How to Compare Car Insurance Rates 2024
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Cheapest Car Insurance in Virginia (2024)

Updated on:
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
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Erie has the cheapest car insurance in Virginia, charging drivers with a clean record $38 a month for minimum-liability. However, State Farm’s rates are cheapest for those with a prior ticket or accident.

Find the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Your Area

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Savings Tips

You can save around $500 a year by comparing full-coverage car insurance quotes in Pennsylvania.

Erie, Virginia Farm Bureau and State Farm offer liability-only policies under $500 a year on average.

State Farm offers the cheapest rates on average for drivers who have a speeding ticket or have been in an accident.

It’s important to shop around to get cheap car insurance in Virginia. Below are average rates for many of the top insurers, broken down by category.

Erie has Virginia’s cheapest full-coverage car insurance for most consumers. Its rates average around $1,086 a year, or $91 a month, which is 32% less than the state average of $133 a month.

USAA’s rates are cheapest overall, but it’s only available to current and former members of the military and their families.

CompanyAnnual rate
Erie$1,086
State Farm$1,136
Virginia Farm Bureau$1,241
Geico$1,363
Travelers$1,465
Progressive$1,790
Nationwide$2,057
Allstate$3,188
USAA*$1,057

Rates are for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record and good credit. Your rates may vary.

*Only available to the military community.

Full-coverage auto insurance includes collision coverage and comprehensive (comp) coverage, in addition to the other coverages required by state law.

Collision and comp cover your car for damage and theft. Neither is required by law, but both typically are required for a car loan or lease.

Erie has the cheapest minimum-liability car insurance in Virginia. Its rate of $450 a year, or $38 a month, is roughly 37% less than the $60-a-month state average.

CompanyAnnual rate
Erie$450
Virginia Farm Bureau$456
State Farm$467
Geico$593
Travelers$617
Nationwide$970
Progressive$1,031
Allstate$1,445
USAA*$407

Rates are for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record and good credit. Your rates may vary.

*Only available to the military community.

Minimum-liability auto insurance only has the coverages you need to drive legally in Virginia. This includes liability and uninsured motorist coverage.

  • Liability covers injuries and property damage you cause to others in a car accident.
  • Uninsured motorist covers injuries to you and your passengers, as well as damage to your car, in an accident caused by a driver with no insurance.

Erie also has Virginia’s cheapest car insurance for young drivers. Its minimum-liability rates for 18-year-olds average $1,013 a year, while its full-coverage rates average $2,560 a year.

Teens tend to have higher accident rates than other age groups. This is a main reason why insurance companies charge teens more for car insurance than older drivers.

In Virginia, the average price of car insurance for an 18-year-old is nearly triple the rate that a 30-year-old pays. However, teens usually get lower rates when added to a parent’s car insurance than they do on their own.

CompanyAnnual rate
(minimum coverage)
Annual rate (full coverage)
Erie$1,013$2,560
Virginia Farm Bureau$1,247$2,690
Geico$1,456$3,215
State Farm$1,550$3,472
Travelers$1,642$3,862
Nationwide$2,986$6,979
Allstate$3,161$7,537
Progressive$4,049$8,601
USAA*$1,076$2,691

Rates are for an 18-year-old male with a clean driving record. Your rates may vary.

*Only available to the military community.

State Farm has the cheapest auto insurance in Virginia for drivers with a speeding ticket. Its rates for this category average $1,222 a year, or $102 a month.

In Virginia overall, a prior speeding ticket bumps the average cost of full-coverage auto insurance by 21% to $1,937 a year.

CompanyAnnual rate
State Farm$1,222
Erie$1,234
Travelers$1,465
Virginia Farm Bureau$1,575
Geico$1,745
Progressive$2,248
Nationwide$2,552
Allstate$4,106
USAA*$1,283

Rates are for a 30-year-old with good credit and one prior speeding ticket. Your rates may vary.

*Only available to the military community.

Cheapest rates after a accident in Virginia: State Farm

State Farm has the cheapest car insurance for Virginia drivers with a prior at-fault accident, averaging $1,320 a year, or $110 a month.

Virginia drivers with a prior accident pay an average of 57% more for car insurance than those with a clean driving record.

CompanyAnnual rate
State Farm$1,320
Erie$1,545
Virginia Farm Bureau$1,576
Travelers$2,068
Geico$2,377
Progressive$2,664
Nationwide$3,086
Allstate$6,409
USAA*$1,512

Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit and one prior at-fault accident. Your rates may vary.

*Only available to the military community.

Best rates for Virginia drivers with a DUI: State Farm

State Farm has the best car insurance rates for Virginia drivers with a DUI (driving under the influence) conviction, at $1,222 a year, or $102 a month.

A DUI increases the average price of full-coverage car insurance in Virginia by 59% to $2,547 a month.

CompanyAnnual rate
State Farm$1,222
Virginia Farm Bureau$1,672
Erie$1,855
Progressive$2,220
Travelers$2,237
Geico$3,185
Nationwide$3,868
Allstate$4,679
USAA*$1,982

Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit and a prior DUI. Your rates may vary.

*Only available to the military community.

Best rates for Virginia drivers with bad credit: Geico

Geico has Virginia’s best car insurance rates for drivers with bad credit, at $2,062 a year, or $172 a month.

The credit info insurance companies use to set your rate is different from the info lenders use to determine your loan qualifications.

Insurance companies focus on the type of credit you use and your payment history, but not your income. Fortunately, credit pulls for insurance quotes don’t affect your credit score.

