The best, cheapest car insurance in Missouri

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Best car insurance company in Missouri

Drivers in Missouri pay an average of $1,982 a year or $165 a month for car insurance coverage which makes it the 19^th most expensive state in the country.

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

Shelter Insurance is our choice for the best car insurance in Missouri. It finished first in our rankings with 4.54 out of 5 stars and an average premium of $1,906 a year, or $159 a month, which is $76 less than the state average.

Nationwide was second with a score of 4.12 stars followed by Travelers with 4.11 stars.

The best car insurance companies in Missouri

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 Missouri

Nationwide has the cheapest average rate in the state at $1,361 a year.

While Nationwide 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 Missouri, as mentioned earlier, the cheapest policy is Nationwide with an average rate of $1,361 a year. Travelers follows with an average premium of $1,515 a year or $126 a month and Shelter Insurance with premiums of $1,906 a year or $159 a month.

GEICO is the most expensive insurer with an average premium of $3,217.

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 Missouri

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Full coverage car insurance in Missouri

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 Missouri

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 Missouri 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.”

Travelers is the cheapest insurer in Missouri 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 $4,296 which is 248% more expensive than the most affordable coverage for seniors at $1,236 and 90% more than young drivers’ best rate of $2,262.

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 Missouri

Seniors in the state pay more for coverage than all other driver groups, except for teens. Nationwide is the most affordable option for seniors with a yearly premium of $1,236 or $103 a month. Travelers was the second cheapest at $1,440 and Shelter Insurance rounded out the top three at $1,763.

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 Missouri

Car insurance for young drivers in Missouri

Young drivers (21-25) have seen their premiums drop from their teen years, but they still pay more than more experienced drivers. In Missouri, Travelers is the cheapest option for young adults with a yearly premium of $2,262 or $189 a month.

Nationwide is the next most affordable with an average rate of $2,307 followed by Shelter Insurance at $3,037.

Young drivers who maintain a clean driving record can expect their rates to drop even more as they reach their late 20s.

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

Average rates for young drivers in Missouri

Car insurance for teen drivers in Missouri

Although teen drivers always pay much higher premiums than other driver groups, Travelers offers teens the cheapest rate at $4,296. 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 $4,446 a year followed by Nationwide at $4,644 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 $4,296, Auto Club Enterprises (AAA) was the most expensive with an annual premium of $9,258.

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 Missouri:

Average rates for teens in Missouri

Average cost of car insurance in Missouri

The average cost of car insurance in Missouri is $1,982, which makes it the 19^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 Missouri,” 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 Missouri 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 Missouri for car insurance. Pagedale tops the charts at $2,456 a year.

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

Most expensive ZIP codes in Missouri

Which Missouri ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

When it comes to cheap car insurance in Missouri, these ZIP codes have the most affordable coverage. The area around Jefferson City has the lowest premiums in Missouri with an average premium of $1,776.

Least expensive ZIP codes in Missouri

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in Missouri

If you have an incident on your driving record, you may be considered a high-risk driver, and you will pay more for coverage. A speeding ticket, at-fault accident, or DUI can send your premium skyrocketing.

When we ran the numbers, we found that a speeding ticket in Missouri will push the average rate to $3,107 and an at-fault accident will push it to $4,064.

An accident will stay on your record for at least three years so you will be paying a higher premium for quite a while after an accident.

A DUI will usually result in a massive increase and could push your premium into unaffordable territory. If you are convicted of a DUI, your rate on average will climb to $3,970 a year. A DUI will be reported to insurers for three years, and if you are a commercial driver, it stays on your record for 55 years.

The table below shows the average increase for drivers with various incidents on their record:

How much rates increase in Missouri after a traffic incident

Minimum car insurance requirements in Missouri

Most states require drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability car insurance, and Missouri 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 Missouri.”

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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