Cost example updated October 24, 2026
Car insurance costs $188 a month on average across the country, or $2,254 a year, according to Experian's September 2026 figures. If you carry full coverage, the wider cover most drivers with a car loan have, the average is $243 a month, or $2,912 a year. Minimum coverage, the thinnest cover a state allows, averages $132 a month, or $1,584 a year. Those are averages, not quotes: your own price depends on your state, your car, your driving record, and how much coverage you carry. The rest of this page shows how each of those moves the number, so you can see where you likely sit.
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Full coverage vs. liability-only: what the words mean, and what each costs
Two phrases do most of the work on this page, so here they are in plain words. Liability-only (also called minimum coverage) pays for damage and injuries you cause to other people and their property, up to the limits on your policy. It does not pay a cent toward repairing your own car. Full coverage is liability plus two more parts: collision, which pays for damage to your own car in a crash, and comprehensive, which pays for damage from theft, fire, weather, vandalism, and hitting an animal. Deductible is the plain word for the part you pay first: with a $500 deductible, you pay the first $500 of a covered repair and the insurer pays the rest. If your car has a loan or a lease on it, the lender usually requires full coverage, that is not a choice you get to make until the loan is paid off.
| Coverage | Per month | Per year | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full coverage | $243 | $2,912 | Other people, plus your own car (crash, theft, weather) |
| Minimum (liability-only) | $132 | $1,584 | Other people only, nothing toward your own car |
| Difference | $111 more | $1,328 more | $6,640 more over five years |
That $111-a-month gap is the price of cover for your own car. Whether it is worth it depends on what your car is worth and whether you could pay for a repair or a replacement out of pocket, a car worth $3,000 and a car worth $30,000 do not make the same case. A second check on the full-coverage figure: the Wall Street Journal's 2026 analysis puts full coverage for a good driver at $195 a month ($2,340 a year). That is lower than Experian's $243 because it prices one specific driver, a good driver, age 35 in their sample, rather than every driver blended together. Both figures are real; they just describe different drivers. That gap is the whole lesson of this page in miniature.
Formula
The table is three averages from Experian September 2026 figures: full coverage $243 a month, or $2,912 a year; minimum coverage $132 a month, or $1,584 a year; and the all-driver average $188 a month, or $2,254 a year. The gap between full and minimum coverage is $243 minus $132, which is $111 a month, $1,328 a year, and $6,640 over five years. Monthly figures are the sources published rounded figures, so dividing a published yearly figure by 12 can differ by a few dollars.
The cheapest cars to insure in 2026, full coverage, as listed on this page: the Honda CR-V and the Honda HR-V at $161 a month, $1,932 and $1,936 a year; the Volkswagen Tiguan at $165 a month; the Hyundai Venue at $167; the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and the Subaru Forester at $168. Against the $243 a month national full-coverage average, the CR-V at $161 a month runs $82 a month less, about $980 a year less, about $4,900 less over five years.
The driving-record study, a 40-year-old driver in CarInsurance.com August 2026 figures: a clean record $2,578 a year for full coverage; one speeding ticket $3,568 a year, $990 more, about 38% higher; one crash that was your fault $4,129 a year, $1,551 more, about 60% higher; a first DUI $4,959 a year, $2,381 more, about 92% higher. A first-time adult driver aged 25 or older averages $216 a month, or $2,592 a year, $28 a month above the $188 national average for all drivers.
What moves the price, with numbers
Four things move your price more than anything else. Here is each one, with the dollars attached.
1. How much coverage you carry
Full coverage averages $243 a month; minimum coverage averages $132. That $111-a-month difference ($1,328 a year) is the single biggest lever you control directly, and it is also the one with a real trade-off: minimum coverage leaves your own car unprotected.
2. The car you drive
Cheaper cars to repair, with strong safety ratings and low theft rates, cost less to insure. The cheapest new cars to insure in 2026 (full coverage, Insurance.com) run about $161 a month, $82 a month below the $243 national full-coverage average, or about $980 a year less. At the other end, luxury and high-performance cars cost more to repair and replace, and insurers price that in. The car section below has the full cheapest list.
