The best, cheapest car insurance in Kentucky

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Best car insurance company in Kentucky

In Kentucky, the average premium for car insurance is $2,228 a year or $186 a month, which is the 7^th highest in the country – Louisiana was number one.

For drivers looking for cheap car insurance in Kentucky, Travelers, Auto-Owners, 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 4.66 out of 5 stars.

Kentucky Farm Bureau finished second in our rankings with a score of 4.63 stars and Travelers was third at 4.3 stars.

The best car insurance companies in Kentucky

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 Kentucky

Travelers has the lowest average rate in Kentucky at $1,804 a year or $150 a month.

Auto-Owners is the next most affordable at $1,911 annually and Shelter Insurance at $1,917. While these insurers had the cheapest average premiums, there are plenty of other options for coverage in the state.

Insurers consider a wide variety of factors when setting a rate and use proprietary algorithms which can result in dramatic differences in premium quotes. 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. “Kentucky, for example, is prone to extreme weather like hurricanes and its car insurance costs are consequently much higher.”

The data shows how shopping around for coverage can result in savings. While Travelers had the lowest average rate at $1,804, Farmers was the most expensive at $3,548.

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 Kentucky

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Full coverage car insurance in Kentucky

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 Kentucky

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky, Travelers is the most affordable coverage with an average rate of $1,804 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 Kentucky

Seniors pay more for car insurance than other drivers, excluding teens. Travelers is the best choice for seniors in Kentucky, according to our data, with an average premium of $1,782 annually, which translates to $149 a month.

Shelter Insurance was the second most affordable at $1,785 and Kentucky Farm Bureau was next with a premium of $1,929.

“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 Kentucky

Car insurance for young drivers in Kentucky

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 Kentucky is Travelers with an annual rate of $2,760 or $230 a month.

Auto-Owners had the second cheapest premium at $3,196 a year followed by Shelter Insurance was third at $3,443.

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 Kentucky:

Average rates for young drivers in Kentucky

Car insurance for teen drivers in Kentucky

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 Kentucky teens, Shelter Insurance is the most affordable option with a premium of $5,244 a year or $437 a month. Auto-Owners is the next most affordable at $5,272 a year or $439 a month followed by Travelers running $5,540 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 Kentucky:

Average rates for teens in Kentucky

Average cost of car insurance in Kentucky

Kentucky is the 7^th most expensive state (Louisiana is number one) when it comes to car insurance with an average premium of $2,228.

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 Kentucky ZIP codes are most expensive for car insurance?

Where your vehicle spends its days and nights will impact your rate. Frequent severe weather or a high crime rate will raise the cost of insurance for everyone in the area.

Our data shows that Freeburn is the most expensive area for coverage with an average premium of $2,808 a year.

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

Most expensive ZIP codes in Kentucky

Which Kentucky ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

Rural areas are almost always cheaper than urban areas when it comes to car insurance. Fewer people and cars on the road mean fewer accidents and claims. The cheapest zip code for car insurance in Kentucky is in Adairville with an annual premium of $1,805.

Least expensive ZIP codes in Kentucky

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in Kentucky

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 $2,495 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 $3,092.

A DUI is considered a major violation and will raise the average premium to $4,189.

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

How much rates increase in Kentucky after a traffic incident

Minimum car insurance requirements in Kentucky

Most states require drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability car insurance, and Kentucky is no exception. Drivers are required to carry 25/50/25 in liability coverage, which translates into:

• $25k for injury/death per person
• $50k for injury/death per accident
• $25k for damage to property

But state-required minimums are rarely enough coverage in a serious accident. If you cause an accident and the damages exceed your coverage levels, you will need to cover the damages out of pocket.

The most common required coverages are $25,000 bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident and $25,000 property damage.

Experts typically recommend carrying 100/300/100 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 Kentucky.”

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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