The best, cheapest car insurance in Arkansas

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Best car insurance company in Arkansas

Drivers in Arkansas pay an average of $1,957 a year or $163 a month for car insurance coverage which makes it the 21^st most expensive state in the country.

Even though car insurance is pretty expensive in Arkansas, it’s possible to find affordable coverage with top insurers such as Travelers, Nationwide, Shelter Insurance, and other insurers.

Shelter Insurance is our choice for the best car insurance in Arkansas. It finished first in our rankings with 4.69 out of 5 stars and an average premium of $1,690 a year, or $141 a month, which is $267 less than the state average.

Travelers was second with a score of 4.18 stars followed by Nationwide with 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/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

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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 adds collision and comprehensive to your liability insurance coverage, so your vehicle is repaired or replaced after an incident.

Full coverage insurance includes collision and comprehensive which will pay to repair your vehicle. Collision covers damage caused by a collision with another vehicle or object while comprehensive repairs damage done by perils such as fire, theft, flooding, vandalism, and more.

Learn more about liability, collision and comprehensive coverage.

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

Car insurance rates will vary by age as reams of statistics show that teen and young adult drivers, because they are inexperienced on the road, take bigger risks and are more likely to get in anaccident and file a claim, which is why they pay more for coverage than older more experienced drivers.

Travelers turned out to be the best insurer in Arkansas for drivers of all ages. The numbers show the difference between young and old drivers with the lowest premium for a teen coming in at 91% more than the lowest premium for a senior driver.

Once a driver hits 25, rates will start to drop, assuming they keep their driving record clean, and will stay stable until their 70s when they will start climbing a bit.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Arkansas

Seniors in the state pay more for coverage than all other driver groups, except for teens. Travelers is the most affordable option for seniors with a yearly premium of $1,410 or $118 a month. Nationwide was the second cheapest at $1,417 and Shelter Insurance rounded out the top three at $1,577.

Seniors tend to pay more for coverage due to age. Many seniors suffer from vision and hearing issues as well as slowing reflexes. In addition, medications they may take can impact their driving. All of these factors combined lead to more accidents and claims which will result in a higher premium.

The chart 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

Although teen drivers always pay much higher premiums than other driver groups, Travelers offers teens the cheapest rate at $3,779. Teen drivers are inexperienced and are big risk takers which results in more accidents and claims, pushing up the cost of coverage.

“Teenagers are more likely to be involved in accidents than older drivers because of their lack of experience. This increased risk results in higher insurance rates because insurance companies regard them as high-risk drivers,” says Goronga. “Teenagers are also more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors, such as distracted driving or speeding, increasing their chances of being involved in an accident.”

Shelter Insurance has the second most affordable premium at $5,137 a year followed by Nationwide at $5,209 annually.

Our data clearly shows how dramatic premium differences can be for teens and how important shopping your coverage is when trying to find the best rate for your specific risk factors. While Travelers was the most affordable at $3,779, Allstate was the most expensive with an annual premium of $11,808.

There are a few ways to save some money when insuring a teen. Ask your insurer for a good student discount if they are carrying a B average or better. Putting your teen in an older vehicle that you wouldn’t repair after an accident can help save some money by dropping collision and comprehensive. Just keep in mind that doing so means you’ll be on the hook for any damage if they’re in a crash.

The chart below shows average premiums for teens in Arkansas:

Average rates for teens in Arkansas

Average cost of car insurance in Arkansas

Arkansas is the 21^st most expensive state (Louisiana is number one) when it comes to car insurance with an average premium of $1,957.

The table below shows 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 Idaho

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

Drivers with a speeding ticket, DUI or at-fault accident on their record are often considered high-risk drivers and end up paying more for coverage. The increase can range from reasonable for a speeding ticket to a big leap in costs for a DUI.

The data showed that a speeding ticket will result in a 40% increase, pushing the average rate to $2,080. Speeding tickets will typically impact your premium for at least three years.

An at-fault accident will raise your rates by 70% to an average of $2,528. A DUI will result in the biggest increase, sending your premium up 105% to an average of $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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