Cheapest Car Insurance in Maryland for 2026

Maryland drivers will find GEICO the cheapest car insurance provider for most driver types. Minimum coverage starts at $50 a month, full coverage at $87 a month and seniors pay $90 a month. Drivers with a violation will also find GEICO the most affordable option, with rates from $102 a month for a speeding ticket up to $137 a month after an at-fault accident. GEICO is also the cheapest option in 17 of the 18 Maryland cities and communities in the table.

For families adding a teen driver to a policy, Erie Insurance is the cheapest option, starting at $423 a month for a 16-year-old female. Those rates fall significantly as drivers gain experience, reaching $97 a month for females and $114 for males at 25 through GEICO. Drivers with poor credit will find Nationwide most affordable at $196 a month. To compare how each company scores on customer service, claims handling and coverage options, see the best car insurance in Maryland.


Minimum Coverage	GEICO	$50	4.43/5
Full Coverage	GEICO	$87	4.43/5
16-Year-Old Male	Erie Insurance	$434	4.56/5
16-Year-Old Female	Erie Insurance	$423	4.56/5
Young Adults	GEICO	$114	4.43/5
Seniors (70+)	GEICO	$90	4.43/5
Speeding ticket	GEICO	$102	4.43/5
At-fault accident	GEICO	$137	4.43/5
DUI	GEICO	$107	4.43/5
Bad credit	Nationwide	$196	4.11/5

GEICO

Best Cheap Car Insurance for Full Coverage in Maryland

For drivers looking to add collision and comprehensive protection in Maryland, GEICO is the best option. Part of what makes it the best choice is how it handles claims when you file. GEICO receives fewer complaints about claims handling than most companies its size, and with an A++ financial strength rating from AM Best, it has the financial backing to pay out when you file without financial issues. On top of the core coverage, GEICO offers optional roadside assistance, rental reimbursement while the car is being repaired and mechanical breakdown insurance. Mechanical breakdown insurance pays for major system repairs on newer vehicles once the factory warranty expires. Drivers who have gone five or more years without an at-fault accident earn accident forgiveness at no extra cost. A first incident won't push the rate up. Those looking to lower the monthly cost can enroll in DriveEasy, GEICO's app-based program that rewards safe driving with a lower rate at renewal. A full overview of GEICO's coverage and ratings is at its GEICO car insurance review.

Cheapest Car Insurance by Coverage Type in Maryland


GEICO	$50	$87	4.43/5
State Farm	$62	$115	4.28/5
Travelers	$69	$119	4.60/5
Nationwide	$85	$131	4.11/5
Erie Insurance	$71	$135	4.56/5

Cheapest Full Coverage in Maryland

GEICO is the cheapest option for full coverage in Maryland at $87 a month with a MoneyGeek score of 4.43/5. Travelers comes in at $119 a month, $32 more or $384 a year, with the highest MoneyGeek score in the table at 4.60/5. That score difference reflects coverage options rather than claims handling or service quality. Travelers offers gap insurance for financed vehicles and new car replacement for cars totaled in the first five years. GEICO doesn't provide either of those options. GEICO offers mechanical breakdown insurance that covers major repair costs after the factory warranty expires, an option Travelers doesn't offer. Drivers with a financed car who need gap coverage should quote Travelers first. For everyone else, GEICO is the right choice at the lower rate.

Cheapest Minimum Coverage in Maryland

GEICO is the cheapest option for minimum coverage in Maryland at $50 a month. State Farm is second at $62 a month, $12 more or $144 a year. That gap can close depending on your driving habits. State Farm's Drive Safe & Save program in Maryland tracks mileage and rewards low-mileage drivers with a discount at renewal. GEICO's five-year accident-free good driver discount and a new vehicle discount of up to 15% can push the $50 rate lower for drivers who qualify. Getting quotes from both companies will show you which one is cheaper for your specific driving profile.

Minimum coverage is the better fit for drivers who own their car outright and drive a vehicle worth less than $4,440. At that value, the $444 annual cost of full coverage with GEICO may exceed 10% of the vehicle's worth. Maryland is a pure contributory negligence state. If you are even 1% at fault in an accident, you cannot recover damages from the other driver. Minimum coverage provides no payment toward your own vehicle after a crash you cause.

Drivers with a financed or leased vehicle need full coverage. Lenders require it as a condition of the loan. It also makes sense for drivers whose vehicle is worth more than $4,440, or who could not replace the car out of pocket after a total loss. Use the Maryland car insurance calculator to check where your vehicle lands.

