Page published October 27, 2026
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A quote that looks cheaper because it carries lower limits or a higher deductible is not a better deal. It is a different product. Line the cover up first, and only then let price decide. This page is a guide, not a quote engine: Driveonomics does not sell insurance and does not fetch live quotes, so the figures below are published averages and worked examples, and your own written quotes are your numbers.
How this page differs from our cost pages. Our how much car insurance costs page answers what insurance costs on average, and our adding a teen page answers what adding a teen adds. This page answers a different question: how to compare quotes you already have, and why they differ. It is the process, not the price list.
Step 1: line every quote up on the same facts
Before comparing a single dollar, check that each quote answers the same questions the same way. If one quote prices a different driver, car, or cover level, the comparison is meaningless, and the gap tells you nothing about which insurer is cheaper for you.
| Line to match | What to check on every quote | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage limits | The liability limits, such as 100/300/100, are the same on every quote | Lower limits cost less and pay less after a crash |
| Deductibles | The collision and comprehensive deductibles, such as $500, are the same on every quote | A higher deductible lowers the premium but raises what you pay after a claim |
| Drivers listed | Every licensed driver in the household is listed the same way on every quote | A missing driver can make a quote look cheap and leave a gap in cover |
| Car and use | The same car, same annual miles, same use, commuting or pleasure, on every quote | Insurers price repair cost, theft risk, and miles driven, so a different car or mileage is a different quote |
| Address | The garaging address is the same on every quote | Location moves a quote a lot, as the worked example below shows |
Then compare like this: same limits, same deductibles, same drivers, same car, same address, and the yearly premium side by side. If one quote is still far cheaper, that gap is real information, not a trick: insurers weigh the same facts differently, as our cost page notes. Before switching, check the claim service and the fine print too, since the cheapest premium is not always the best cover for a car you still owe money on, and a lender usually requires full coverage until the loan is paid off.
Step 2: know what moves a quote, with the dollars attached
Seven factors do most of the moving. Each one below is grounded in a figure already published on this site or in a cited source, and each one is a reason two quotes for the same household can differ, or two households can differ for the same car.
1. Location
Where the car is kept moves the price a lot: dense traffic, theft rates, weather, and state rules all feed into it. The worked example in the next section puts dollars on this, using two Wisconsin cities from the same filed-rate data.
2. Coverage choices
Full coverage means liability plus collision, which pays for damage to your own car in a crash, plus comprehensive, which pays for theft, fire, weather, vandalism, and hitting an animal. Liability only pays for damage and injuries you cause to others, up to your policy limits, and pays nothing toward your own car. On Experian September 2026 averages published on our cost page, full coverage is $2,912 a year and minimum coverage is $1,584 a year, a gap of $1,328 a year, or $6,640 over five years. That gap is the price of cover for your own car, and 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.
3. Deductible
The deductible is the part you pay first on a covered claim: with a $500 deductible, you pay the first $500 of a covered repair and the insurer pays the rest. The direction is plain, and it is stated by the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance: higher coverage limits and lower deductibles typically result in higher premiums. So a higher deductible usually lowers the premium and raises what you pay after a claim. Pick a deductible you could actually pay on a bad day, not just the one that gives the lowest quote.
4. Driving record
A clean record is the cheapest record there is. One study of a 40-year-old driver published on our cost page (CarInsurance.com, August 2026) puts full coverage at $2,578 a year with a clean record, $3,568 a year after one speeding ticket ($990 more), $4,129 a year after one crash that was the driver fault ($1,551 more), and $4,959 a year after a first DUI ($2,381 more). Other 2026 studies land in the same direction with slightly different sizes. The lesson for comparing quotes is that a ticket or crash follows the driver across insurers, so it raises every quote, and the insurer that prices it lightest may not be the one that priced the clean record cheapest.
5. Age and experience
Insurers price experience: with no driving history to look at, they assume more risk and charge more. On our adding a teen page, adding a teen to a family policy adds about $3,435 to $3,594 a year on published 2026 averages, and the added cost falls each year from about $4,050 at age 16 to about $3,105 at age 19, a drop of $945 a year. A first-time adult driver aged 25 or older averages $216 a month on Compare.com figures published on our cost page, $28 a month above the $188 national average for all drivers. As clean years build up, the price typically falls.
6. The car
Cheaper cars to repair, with strong safety ratings and low theft rates, cost less to insure. On Insurance.com 2026 figures published on our cost page, the Honda CR-V and Honda HR-V tie as the cheapest new cars to insure at $161 a month for full coverage, or $1,932 a year for the CR-V. Against the $2,912 a year full coverage average, that is about $980 a year less, or about $4,900 less over five years. That is why the car itself belongs in the budget conversation, not just the sticker price, and our CR-V true cost page runs the full five-year math for that car, insurance included.
