The best, cheapest car insurance in Arkansas

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Best car insurance company in Arkansas

In Arkansas, the average premium for car insurance is $1,957 a year or $163 a month, which is the 21^st highest in the country – Louisiana was number one.

For drivers looking for cheap car insurance in Arkansas, Travelers, Nationwide, Shelter Insurance, GEICO and others on our list are great options, offering plenty of coverage options at affordable rates.

Our research found Shelter Insurance offers low rates when compared to its competitors and received high marks when we look at other factors including J.D Power customer satisfaction scores, financial strength rankings and complaint data. Shelter Insurance was our top scorer and was awarded 4.69 out of 5 stars.

Travelers finished second in our rankings with a score of 4.18 stars and Nationwide was third at 4.08 stars.

The best car insurance companies in Arkansas

How we picked the top auto insurance companies

When choosing the top car insurance companies in the state, we not only looked at the average cost of coverage but also J.D. Power customer satisfaction scores, AM Best financial strength ratings and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint rankings. National averages were used where state and regional data was not available.

For each of the four metrics, we gave companies in each state from 1 to 5 (5 being the best) based on how they performed in each category. Those components were then given the following weights to arrive at an overall star rating.

• Premiums: 25%
• JD Power: 30%
• AM Best: 25%
• NAIC: 20%

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Cheapest car insurance in Arkansas

Travelers has the cheapest average rate in the state at $1,442 a year.

While Travelers is the cheapest for many drivers, the perfect insurer for you may be a different company.

Insurers consider a wide variety of factors when setting a premium including your driving record, credit score, age, marital status as well the vehicle. Where you live also affects rates.

“States that have a higher rate of severe weather that damages cars or helps cause accidents will typically have higher rates,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance. “Florida, for example, is prone to extreme weather like hurricanes and its car insurance costs are consequently much higher.”

Insurance companies crunch all this data with proprietary algorithms, which can result in dramatic differences in premium quotes.

The data clearly shows the range of premiums for similar drivers.

In Arkansas, as mentioned earlier, the cheapest policy is Travelers with an average rate of $1,442 a year. Nationwide follows with an average premium of $1,503 a year or $125 a month and Shelter Insurance with premiums of $1,690 a year or $141 a month.

Alfa Corporation is the most expensive insurer with an average premium of $3,225.

Make sure you’re taking advantage of all the discounts you qualify for to ensure you’re getting the best possible rate. Ask your agent to review your policy for any available savings you might be missing.

Below are the cheapest car insurance rates by state. To calculate these rates, we used data for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX – one of the most commonly insured vehicles – to provide a consistent and realistic comparison across states.

Cheapest full-coverage insurance in Arkansas

Auto insurance premiums vary significantly from city to city, so drivers need to be sure they’re getting the best deal. Insure.com has done the research for you. Get more information on auto insurance rates by city below.

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Full coverage car insurance in Arkansas

As noted, the rates above are for full coverage car insurance. Full coverage car insurance simply means you are carrying liability and any other state requirements as well as collision and comprehensive.

Full coverage insurance includes collision and comprehensive, which protects your own vehicle. Collision insurance will pay to repair your vehicle when it is damaged after colliding with another vehicle or object. Comprehensive covers damage that is done by perils such as fire, theft, flooding, vandalism, and more.

Shopping for car insurance in Arkansas

Shopping around for coverage is a great way to make sure you are getting the best rates on your auto insurance. Experts often tell consumers to shop for insurance yearly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be looking to switch.

“I recommend that people stay with the same insurance company, as they tend to get a better rate when they have been with the same carrier for more than 12 months. The more tenure you have with a carrier, the more potential there is to earn benefits,” says Tim Bottini, a Country Financial insurance agent based in St. Louis. “The carrier can also review your claims history and provide information about applicable discounts.”

But make sure you are comparing like coverage levels and deductibles.

“It is extremely important to make sure you start off with an apples-to-apples comparison,” Bottini says. “However, if a person has low limits, say 25/50/25 – limit per person/per occurrence/limit for property damage – I am going to recommend and quote at least 50/100/100. Depending on their age/income and profession, I would quote higher limits to protect their net worth and earnings potential.”

Bottini also says people can save money on their car insurance by keeping their credit score up, following the speed limit and placing both home and auto insurance with the same carrier.

Cheapest car insurance in Arkansas by age

Insurance companies consider your age when setting a premium and teens and young adults pay more for coverage as statistics show that young drivers, because they are inexperienced, have more accidents and claims.

Regardless of your age, in Arkansas, Travelers is the most affordable coverage with an average rate of $1,442 a year.

As teens transition into young adults and get more experience under their belt rates start to drop. By their mid to late-20s – assuming they keep their record clean – driver rates should stabilize and then stay stable until the driver moves into their 70s when rates will start climbing again.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Arkansas

Seniors pay more for car insurance than other drivers, excluding teens. Travelers is the best choice for seniors in Arkansas, according to our data, with an average premium of $1,410 annually, which translates to $118 a month.