In Virginia, drivers with bad credit pay an average of 76% more for car insurance than those with good credit.

CompanyAnnual rate
Geico$2,062
Farm Bureau$2,204
Erie$2,503
Travelers$2,613
Progressive$2,797
Nationwide$2,907
Allstate$3,882
State Farm$4,455
USAA*$1,873

Rates are for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record and poor credit. Your rates may vary.

*Only available to the military community.

In Virginia’s cities, car insurance rates range from $1,354 a year ($113 a month) for Harrisonburg in the central Shenandoah Valley region, up to $1,864 a year, or $155 a month, for Burke in Fairfax County.

Meanwhile, Virginia Beach residents pay an average of $1,686 a year, or $141 a month, for car insurance. In Richmond, rates average $1,752 a year, or $146 a month.

CityAnnual rate
Alexandria$1,843
Arlington$1,746
Ashburn$1,653
Blacksburg$1,355
Burke$1,864
Centreville$1,801
Charlottesville$1,577
Chesapeake$1,667
Dale City$1,793
Hampton$1,691
Harrisonburg$1,354
Lake Ridge$1,813
Leesburg$1,615
Lynchburg$1,467
McLean$1,802
Newport News$1,630
Norfolk$1,808
Portsmouth$1,739
Reston$1,746
Richmond$1,752
Roanoke$1,469
Suffolk$1,609
Tuckahoe$1,665
Virginia Beach$1,686
Woodbridge$1,810

Rates are for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record and good credit. Your rates may vary.

The average cost of car insurance in Virginia is $1,598 a year ($133 a month) for full-coverage. Minimum-liability policies average $715 a year ($60 a month).

The actual price you pay depends on several factors including:

  • Your age and location, by ZIP code
  • The type of vehicle you drive and any safety features it may have
  • Your driving record and insurance history
  • Your credit
  • Any discounts you may be eligible to receive

Since insurance companies weigh these factors differently, you may qualify for a significantly lower rate from one company than you do from others.

This is why you should compare quotes from multiple companies when you shop.

Virginia requires registered auto insurance for registered vehicles. However, you can avoid this requirement by paying a $500 uninsured motorist fee when you register your vehicle or renew your tabs.

Even if you pay the uninsured motorist fee, you’re still financially responsible for injuries or damage you cause in an at-fault accident.

The state also uses an electronic system to verify the insurance status of registered vehicles. Insurance companies report new policies and cancellations to the state.

If you cancel your policy without a new one in place, the state contacts you for proof of insurance.

Unless you’ve already paid the uninsured motorist fee, the penalties for driving without insurance in Virginia include:

  • A possible suspension of your driver’s license and vehicle registration
  • A $600 fine
  • An SR-22 filing requirement
  • Reinstatement fees for your license and registration

Virginia’s minimum coverage car insurance requirements

Unless you pay the uninsured motorist fee when you register your vehicle or renew your tabs, Virginia requires these car insurance coverages and limits:

  • Bodily injury liability: $30,000 per insured person/$60,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $20,000
  • Uninsured motorist bodily injury: $30,000 per injured person/$60,000 per accident
  • Uninsured motorist property damage: $20,000

On Jan. 1, 2025, the minimum bodily injury limits for both liability and uninsured motorist coverage will increase to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. The minimum property damage limit for both coverages will increase to $25,000.

These additional car insurance coverages are available on an optional basis:

  • Collision: Covers damage to your vehicle from a collision with another vehicle or object, or if it overturns.
  • Comprehensive: Covers your vehicle for theft and damage from noncollision causes such as fire, flood, falling objects and vandalism.
  • Medical payments: Covers injuries you and your passengers suffer in a car accident, regardless of fault.
  • Underinsured motorist: Covers you and your passengers for medical costs that exceed an at-fault driver’s liability limits. Underinsured motorist coverage is usually packaged with uninsured motorist coverage.

SR-22 and FR-44 requirements in Virginia

Virginia requires you to file an SR-22 or FR-44 certificate with the DMV after a conviction for certain offenses.

SR-22s are required for offenses such as driving without insurance, vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. FR-44s are required for offenses such as DUI.

You only need to meet the state’s minimum insurance requirements to get an SR-22. An FR-44 requires you to get liability limits that are double the minimum requirements.

The actual rate you pay for SR-22 or FR-44 insurance depends on your driving record. You usually have to shop around to find the cheapest rate.

Let the insurance companies you contact for quotes know about an SR-22 or FR-44 requirement. When you purchase your policy, the insurance company files the certificate for you. Some companies add a $20 to $50 processing fee to your rate for this service.

The average cost of car insurance in Virginia is $133 per month for full coverage and $60 per month for minimum coverage.

The average price of car insurance in Virginia is 19% lower than the national average and 12th cheapest among all states. Unfortunately, insurance rates have increased nationwide over the past few years, making car insurance more expensive just about everywhere.

Erie, State Farm and Virginia Farm Bureau generally have the cheapest car insurance in Virginia. Since prices tend to vary by customer, it’s best to get quotes from at least three companies when you shop.

Methodology

The rates in this article are based on an analysis of auto insurance quotes obtained from Quadrant Information Services for sample drivers in every Virginia ZIP code.

Unless otherwise noted, our sample driver is a single 30-year-old male who owns a 2015 Honda Civic EX. Our young base driver is an 18-year-old male with a good driving record.

Minimum-coverage rates reflect the cost of policies meeting Virginia’s minimum requirements for liability and uninsured motorist coverage.

Full-coverage policies include:

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

Rates are shown for comparative purposes only. Yours may vary.