7. Credit, where states allow it
In most states, insurers may use a credit-based insurance score, built from elements of a credit report, to help set a premium. The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance states this plainly for Wisconsin: insurers may use this score to help assess risk. Three states ban credit-based scores for auto pricing outright: California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. In those states, credit plays no part in the quote, so a driver comparing quotes there should not see a credit-driven gap. Michigan is a partial case: it bars the credit score itself from rating, but insurers there may still use a credit-derived insurance score to help set a premium. Everywhere else, credit can move a quote, and different insurers weigh it differently, which is one more reason to compare several quotes rather than trusting the first one.
Worked comparison: the same benchmark driver, two Wisconsin cities
This is the location factor with real numbers, not a hypothetical. Both figures come from InsuranceQuotes filed-rate averages as of August 31, 2026, as published on our own city pages, for a benchmark 40-year-old driver with a clean record, from rates insurers filed with state regulators. The Green Bay page states the benchmark limits as 100/300/100 with $500 deductibles. Nothing else changes in this comparison: the driver and the benchmark basis are the same, the city is what moves.
| City | Full coverage, per year | About per month |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay | $1,792 | $149 |
| Milwaukee | $2,928 | $244 |
| Difference | $1,136 more in Milwaukee | $95 more |
$2,928 minus $1,792 equals $1,136 a year. Over five years that is $5,680, and Milwaukee runs about 63% above Green Bay on this benchmark ($1,136 divided by $1,792). The monthly figures are the yearly figures divided by 12 and rounded: $1,792 divided by 12 is about $149, and $2,928 divided by 12 is exactly $244, so the monthly gap is about $95. The Green Bay page notes its figure sits $418 below the Wisconsin average of $2,210 a year, while the Milwaukee page notes its figure is the highest city figure in Wisconsin. A move across the state, with the same driver and the same benchmark cover, changes the bill by more than a thousand dollars a year, before any other factor is touched.
Formula
The worked comparison is one benchmark driver, a 40-year-old with a clean record, 100/300/100 limits with $500 deductibles, from InsuranceQuotes filed-rate averages as of August 31, 2026. Green Bay averages $1,792 a year, about $149 a month. Milwaukee averages $2,928 a year, $244 a month. The difference is $2,928 minus $1,792, which is $1,136 a year, $5,680 over five years, and about $95 a month. Milwaukee runs about 63% above Green Bay on this benchmark. The Green Bay figure sits $418 below the Wisconsin average of $2,210 a year.
Coverage choice is the next biggest mover. On Experian September 2026 averages, full coverage is $2,912 a year and minimum coverage is $1,584 a year, a gap of $1,328 a year, or $6,640 over five years. The driving-record study, a 40-year-old driver in CarInsurance.com August 2026 figures, puts full coverage at $2,578 a year with a clean record, $3,568 a year after one speeding ticket, $990 more, $4,129 a year after one crash that was the driver fault, $1,551 more, and $4,959 a year after a first DUI, $2,381 more. Monthly figures are the sources published rounded figures, so dividing a published yearly figure by 12 can differ by a few dollars.
Age, experience, and the car move the quote too. Adding a teen to a family policy adds about $3,435 to $3,594 a year on published 2026 averages, falling from about $4,050 at age 16 to about $3,105 at age 19, a drop of $945 a year. A first-time adult driver aged 25 or older averages $216 a month on Compare.com figures, $28 a month above the $188 national average for all drivers. The cheapest new cars to insure, full coverage, as listed on this page are the Honda CR-V and Honda HR-V at $161 a month, the CR-V at $1,932 a year, which is about $980 a year less than the $2,912 full-coverage average, or about $4,900 less over five years.
That is also why averages from different studies disagree, as our cost page warns: each study prices a different sample driver. When you compare quotes, compare quotes built for you, not averages built for someone else.
Step 3: use the quotes, then decide
Once the quotes are lined up on the same cover, three checks finish the job. First, read the declarations page of the cheapest quote, the page that lists the limits, deductibles, and drivers, and confirm it matches what you asked for. Second, confirm the discounts: a good student discount, a driver education discount, or a multi-policy discount only counts if it is actually applied on the quote, not just advertised. Third, do not drop cover you need to win a lower premium: if the car has a loan, full coverage is usually required, and if the car is worth little and you could replace it out of pocket, liability only is a real choice to weigh, not a default. Keep the old policy running until the new one is confirmed in force, so there is no gap in cover between quotes.
To see what your insurance figure does to the whole five-year cost of a car, run it through the calculator. For what insurance costs on average before you start comparing, see how much car insurance costs. For the family case where a teen joins the policy, see how much it costs to add a teen to car insurance.
