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| Category | Winner |
| Best affordable | GEICO |
| Best affordable runner-up | Erie Insurance* |
| Best for military | USAA** |
| Best for bad credit | GEICO |
| Best for DUI | State Farm |
| Best for teen drivers | Erie Insurance |
| Best for senior drivers | Nationwide |
| Best for accidents on record | Erie Insurance |
| Best for full coverage | Erie Insurance |
* Erie Insurance is only available in the Mid-Atlantic, North Central, and Southeast regions of the US.
**Only available to active duty military, veterans, and their families.
Choosing the best car insurance can be overwhelming: There are so many options, and there are a lot of different average prices out there. So, what's the best car insurance for everyone?
There's no short answer, because everyone's costs for coverage with every company is different. State law requires minimum liability insurance. Insurance costs can be influenced by your age, gender, credit score, driving history, and much more.
Because there are so many companies and so many variables, know that without getting a direct quote, a pick on this list might not necessarily give you the best price. This list should be used as a starting point to explore a wide variety of your options.
To get the best price on car insurance coverage, you'll need to shop around for comparison quotes to find the best price for you.
Customer satisfaction with car insurance providers may factor into your decision. According to a J.D. Power survey, these are the top companies in each US region, based on customer rankings:
| Region | Best car insurance company |
| California | Wawanesa |
| Central states (AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD) | Auto-Owners Insurance |
| Florida | Allstate |
| Mid-Atlantic (DE, DC, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV) | State Farm |
| New England (CT, Maine, MA, NH, RI, VT) | Amica Mutual |
| New York | |
| North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | |
| Northwest (ID, MT, OR, WA, WY) | |
| Southeast (AL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN) | |
| Southwest (AZ, CO, NV, NM, UT) | American Family and GEICO (tie) |
| Texas |
We narrowed our focus to the largest insurers, or those who wrote the most direct premiums in 2017 according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) based on market share percentage. Insider compiled data on large insurance companies, including data on rates as reported by ValuePenguin, NerdWallet, The Zebra, and Insurance.com.
The data was then organized to fit five common coverage scenarios, including coverage for a young driver, a driver with poor credit, a driver with an accident on their driving record, a driver with a DUI, and someone seeking out extra coverage. We then compared the data to find the best auto insurance company for each situation.
To choose the best overall coverage, Insider collected overall average premium data, and compared the companies to find which was available nationwide, and which was the best priced. Data was also collected on customer satisfaction from J.D. Power and Associates.
Everyone's car insurance rates will vary, as there are many factors that can go into pricing a premium. Every car insurance company will evaluate you on different factors and weigh those factors differently. The best way to find which car insurance company will help you save is to get quotes from several different insurance companies and compare them.
To find the best one for you out of the quotes you've obtained, compare the coverage types, limits, and deductible, or the amount you'll pay out of pocket if you're involved in an accident. The policy with the lowest price for coverage, the most coverage types and limits, and the lowest deductible is the best one for you.
According to Insider's research, GEICO is offering the best cheap car insurance in 2021, with Erie Insurance as a close second in places where it's available (see above for details). However, the car insurance company that's cheapest for one person may not be for another. Before deciding on insurance policies, you'll want to get four or five quotes from different insurance companies, just to make sure that you're getting the best price for you.
Let's face it: Car insurance isn't cheap. You want a car insurance company that gives both great coverage and good service. According to J.D. Power and Associates data on customer satisfaction, USAA and NJM Insurance Company take the top spots, though their coverage isn't available to everyone. Amica Mutual ranked first for service, Country Financial ranked second, and GEICO and Erie tied for third place. This ranking was based on responses from about 11,000 auto insurance customers who settled a claim between early 2018 and mid 2019.
There's a lot of buzz around these two options, but in Insider's calculations, GEICO comes out on top. Ranked highly for both value and customer service, GEICO tends to stand out. It won out in several of the scenarios above. While you're shopping, it might be worth getting quotes from both and seeing which one stands out.
According to Insider's research, Erie Insurance generally looked to be the best insurance for young adults and new drivers (in states where it's available).
One of the best ways to save on car insurance for a teen or young adult driver is to join a family policy. On a family car insurance policy, your premiums will be about 20% lower than having a separate plan, according to reporting by The Balance. If joining a family plan is an option, it might be the best for a teen driver.
