How to Compare Car Insurance Rates 2024
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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

Cheapest Tennessee Car Insurance (2024)

Published on:
Content was accurate at the time of publication.

Farm Bureau has the cheapest average rate for liability car insurance in Tennessee at $33 a month. Erie and State Farm are the cheapest for full coverage. Both companies’ rates average $107 a month.

Find the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Your Area

Cheapest insurance companies in Tennessee

$1,288/year
Best for a full coverage policy: Erie
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$394/year
Best for liability coverage: Farm Bureau
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$1,513/year
Best after an accident: State Farm
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More Options

Erie narrowly beats out State Farm for the cheapest full-coverage car insurance for most Tennessee drivers.

Erie charges Tennessee drivers an average of $1,288 a year for full coverage, while State Farm’s rates average $1,289 a year. Both rates work out to about $107 a month.

USAA has the state’s cheapest overall full-coverage rate, $1,055 a year, or $88 a month. However, USAA is only available to the military community.

CompanyAnnual rateLendingTree score
erie logo   Erie$1,2884 stars
state farm logo   State Farm$1,289
travelers logo   Travelers$1,476
progressive logo   Progressive$1,554
farm bureau logo   Farm Bureau$1,644Not rated
geico logo   Geico$1,730
allstate logo   Allstate$2,392
usaa logo   USAA*$1,055

The average cost of full-coverage auto insurance in Tennessee is $1,554 a year, or $130 a month. The price you pay depends on factors such as:

  • Your driving record and credit history
  • Your age and ZIP code
  • The type of vehicle you drive
  • Any discounts you are eligible to receive

Since insurance companies evaluate these factors differently, you may get a much lower rate from one company than you do from others. This is the main reason to compare car insurance quotes from multiple companies when you shop.

Farm Bureau has the cheapest liability car insurance in Tennessee. Its quotes average $393 a year, or $33 a month.

CompanyAnnual rate
Farm Bureau$394
State Farm$415
Progressive$418
Erie$437
Geico$557
Travelers$569
Allstate$934
USAA*$318

Minimum liability vs. full coverage

Liability auto insurance covers injuries or property damage you cause to others, up to the minimum limits required by the state. You may see this called minimum-coverage car insurance.

Full coverage includes:

  • Higher amounts of liability coverage than a minimum-coverage policy.
  • Collision and comprehensive, which cover your vehicle for damage and theft.
  • Uninsured motorist, which covers injuries to you and your passengers in an accident caused by a driver without insurance.

Erie has the cheapest minimum-liability and full-coverage car insurance quotes for young drivers in Tennessee.

Erie charges 18-year-olds an average of $1,020 a year for minimum-liability auto insurance. This is 40% less than the state average of $1,699 a year.

Cheapest liability quotes for 18-year-olds

CompanyAnnual rate
Erie$1,020
Farm Bureau$1,313
Geico$1,394
State Farm$1,428
Travelers$1,595
Progressive$2,440
Allstate$3,472
USAA*$931

Erie’s full-coverage auto insurance rates for 18-year-olds is $2,946 a year, or $246 a month. The next-best rates come from Geico, $3,880 a year, and State Farm, $3,905 a year.

Cheapest full-coverage quotes for 18-year-olds

CompanyAnnual rate
Erie$2,946
Geico$3,880
State Farm$3,905
Travelers$4,018
Farm Bureau$4,690
Progressive$7,658
Allstate$8,953
USAA*$2,760

Teen drivers have higher crash rates than other age groups. This is the main reason why young drivers pay so much for auto insurance.

A young driver typically gets a lower rate when added to a parent’s car insurance than they do on their own.

Erie and State Farm have the cheapest auto insurance quotes for Tennessee drivers with a speeding ticket. Erie’s rates for these drivers average $1,400 a year, while State Farm’s nearly identical rate averages $1,401 a year.

In Tennessee, the average cost of car insurance goes up by 15% after a speeding ticket. However, Erie only raises its rates for drivers with a speeding ticket by 9%.

CompanyAnnual rate
Erie$1,400
State Farm$1,401
Farm Bureau$1,644
Travelers$1,950
Progressive$2,002
Geico$2,015
Allstate$2,672
USAA*$1,256

State Farm has the cheapest car insurance quotes for Tennessee drivers with an at-fault accident. Its full-coverage rates for these drivers average $1,513 a year, or $126 a month.