Figures: Experian September 2026 national averages, CarInsurance.com August 2026 driving record study of a 40-year-old driver, Insurance.com 2026 cheapest new cars to insure, Compare.com 2026 first-time adult drivers, and CarInsurance.com and Insurify 2026 adding a teen averages, all as published on the Driveonomics cost and teen pages cited above. Green Bay $1,792 and Milwaukee $2,928 are InsuranceQuotes filed-rate averages as of August 31, 2026, as published on the Driveonomics Green Bay and Milwaukee pages. Deductible direction and Wisconsin credit-based insurance score use from the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance fact sheet on insurance premiums. Credit bans in California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts and the partial Michigan rule as reported by Credit Karma in 2026. Averages are not quotes. Insurance prices vary by driver, car, address, insurer, and coverage, and your own written quotes are the numbers that apply to you.
Calculation transparency
Scope. How to compare car insurance quotes for the same driver, car, and cover, with the dollars behind the seven factors that move a quote, and one worked location comparison on a benchmark driver.
Rules and time period. Same limits, same deductibles, same drivers, same car and annual miles, same garaging address on every quote before any dollar is compared; Experian September 2026 national averages; CarInsurance.com August 2026 driving-record study of a 40-year-old driver; InsuranceQuotes filed-rate averages as of August 31, 2026 for the benchmark driver; cheapest cars and first-time adult driver figures as published on the site cost page.
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. Credit-based insurance scores are banned for auto pricing in California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts, and Michigan bars the credit score itself from rating, so a driver comparing quotes there should not see a credit-driven gap. Prices vary by car, shop, and city. Get a written quote for your own car 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; Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, use of credit information; InsuranceQuotes filed-rate averages as of August 31, 2026, as published on the Driveonomics Green Bay and Milwaukee pages; Credit Karma 2026 state rules on credit-based scores. The Compare.com 2026 first-time adult driver figure of $216 a month, the InsuranceQuotes figures, the Credit Karma state rules, 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; Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, use of credit information; True cost of a car in Green Bay; True cost of a car in Milwaukee. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.
Definitions
Coverage limits. The liability limits on a quote, such as 100/300/100. Lower limits cost less and pay less after a crash, so every quote compared must carry the same limits.
Deductible. The part you pay first on a covered claim. With a $500 deductible, you pay the first $500 of a covered repair and the insurer pays the rest.
Full coverage. Liability plus collision plus comprehensive, the wider cover most drivers with a car loan have. On this page, $2,912 a year on Experian September 2026 averages.
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 to repair your own car. On this page, $1,584 a year on Experian September 2026 averages.
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.
Credit-based insurance score. A score built from elements of a credit report, used in most states to help set a premium. It is not the same as a credit score, which predicts whether you repay what you borrow.
Benchmark driver. The same driver priced in two places so only the place moves the number. On this page, a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, 100/300/100 limits with $500 deductibles.
Questions people actually ask
How do I compare car insurance quotes fairly?
Ask every insurer for the same coverage on the same facts: the same liability limits, the same collision and comprehensive deductibles, the same listed drivers, the same car and annual miles, and the same garaging address. Then compare the yearly premium side by side. If one quote prices different cover, the price gap tells you nothing about which insurer is cheaper for you.
What is the difference between full coverage and liability-only 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. On Experian September 2026 averages, full coverage is $2,912 a year and minimum coverage is $1,584 a year, a gap of $1,328 a year.
How does my deductible change my quote?
The deductible is the part you pay first on a covered claim: with a $500 deductible, you pay the first $500 of a covered repair and the insurer pays the rest. A higher deductible usually lowers the premium and raises what you pay after a claim, while a lower deductible usually raises the premium. Pick a deductible you could actually pay on a bad day, not just the one that gives the lowest quote.
How much can location change a car insurance quote?
By more than a thousand dollars a year on the same benchmark driver. On InsuranceQuotes filed-rate averages as of August 31, 2026, as published on our city pages, a benchmark 40-year-old driver with a clean record averages $1,792 a year in Green Bay and $2,928 a year in Milwaukee, a difference of $1,136 a year, or $5,680 over five years. Milwaukee runs about 63% above Green Bay on this benchmark.
Does my credit score affect my car insurance quote?
In most states, yes: insurers may use a credit-based insurance score, built from elements of a credit report, to help set a premium. Three states ban credit-based scores for auto pricing outright: California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. Michigan is a partial case: it bars the credit score itself from rating, but insurers there may still use a credit-derived insurance score to help set a premium. Everywhere else, different insurers weigh credit differently, which is one more reason to compare several quotes.
Related: Had a claim? See what a fender-bender really costs beyond the deductible.
Related: See how to calculate what a car really costs, insurance included.
Educational estimates only, not financial, tax, legal or insurance advice. Every figure on this page is a typical example worked from the inputs stated on the page, not a quote for a specific car, loan, or driver. Your rate, insurance, fuel use, and resale value will move your total. See Terms.