Nationwide was the second most affordable at $1,417 and Shelter Insurance was next with a premium of $1,577.

“Seniors tend to have slower reaction times and may suffer from vision or hearing impairments, which can impair their driving ability. This makes them more prone to accidents and thus considered high-risk by insurance companies,” says Tariro Goronga, CEO of DriveSafe driving schools in Colorado.

The table below shows the average premium for senior drivers.

Average rates for seniors in Arkansas

Car insurance for young drivers in Arkansas

While young adults pay less than teen drivers, they still pay more than older more experienced drivers. The best choice for young adults (early 20s) in Arkansas is Travelers with an annual rate of $2,186 or $182 a month.

Nationwide had the second cheapest premium at $2,578 a year followed by GEICO was third at $2,810.

If young drivers keep their driving record clean, their rates will drop down as they move out of their 20s.

The table below shows the best insurers for young drivers in Arkansas:

Average rates for young drivers in Arkansas

Car insurance for teen drivers in Arkansas

Adding a teen to a car insurance policy will always push up the rate. Teens are the least experienced drivers out on the road which leads to more accidents and claims and higher premiums.

“Teen drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents due to their lack of driving experience and tendency to engage in risky behaviors like speeding,” says Eliezer Zupnick, founder of East Leads Group LLC. “Teens are involved in three times as many auto accidents per mile compared to drivers aged 20 and up, making them a high-risk category for insurers.”

For Arkansas teens, Travelers is the most affordable option with a premium of $3,779 a year or $315 a month. Shelter Insurance is the next most affordable at $5,137 a year or $428 a month followed by Nationwide running $5,209 a year.

If your teen has a B average or better, ask for a good student discount to help save a bit of money. Having your teen drive an older vehicle will also help save some money. If the car is old enough that you wouldn’t repair it after an accident, you may be able to drop collision and comprehensive.

The chart below shows average premiums for teens in Arkansas:

Average rates for teens in Arkansas

Average cost of car insurance in Arkansas

In Arkansas, the average premium is $1,957, which makes Arkansas the 21^st most expensive state for coverage.

All states have large metropolitan areas, which will always push up the cost of insurance as more vehicles on the road lead to more accidents and claims. A high crime rate will also impact rates.

“If a state has a higher rate of car insurance claims associated with vandalism or car theft, prices are usually higher because car insurance companies view insuring these cars as a higher risk for them,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.

The chart below is the average rate in each state for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX.

Average rates for a 40-year-old in Arkansas

Which Arkansas ZIP codes are the most expensive for car insurance?

Insurers consider the ZIP code where your car is parked when setting a premium. High crime rates or frequent severe weather will result in a higher premium.

According to our analysis, the following ZIP codes are the most expensive in Arkansas for car insurance. Snow Lake tops the charts at $2,205 a year.

Here are the most expensive ZIP codes in Arkansas for car insurance:

Most expensive ZIP codes in Arkansas

Which Arkansas ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

The cheapest ZIP codes for car insurance in Arkansas tend to be in rural areas where there are fewer people and cars which leads to lower accident and claim rates. Hartford has the most affordable ZIP code in Arkansas with an annual premium of $1,702.

Least expensive ZIP codes in Arkansas

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in Arkansas

If you have an at-fault accident, DUI or speeding ticket on your driving record, your insurer may consider you a high-risk driver and will push up the cost of your coverage.

A speeding ticket increases the average premium to $2,080 and will stay on your record and impact your premium for three years.

If you are responsible for an accident, your rates will push the average cost of coverage to $2,528.

A DUI is considered a major violation and will raise the average premium to $3,038.

The table below shows the average increase for drivers with an incident on their record:

How much rates increase in Arkansas after a traffic incident

Minimum car insurance requirements in Arkansas

Most states require all drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage to drive legally. Arkansas requires drivers to carry 25/50/25 in liability coverage, which translates into:

• $25k for bodily injury and $50,000 for death for a person involved in an accident
• $50k for bodily injury and $100,000 for death for two or more people in an accident
• $25k for property damage for a single accident

These required minimums are fairly average when compared to other states. However, these minimums are rarely enough coverage if you are involved in a serious accident. Once your coverage levels are exceeded, you will be on the hook for any remaining damage.

Experts typically recommend carrying 100/300/50 as a minimum liability coverage level.

What our expert says

Q: How does a state’s population affect car insurance rates?

Chong GaoDirector of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.

“States with a higher population density have more cars on the road and thus more accidents and claims, increasing insurance rates. A more rural state like Iowa will have significantly lower average yearly car insurance costs compared to a highly metropolitan state like Arkansas.”

Mark Vallet

Contributing Researcher

 

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Mark Vallet is a Denver-based insurance expert and journalist with 18 years of experience covering the car insurance industry. He specializes in breaking down complex insurance topics into clear, expert-backed insights that help drivers make smarter insurance coverage decisions.

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