Farm Bureau charges the next-best rates at $1,644 a year and then Erie at $1,752 a year.

CompanyAnnual rate
State Farm$1,513
Farm Bureau$1,644
Erie$1,752
Travelers$2,143
Progressive$2,577
Geico$3,209
Allstate$3,773
USAA*$1,511

Progressive has the best auto insurance rates for Tennessee drivers with a DUI, $1,804 a year, or $150 a month, for full coverage.

The next-cheapest rates are available from Erie at $2,105 a year and Travelers at $2,620 a year.

Tennessee drivers with a DUI pay an average of $2,508 a year for car insurance, which is 61% higher than the rate for drivers with a clean record. However, you may find a lower rate if you shop around.

CompanyAnnual rate
Progressive$1,804
Erie$2,105
Travelers$2,239
Farm Bureau$2,620
State Farm$2,852
Geico$3,199
Allstate$3,250
USAA*$1,995

Best rates for Tennessee drivers with poor credit: Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau has the cheapest car insurance quotes for Tennessee drivers with poor credit. The company charges these drivers an average of $1,901 a year, or $158 a month, for full coverage.

Tennessee drivers with poor credit pay an average of $3,011 a year, or $251 a month, for full coverage. This is 94% higher than the rate available to drivers with good credit.

CompanyAnnual rate
Farm Bureau$1,901
Progressive$2,579
Travelers$2,594
Geico$2,647
Erie$2,961
Allstate$4,076
State Farm$5,429
USAA*$1,897

State Farm, Travelers and Erie are some of the best car insurance companies in Tennessee thanks to their affordable rates and great customer service.

Erie and State Farm have some of the best customer service scores from J.D. Power. Both insurance companies also offer some of the cheapest average rates for full-coverage policies in Tennessee.

CompanyLendingTree scoreJ.D. Power customer satisfaction
State Farm4.5842
Travelers4.4829
USAA*4.1881
Progressive3.8819
Geico3.7835
Allstate3.2824
ErieNot rated871
Farm BureauNot rated-

State Farm

  • Low full-coverage average rate of $1,289 a year
  • 17% lower than state average
  • AM Best’s financial strength rating: A++

Pros

 Cheap rates for both a liability-only and full-coverage policies

 Top-notch customer service

 Large national network of agents

Cons

 Doesn’t offer as many easy-to-qualify-for discounts as some of its competitors

State Farm offers cheap rates along with top-notch customer service. It also offers a large network of agents, which can be beneficial if you move.

State Farm offers cheap coverage for both liability-only and full-coverage policies. State Farm rates average $107 a month for a full-coverage policy and $35 a month for liability car insurance.

State Farm also has an AM Best rating of A++, which shows it’s in excellent financial standing and can pay out insurance claims.

On the other end, State Farm doesn’t offer many discounts that are easy to get, such as an early quote discount or a paperless discount.

Travelers

  • Low full-coverage average rate of $1,476 a year
  • 5% lower than state average
  • Low NAIC complaint rating: 0.4

Pros

 Offers an optional coverage that can replace your new car with a new car of the same make and model if it’s totaled in the first five years you own it

 Has an A++ rating for financial strength from AM Best

Cons

 Poor customer satisfaction score

 Higher-than-average rate for liability-only coverage

Travelers offers full-coverage car insurance at $123 a month, on average, which is 5% cheaper than the state average. However, Travelers’ average rate for liability-only coverage is higher than the state average.

Travelers has a low complaint rating from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), which looks at the number of complaints customers file against a company. Travelers also received a financial strength of A++ from AM Best.

On the other end, Travelers has a below-average customer satisfaction score of 829 out of 1,000 points from J.D. Power.

Erie

  • Low full-coverage average rate of $1,288 a year
  • 17% lower than state average

Pros

 Second-cheapest car insurance rate for a full-coverage policy

 Excellent customer satisfaction

 Rate-lock feature protects against your insurance rate increasing

Cons

 Doesn’t offer easy-to-qualify-for discounts

Erie offers affordable rates and great customer service. Erie’s rates average $106 a month for a full-coverage policy and $36 a month for a liability-only policy.

Along with affordable rates, Erie received great customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power.

On the other end, Erie doesn’t offer discounts that are easy to qualify for, such as a discount for automatic payments.

