Home Car insurance Best car insurance companies The best, cheapest car insurance in Tennessee The best, cheapest car insurance in Tennessee Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee is the best insurer in Tennessee, based on our research of state rates and third-party rankings. Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee received 4.92 out of 5 stars. View Carriers Please enter valid zip Compare top carriers in your area Written by Mark Vallet Mark Vallet 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. | Reviewed by John McCormick John McCormick John McCormick is an insurance expert and the editorial director for QuinStreet's insurance sites -- CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, he was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and was an editor and reporter at several media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance and technology. | Expert insight from Chong Gao Chong Gao Director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.Go to comment | Updated on: August 4, 2025 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 TennesseeDrivers in Tennessee pay an average of $1,677 a year or $140 a month for car insurance coverage which makes it the 37th most expensive state in the country.Even though car insurance is pretty expensive in Tennessee, it’s possible to find affordable coverage with top insurers such as Travelers, Progressive, GEICO, and other insurers.Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee is our choice for the best car insurance in Tennessee. It finished first in our rankings with 4.92 out of 5 stars and an average premium of $1,355 a year, or $113 a month, which is $322 less than the state average.State Farm was second with a score of 4.24 stars followed by Erie Insurance with 4.2 stars.The best car insurance companies in TennesseeCompany GroupNAICJ.D. PowerAM Best RatingScore (out of 5)Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee0.02688A+4.92State Farm0.79673A++4.24Erie Insurance0.89676A+4.20Nationwide0.63669A4.12Travelers0.52642A++4.11GEICO0.69651A++4.05Farmers0.86676A4.03Progressive0.71637A+3.77Allstate1.1634A+2.67USAA*1.18759A++4.50*USAA is only available to military community members and their families.Powered by:How we picked the top auto insurance companiesWhen 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 TennesseeCheapest car insurance in TennesseeCheapest SR-22 insurance in TennesseeDo you need insurance to register a car in Tennessee?How much is gap insurance in TennesseeNon-owner auto insurance in Tennessee: Which company has the cheapest rates?Tennessee car insurance calculatorBest and cheapest companies for home and auto bundles in Tennessee Cheapest car insurance in TennesseeTravelers has the cheapest average rate in the state at $1,395 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 Tennessee, as mentioned earlier, the cheapest policy is Travelers with an average rate of $1,395 a year. Progressive follows with an average premium of $1,550 a year or $129 a month and GEICO with premiums of $1,565 a year or $130 a month.Allstate is the most expensive insurer with an average premium of $3,032.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 TennesseeCompanyAverage annual premiumAverage monthly premiumTravelers$1,395$116Progressive$1,550$129GEICO$1,565$130Erie Insurance$1,598$133Nationwide$1,632$136State Farm$1,677$140Farmers$1,770$148Allstate$3,032$253Powered by: Compare cheap car insurance rates in Tennessee by cityMemphisNashvilleFull coverage car insurance in TennesseeAs noted, the rates above are for full coverage car insurance. Residents of Tennessee 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 TennesseeShopping 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 Tennessee by ageInsurance 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 Tennessee, Travelers is the most affordable coverage with an average rate of $1,395 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 TennesseeSeniors 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 $1,419 or $118 a month. GEICO was the second cheapest at $1,536 and State Farm rounded out the top three at $1,601.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 TennesseeCompanyAverage annual premiumAverage monthly premiumTravelers$1,419$118GEICO$1,536$128State Farm$1,601$133Nationwide$1,625$135Erie Insurance$1,639$137Progressive$1,679$140Farmers$1,744$145Allstate$3,068$256Powered by:Car insurance for young drivers in TennesseeYoung drivers (21-25) have seen their premiums drop from their teen years, but they still pay more than more experienced drivers. In Tennessee, Travelers is the cheapest option for young adults with a yearly premium of $2,179 or $182 a month.Farmers is the next most affordable with an average rate of $2,319 followed by Progressive at $2,522.