The best, cheapest car insurance in Massachusetts

Why you can trust Insure.com

Quality Verified

At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry.

Best car insurance company in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, the average premium for car insurance is $1,726 a year or $144 a month, which is the 34^th highest in the country – Louisiana was number one.

For drivers looking for cheap car insurance in Massachusetts, State Farm, GEICO, Plymouth Rock Assurance, Safety Insurance and others on our list are great options, offering plenty of coverage options at affordable rates.

Our research found State Farm 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. State Farm was our top scorer and was awarded 4.33 out of 5 stars.

Safety Insurance finished second in our rankings with a score of 4.1 stars and GEICO was third at 3.91 stars.

The best car insurance companies in Massachusetts

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%

You might find interesting

• Average car insurance cost in Massachusetts
• Cheapest car insurance in Massachusetts
• Cheapest SR-22 insurance in Massachusetts
• Do you need insurance to register a car in Massachusetts?
• How much is gap insurance in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts car insurance calculator
• Non-owner car insurance in Massachusetts: Which company has the cheapest rates?

Cheapest car insurance in Massachusetts

State Farm has the cheapest average rate in the state at $689 a year.

While State Farm 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 Massachusetts, as mentioned earlier, the cheapest policy is State Farm with an average rate of $689 a year. GEICO follows with an average premium of $1,269 a year or $106 a month and Plymouth Rock Assurance with premiums of $1,409 a year or $117 a month.

Allstate is the most expensive insurer with an average premium of $2,694.

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 Massachusetts

Full coverage car insurance in Massachusetts

As noted, the rates above are for full coverage car insurance. Residents of Massachusetts will often be advised to get full coverage, which includes both liability protection as well as collision and comprehensive. Liability helps pay medical and legal bills for injuries or damages you are responsible for after an accident. However, liability doesn’t cover damage to your vehicle or your injuries.

Collision will pay to repair your vehicle if it is damaged after colliding with another vehicle or object. Comprehensive covers perils such as fire, theft, flooding, vandalism and more.

You can find out more about liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage here.

Shopping for car insurance in Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts by age

Statistics show that young drivers, because they are inexperienced and tend to take more risks, have more accidents and claims, all of which lead to higher premiums for younger drivers.

“Data indicates that teenagers and seniors are riskier drivers, so they often pay more for auto insurance than other policyholders in different age groups,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance. “For teenagers, the lack of driving experience is a significant factor that impacts their rates; younger drivers with little experience behind the wheel tend to pay higher insurance premiums.”

State Farm is the cheapest insurer in Massachusetts for teens.

Age factors into a premium as the data clearly shows. Teens pay the highest rates by far with the lowest premium coming in at $1,989 which is 280% more expensive than the most affordable coverage for seniors at $523 and 111% more than young drivers’ best rate of $943.

Rates start to drop, assuming their driving record stays clean as teens move into their young adult years and tend to stay stable until a driver gets into their 70s when rates will go up a bit.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Massachusetts

Seniors pay more for car insurance than other drivers, excluding teens. State Farm is the best choice for seniors in Massachusetts, according to our data, with an average premium of $523 annually, which translates to $44 a month.

GEICO was the second most affordable at $923 and Arbella Insurance was next with a premium of $1,336.

“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 Massachusetts

Car insurance for young drivers in Massachusetts

While rates start to drop for teen drivers as they become young adults, they still pay slightly higher rates than more experienced drivers. According to our data, State Farm is the cheapest insurer for drivers in their early 20s with an average premium of $943 a year or $79 per month.

GEICO was the second cheapest insurer at $1,785 and Plymouth Rock Assurance will insure a young driver in Massachusetts for $2,197 a year.

Rates will continue to drop (assuming a clean driving record) as drivers hit their late 20s and move into their 30s.

The chart below shows the average premiums for young drivers.

Average rates for young drivers in Massachusetts

Car insurance for teen drivers in Massachusetts

Insuring a teen is always expensive; statistics show that inexperienced teen drivers get into more accidents and file more claims than more experienced drivers. In Massachusetts, the best insurer for teen drivers is State Farm with an annual premium of $1,989 or $166 a month. GEICO was second most affordable at $3,724 a year or $310 monthly while Plymouth Rock Assurance was number three at $3,952.

While teens are expensive to insure, there are a few ways to save some money. Most insurers offer a good student discount so if your teen is carrying a B average or above you should ask for a discount. Putting them in an older vehicle will also lower your insurance costs.

The chart below shows average premiums for teens.

Average rates for teens in Massachusetts

Average cost of car insurance in Massachusetts

The average cost of car insurance in Massachusetts is $1,726, which makes it the 34^th most expensive state in the country behind Louisiana and Florida.

Metropolitan areas – and all states have them – equals lots of drivers, which often leads to car crashes and claims.

“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 Massachusetts,” says Gao.

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.

Average rates for a 40-year-old in Idaho

Which Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts for car insurance. Roxbury tops the charts at $2,993 a year.

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

Most expensive ZIP codes in Massachusetts

Which Massachusetts ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

The cheapest ZIP codes for car insurance in Massachusetts tend to be in rural areas where there are fewer people and cars which leads to lower accident and claim rates. Northfield has the most affordable ZIP code in Massachusetts with an annual premium of $1,343.

Least expensive ZIP codes in Massachusetts

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in Massachusetts

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 $2,304 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 $2,960.

A DUI is considered a major violation and will raise the average premium to $3,905.

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

How much rates increase in Massachusetts after a traffic incident

Minimum car insurance requirements in Massachusetts

Most states require drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability car insurance, and Massachusetts is no exception. Drivers are required to carry 20/40/5 in liability coverage, which translates into:

• $20k for injury/death per person
• $40k for injury/death per accident
• $5k 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 Massachusetts.”

Mark Vallet

Contributing Researcher

 

|

 . .

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.

Explore other insurance options in Massachusetts

Non-owner car insurance in Massachusetts

Average renters insurance cost in Massachusetts

Average homeowners insurance cost in Massachusetts