3. Your driving record
One study of a 40-year-old driver (CarInsurance.com, August 2026) puts a clean record at $2,578 a year for full coverage. One speeding ticket takes that to $3,568 a year ($990 more, about 38% higher). One crash that was your fault takes it to $4,129 a year ($1,551 more, about 60% higher). A first DUI takes it to $4,959 a year ($2,381 more, about 92% higher, nearly double). Other 2026 studies land in the same direction with slightly different sizes, roughly a quarter to a third more after a speeding ticket, roughly a third to three-fifths more after a crash that was your fault, and roughly double after a DUI, because each study prices a different sample driver. The direction never changes: a clean record is the cheapest record there is.
4. Where you live, and why this page has no state table
Where you live moves the price a lot: dense traffic, theft rates, weather, and state rules all feed into it, and studies agree on the direction, Vermont is consistently among the cheapest states and Nevada among the priciest. But the dollar figures disagree so much from study to study that publishing a state table here would mislead more than it helps. For one example, Experian's September 2026 figures put Maryland full coverage at $352 a month, while another 2026 study puts Maryland at $172 a month; for Nevada the spread runs from $280 to $407 a month depending on the study. Same question, wildly different answers, because each study prices a different sample driver. So this page stays national on purpose, and states the gap instead of picking one study's state numbers and pretending they are settled. If you want a state figure, get a quote for your own address, that is the only state number that applies to you.
5. How long you have been driving
Insurers price experience: with no driving history to look at, they assume more risk and charge more. The adult new-driver section below puts a number on that. As clean years build up, the price typically falls, which is why the same driver often pays noticeably less at 40 than they did when they were newly licensed. Adding a teen driver is the sharpest version of that, see how much it costs to add a teen to car insurance.
The cheapest cars to insure in 2026
These are full-coverage averages for new cars, from Insurance.com's 2026 ranking. Small and midsize SUVs dominate the list: they are cheap to repair, parts are everywhere, and their drivers file fewer claims.
| Car | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Honda CR-V | $161 | $1,932 |
| Honda HR-V | $161 | $1,936 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | $165 | $1,979 |
| Hyundai Venue | $167 | $1,999 |
| Chevrolet TrailBlazer | $168 | $2,012 |
| Subaru Forester | $168 | $2,013 |
Against the $243-a-month national full-coverage average, the CR-V at $161 a month runs about $980 a year less, about $4,900 less over five years. That is why the car itself belongs in the budget conversation, not just the sticker price. Our own CR-V true cost page runs the full five-year math for that car, insurance included.
Insurance for a new adult driver
Getting licensed as an adult, first license at 25 or older, still means starting with no driving history, and insurers price that. Compare.com's 2026 figures put a first-time adult driver (25+) at $216 a month, or $2,592 a year, $28 a month above the $188 national average for all drivers. A second source lands in the same place: about $200 a month for a 30-year-old new driver with full coverage. The gap is not as wide as people expect, because age itself counts in your favor; what costs money is the blank history, not the birthday. As clean years build up, that surcharge fades. A separate page on adding a young driver to a family policy is planned for later.
Every figure on this page is an average across thousands of drivers. Nobody pays the average, you pay the price an insurer sets for you, your car, your address, and your record. The useful move is to compare quotes from several insurers with the same coverage levels side by side, so the prices are actually comparable. For the step by step, see how to compare car insurance quotes. If two quotes differ by hundreds of dollars for the same coverage, that difference is real information, not a trick: insurers weigh the same facts differently. For what a minor crash costs once the deductible is paid, see what a fender-bender really costs beyond the deductible.
Calculation transparency
Scope. National averages for car insurance in the United States, September 2026, across coverage levels, cars, driving records, and new adult drivers, with the state spread stated rather than tabled.
Rules and time period. Experian September 2026 figures from policies sold through its insurance marketplace; full coverage $243 a month, minimum coverage $132 a month, all-driver average $188 a month. Driving-record figures from CarInsurance.com August 2026 for a 40-year-old driver. Cheapest cars from the 2026 ranking as listed on this page. New adult driver figures from Compare.com 2026.
Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Averages are not quotes: your own price depends on your state, your car, your driving record, and how much coverage you carry. State figures disagree so much from study to study that this page stays national on purpose; get a quote for your own address for a state number. Insurance quotes, gas prices, and local rates vary by driver and address. Get a real quote for the same car, coverage, and loan before you decide.
Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: Experian, Average Cost of Car Insurance in the US for 2026, September 2026 data; CarInsurance.com, August 2026 driving-record study, 40-year-old driver; Insure.com, how much insurance goes up after a traffic violation, same Quadrant figures. The Wall Street Journal 2026 good-driver figure of $195 a month, the Compare.com 2026 first-time adult driver figure of $216 a month, and the cheapest-cars ranking as listed on this page are named only, not linked.
Primary sources: Experian average cost of car insurance; CarInsurance.com, how much does insurance go up after an accident; Insure.com, how much does insurance go up after a traffic violation. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.
Definitions
Full coverage. Liability plus collision plus comprehensive, the wider cover most drivers with a car loan have. On this page, $243 a month, or $2,912 a year, on average.
Liability-only. Also called minimum coverage: it pays for damage and injuries you cause to other people and their property, up to the limits on your policy. It does not pay a cent toward repairing your own car. On this page, $132 a month, or $1,584 a year, on average.
Collision. The part of full coverage that pays for damage to your own car in a crash.
Comprehensive. The part of full coverage that pays for damage from theft, fire, weather, vandalism, and hitting an animal.
Deductible. The part you pay first on a covered repair. With a $500 deductible, you pay the first $500 of a covered repair and the insurer pays the rest.
Driving record. Your history of tickets, crashes, and claims. One study of a 40-year-old driver puts a clean record at $2,578 a year for full coverage, one speeding ticket at $3,568, one crash that was your fault at $4,129, and a first DUI at $4,959.
New adult driver. A driver getting licensed at 25 or older, starting with no driving history. Compare.com 2026 figures put a first-time adult driver at $216 a month, or $2,592 a year.
Averages. Figures blended across every driver, car, state, and coverage level. Nobody pays the average; you pay the price an insurer sets for you, your car, your address, and your record.
Questions people actually ask
How much is car insurance per month?
The national average is $188 a month ($2,254 a year) as of September 2026, according to Experian. Full coverage averages $243 a month ($2,912 a year), and minimum coverage averages $132 a month ($1,584 a year). A separate Wall Street Journal figure for a good driver with full coverage is $195 a month.
What is the difference between full coverage and liability-only car insurance?
Liability-only pays for damage and injuries you cause to other people and their property, up to your policy limits, and does not pay to repair your own car. Full coverage adds collision, which pays for damage to your own car in a crash, and comprehensive, which pays for damage from theft, fire, weather, vandalism, and hitting an animal. Full coverage averages $111 a month more than minimum coverage in Experian's September 2026 figures.
What is the cheapest car to insure?
The Honda CR-V and the Honda HR-V tie as the cheapest new cars to insure in 2026 at $161 a month for full coverage, according to Insurance.com. The Volkswagen Tiguan is next at $165 a month.
How much does car insurance cost for a new adult driver?
A first-time adult driver aged 25 or older averages $216 a month, according to Compare.com. That is $28 a month above the $188 national average for all drivers. Insurers charge new drivers more because there is no driving history to price from, and the price typically falls as clean years build up.
Why is my quote different from the national average?
A national average blends every driver, car, state, and coverage level into one number, and no single driver is that blend. Your state, your car, your driving record, and how much coverage you carry each move your price, which is why two neighbors can get very different quotes for the same car. Averages are a starting point for comparison, not a quote: your own quote from an insurer is the number that applies to you.
Related: See what a salvage or rebuilt title car really costs, including the insurance catch.
Related: See what it costs per mile to drive, insurance included.
Related: See how to calculate what a car really costs, insurance included.
Run your own numbers
Insurance is the biggest monthly cost after the payment itself on most cars. Plug your own insurance figure into the calculator and see what your car really costs over five years. If you are weighing a used car instead, the true cost of a used car page runs the same math, and new vs. used compares the two paths side by side. State costs vary, our Texas car costs page shows how one state's insurance, tax, and fees stack up.
Figures: Experian, September 2026 (national, full, and minimum averages; state figures cited only to show studies disagree); Wall Street Journal 2026 good-driver full coverage, $195 a month; Insurance.com 2026 cheapest new cars to insure; CarInsurance.com, August 2026, driving-record study (40-year-old driver); Compare.com 2026 first-time adult drivers. Monthly figures are the sources' published rounded figures, dividing a published yearly figure by 12 can differ by a few dollars (see the math check). Insurance prices vary by driver, car, address, and insurer, the structure is the part that does not change.