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 Tennessee:Average rates for young drivers in TennesseeCompanyAverage annual premiumAverage monthly premiumErie Insurance$3,977$331Travelers$4,405$367State Farm$4,919$410GEICO$5,028$419Nationwide$6,826$569Progressive$7,038$587Farmers$7,635$636Allstate$10,475$873Powered by:Car insurance for teen drivers in TennesseeAdding 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 Tennessee teens, Erie Insurance is the most affordable option with a premium of $3,977 a year or $331 a month. Travelers is the next most affordable at $4,405 a year or $367 a month followed by State Farm running $4,919 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 Tennessee:Average rates for teens in TennesseeCompanyAverage annual premiumAverage monthly premiumErie Insurance$3,977$331Travelers$4,405$367State Farm$4,919$410GEICO$5,028$419Nationwide$6,826$569Progressive$7,038$587Farmers$7,635$636Allstate$10,475$873Powered by:Average cost of car insurance in TennesseeThe average cost of car insurance in Tennessee is $1,677, which makes it the 37th 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 Tennessee,” 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 IdahoAverage annual premiumAverage monthly premium$1,677 $140 Powered by:Which Tennessee 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 Memphis is the most expensive area for coverage with an average premium of $2,161 a year.Here are the most expensive ZIP codes in Tennessee for car insurance:Most expensive ZIP codes in TennesseeCityAverage annual PremiumMemphis$2,161Ellendale$1,981Millington$1,932Bartlett$1,910Germantown$1,908Saulsbury$1,867Moscow$1,852Brighton$1,850Arlington$1,849Eads$1,847Powered by:Which Tennessee ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?When it comes to cheap car insurance in Tennessee, these ZIP codes have the most affordable coverage. The area around Bristol has the lowest premiums in Tennessee with an average premium of $1,385.Least expensive ZIP codes in TennesseeCityAverage annual PremiumBristol$1,385 Johnson City$1,386 Jonesborough$1,391 Mountain Home$1,395 Colonial Heights$1,402 Telford$1,402 Bluff City$1,404 Piney Flats$1,407 Watauga$1,413 Blountville$1,415 Powered by:Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in TennesseeDrivers 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 38% increase, pushing the average rate to $1,804. Speeding tickets will typically impact your premium for at least three years.An at-fault accident will raise your rates by 69% to an average of $2,219. A DUI will result in the biggest increase, sending your premium up 104% to an average of $2,675.The table below shows the average increase for drivers with an incident on their record:How much rates increase in Tennessee after a traffic incidentProfile GroupsAverage annual premiumRates after IncidentRates increase after incident ($)Rates increase after incident (%)At-Fault Accident$1,311$2,219$90869%Bad Credit$1,311$2,612$1,30199%DUI$1,311$2,675$1,363104%Speeding$1,311$1,804$49338%Powered by:Minimum car insurance requirements in TennesseeMost states require all drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage to drive legally. Tennessee 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 accidentThese 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 Tennessee.” Mark ValletContributing 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.How much is car insurance in other statesAlaska$1,676/YearAlabama$1,860/YearArkansas$1,957/YearArizona$1,812/YearCalifornia$2,416/YearColorado$2,337/YearConnecticut$1,725/YearWashington D.C.$2,157/YearDelaware$2,063/YearFlorida$2,694/YearGeorgia$1,970/YearHawaii$1,517/YearIowa$1,630/YearIdaho$1,428/YearIllinois$1,532/YearIndiana$1,515/YearKansas$1,900/YearKentucky$2,228/YearLouisiana$2,883/YearMassachusetts$1,726/YearMaryland$1,746/YearMaine$1,175/YearMichigan$2,266/YearMinnesota$1,911/YearMissouri$1,982/YearMississippi$2,008/YearMontana$2,193/YearNorth Carolina$1,741/YearNorth Dakota$1,665/YearNebraska$1,902/YearNew Hampshire$1,265/YearNew Jersey$1,902/YearNew Mexico$2,049/YearNevada$2,060/YearNew York$1,870/YearOhio$1,417/YearOklahoma$2,138/YearOregon$1,678/YearPennsylvania$1,872/YearRhode Island$2,061/YearSouth Carolina$2,009/YearSouth Dakota$2,280/YearTexas$2,043/YearUtah$1,825/YearVirginia$1,469/YearVermont$1,319/YearWashington$1,608/YearWisconsin$1,664/YearWest Virginia$2,005/YearWyoming$1,758/YearShow more Explore other insurance options in Tennessee Non-owner auto insurance in Tennessee Average renters insurance cost in Tennessee Average homeowners insurance cost in Tennessee In case you missed it Best Car Insurance Companies of 2025 The most and least expensive states for car insurance in 2025 What is full coverage car insurance? How much does car insurance cost for seniors in 2025? Do you have to add a teenage driver to your car insurance policy? What to do after a car accident that’s not your fault Total warfare: What to do when your auto insurer totals your car Car insurance claims: Who gets the claims check? How much used car insurance costs: Most and least expensive models to insure The best car insurance for people with bad credit in 2025 The best car insurance companies for speeding tickets Car insurance after a DUI Guide to car insurance discounts How to read your auto insurance policy A complete list of car insurance companies New driver insurance grace period: What you need to know How much do insurance agents make? Insurance options for rideshare drivers 10 things that are illegal but shouldn’t be 1/1 On this page Best car insurance company in TennesseeHow we picked the top auto insurance companiesCheapest car insurance in TennesseeFull coverage car insurance in TennesseeShopping for car insurance in TennesseeCheapest car insurance in Tennessee by ageAverage cost of car insurance in TennesseeWhich Tennessee ZIP codes are most expensive for car insurance?Which Tennessee ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in TennesseeMinimum car insurance requirements in TennesseeWhat our expert says ZIP Code Please enter valid ZIP See rates (844) 645-3330