In Tennessee’s cities, car insurance rates range from $1,327 a month for full coverage in Johnson City to $2,050 a year in Memphis.

Nashville drivers pay an average of $1,677 a year, or $140 a month. This amount is 8% higher than the state average.

CityAnnual rate
Bartlett$1,903
Brentwood$1,553
Chattanooga$1,527
Clarksville$1,570
Cleveland$1,452
Collierville$1,793
Columbia$1,506
Cookeville$1,457
Franklin$1,502
Gallatin$1,497
Germantown$1,901
Hendersonville$1,516
Jackson$1,613
Johnson City$1,327
Kingsport$1,349
Knoxville$1,555
La Vergne$1,561
Lebanon$1,536
Maryville$1,458
Memphis$2,050
Mount Juliet$1,555
Murfreesboro$1,530
Nashville$1,677
Smyrna$1,548
Spring Hill$1,489

Tennessee law requires you to have auto insurance to register and drive your vehicle.

Insurance companies report new policies, lapses and cancellations to the state’s Department of Revenue. If your policy expires without a new one in place, the state sends you a letter requesting proof of insurance.

If you fail to reply in a timely manner, you can be fined and have your registration suspended.

Minimum auto insurance requirements in Tennessee

Tennessee’s minimum auto insurance requirements include:

  • Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $25,000

Liability covers injuries and property damage you cause to others in a car accident.

The minimum liability limits satisfy your legal requirements, but they do not always provide enough protection.

If you cause an accident, you can be held personally responsible for portions of a victim’s medical or car repair costs that exceed your liability limits. Since this can put your savings or future earnings at risk, consider getting liability limits that match or exceed your net worth.

Most Tennessee car insurance companies offer these optional coverages for extra protection:

  • Collision: Pays to repair damage to your vehicle from a collision with another vehicle or object.
  • Comprehensive: Covers your vehicle for theft or damage from non-collision causes, including fire, flood, falling objects and vandalism.
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist: Pays to treat injuries you and your passengers suffer in an accident caused by a driver with no insurance or not enough to cover your medical bills.
  • Medical payments: Covers injuries you and your passengers suffer in a car accident, regardless of fault.

SR-22 car insurance in Tennessee

Tennessee requires drivers with certain violations, including driving without insurance and DUI, to get SR-22 insurance.

An SR-22 is a certificate that your insurance company files with the state to verify that you have insurance.

If you have an SR-22 requirement, let the companies you contact for quotes know about it. Some companies don’t insure SR-22 drivers. Many do add a small filing fee, usually about $25, to your rate.

The actual price you pay for SR-22 insurance depends largely on your driving record. You can expect to pay more after a DUI than you will for driving without insurance.

The average cost of car insurance in Tennessee is $505 a year for liability and $1,554 a year for full coverage.

Tennessee requires drivers to have proof of financial responsibility for injuries or damage you may cause in a car accident. Most people satisfy this requirement with car insurance, but the state also accepts bonds and cash deposits.

Farm Bureau has the cheapest liability auto insurance rates in Tennessee. Erie and State Farm have the cheapest full-coverage rates.

Methodology

LendingTree obtains rates from insurance company filings reported to Quadrant Information Services. Rates shown in this article are based on an analysis of more than 400,000 car insurance quotes for sample drivers in every ZIP code in Tennessee.

Unless stated otherwise, our sample driver is a 30-year-old male with good credit and no tickets, accidents or DUIs. Our sample teen driver is an 18-year-old male with no prior violations or accidents. Our sample vehicle is a 2015 Honda Civic EX.

Minimum-liability policies have the minimum amounts of coverage required by state law.

Full-coverage includes:

  • Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $25,000
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Collision: $500 deductible
  • Comprehensive: $500 deductible

Prices are shown for comparative purposes only. Your rates may vary.

Our team of insurance experts rated insurance companies based on several categories. These categories include average rates, discounts, coverage options, third party customer service ratings, and app / website experience. We weighted these categories based on what customers value in an insurance company.

For 3rd party customer service ratings, we included NAIC’s Complaint Index scores and financial strength ratings from A.M. Best. NAIC Complaint Index scores are used to determine how satisfied customers are with their claims, while financial strength ratings from A.M. Best reflect the ability to pay out claims.

*USAA is only available to current and former members of the military and their families.