Pay-how-you-drive (RightTrack)

State Farm: Best Rates for Local Agents

State Farm has about 19,000 local insurance agents across the country. State Farm also has the most comprehensive rental car and travel expense coverage on the market.

You could save up to 30 percent off the total costs of premiums by opting into this insurer’s telematics programs:

  • Drive Safe & Save program: For customers 25 and older.
  • Steer Clear Driver program: For drivers below age 25.

The General: Best for Accident History

If you’re a high-risk driver with a low credit still looking for an auto insurer with low rates, give The General a chance.

Safe driving remains the most reliable way to score the cheapest rates on auto insurance coverage. The General provides basic coverage options with a few extras including:

  • Liability coverage
  • Collision coverage
  • Uninsured motorist
  • Deductible waiver
  • 24/7 roadside assistance

The General is one of the best insurance providers for those high-risk drivers looking for the best rate on their car insurance policy.

Root: Best for Safe Drivers

With Root you could get up to 52 percent off your premiums when you subscribe to one of its two available plans:

  • Pay-as-you-drive (PAYD)
  • Pay-how-you-drive (PHYD) plan

If you get a quote, Root considers you a safe driver. If you don’t get a quote Root doesn’t want to insure you — and you can’t take the test again! To see if you qualify for Root, install its app on your phone and drive for three weeks.

Root’s app also:

  • Lets you change your car insurance coverage levels any time
  • Offers roadside assistance covering three accidents every six months.

Doesn’t cover TNC drivers when they’re on duty, so it’s definitely not an option for Uber or Lyft drivers.

Travelers: Best for Hybrid-Electric Vehicles

At 10 percent, Travelers has the highest discount for electric or hybrid vehicles, making it the best insurance company for these cars. You’d need to work directly with a Travelers agent to enroll. Then you can simply request a hybrid-electric discount.

Travelers also has 11 other car insurance discounts, including:

  • Defensive driving training
  • Early quote
  • Multi-car
  • New car
  • Homeowners

If you prefer use-based insurance, Travelers offers Intellidrive, its telematics program.

Across the board, Travelers is a highly rated insurance company with solid customer service and cheap auto insurance rates for hybrid-electric vehicles.

USAA: Best for Military Families

USAA is an association, much like a credit union, but only active duty and retired military members — and their families — can join.

Along with its already-low rates, USAA members can save through a variety of discounts. USAA tailors some of its discounts to military life. For example, these car insurance policies charge less when the policyholder is deployed.

Members can tap multi-car, good grades, and driving course discounts. USAA has an accident forgiveness program, too.

Allstate: Best for Fast Claims Service

The company has a wide range of common car insurance discounts and free car insurance quotes online — so you could chip away at your premiums and save month to month that way. But if you have a lower credit score and a driving record with a few blemishes, you’ll pay more with Allstate. Esurance, a subsidiary of Allstate, provides all-online policies.

Farmers: Best for High Mileage Drivers

Like Allstate, Farmers Insurance won’t win a contest for the cheapest car insurance premiums. But the company’s quality auto insurance coverage could make life easier and save you money after a wreck.

If you’re an experienced driver who puts a lot of miles on your car — and you have a clean driving record and a good credit score — Farmers could offer low auto insurance premiums while still extending solid coverage and customer service.

To find the cheapest car insurance that is perfect for you, your car, and your wallet, log in to your car insurance provider via Savvy above.