Cheapest Car Insurance for Teens and Young Adults in Maryland

For families adding a teen driver to their policy in Maryland, Erie Insurance offers the lowest rate starting at $423 a month for a 16-year-old female and $434 for a male. Teen drivers are expensive to insure across the board, and those rates reflect that. They are still the lowest available in Maryland for that age group. Erie holds that position through age 19 for both genders.

As the teen gets older and gains more driving experience, the cheapest company changes. At 21, Nationwide takes over at $174 a month for females and $196 for males. Nationwide stays cheapest through 22. At 23, GEICO becomes cheapest at $129 a month for females and $151 for males and remains lowest through 25. Maryland uses gender as a rating factor. The exact timing of each shift may differ slightly between male and female drivers. Getting new quotes at 21 and again at 23 is where the most meaningful savings are.


16	Erie Insurance	$423	Erie Insurance	$434	4.41/5
17	Erie Insurance	$360	Erie Insurance	$369	4.41/5
18	Erie Insurance	$307	Erie Insurance	$315	4.41/5
19	Erie Insurance	$276	Erie Insurance	$283	4.41/5
20	GEICO	$235	Erie Insurance	$257	Geico: 3.65/5 · Erie: 4.41/5
21	Nationwide	$174	Nationwide	$196	N/A
22	Nationwide	$162	Nationwide	$183	N/A
23	GEICO	$129	Geico	$151	3.65/5
24	GEICO	$116	Geico	$136	3.65/5
25	GEICO	$97	Geico	$114	3.65/5

Erie

Best Cheap Car Insurance for Teens in Maryland

For families adding a teen driver to their policy in Maryland, Erie Insurance is the best option with rates starting at $423/month. With teens filing more claims than any other age group, Erie's first-place ranking out of 20 insurers in J.D. Power's 2025 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study means families are covered by the highest-rated company for claims handling at the age when it matters most. As a teen ages, coverage needs change. Adding a vehicle, adjusting limits or updating the policy when a teen moves to college are all situations where Erie's local agents handle the change directly. Erie's Rate Lock program prevents the premium from increasing after a claim. That protection is especially valuable while a teen driver is still on the policy and most likely to file. A full overview of Erie's coverage and ratings is at its Erie Insurance car insurance review.

Cheapest Car Insurance for Seniors in Maryland

GEICO is the cheapest senior option in Maryland at $90 a month for full coverage, just $3 above its own $87 adult rate. GEICO's rates don't rise sharply as drivers age into their 60s or 70s. Seniors who drive safely can enroll in DriveEasy, GEICO's app-based telematics program, to lower that $90 rate further at renewal. State Farm is second at $114 a month. State Farm also offers Drive Safe & Save, a telematics program that can lower the rate at renewal for safe drivers. At $114 a month, State Farm would need a substantial discount to come close to GEICO's $90.


GEICO	$90	3.65/5
State Farm	$114	3.80/5
Cumberland Mutual	$117	3.52/5
Nationwide	$123	3.60/5
Erie Insurance	$141	4.41/5

Cheapest Car Insurance by City in Maryland

Rates range from $40 a month in Frederick to $70 a month in Baltimore. That $30 difference comes entirely from where in Maryland you live. Frederick is the least expensive city in the table. Baltimore is the most expensive. The city has one of the highest vehicle theft rates on the East Coast, dense urban traffic and consistently ranks among the most expensive auto insurance markets in the region.

Waldorf is the one place GEICO is not the most affordable. Cumberland Mutual is cheapest there at $55 a month, $1 less than GEICO's rate. For every other city in the table, GEICO is the right first quote.


Frederick	GEICO	$40
Bethesda	GEICO	$43
North Bethesda	GEICO	$46
Potomac	GEICO	$46
Ellicott City	GEICO	$47
Germantown	GEICO	$47
Rockville	GEICO	$47
Columbia	GEICO	$48
Gaithersburg	GEICO	$49
Towson	GEICO	$49
Bowie	GEICO	$52
Wheaton	GEICO	$53
Glen Burnie	GEICO	$54
Silver Spring	GEICO	$54
Waldorf	Cumberland Mutual	$55
Dundalk	GEICO	$56
Severn	GEICO	$56
Baltimore	GEICO	$70

Cheapest Car Insurance for High Risk Drivers in Maryland

GEICO is the cheapest option for every violation type in Maryland. After a speeding ticket or texting while driving violation, the rate is $102 a month. After a DUI, it rises to $107. After an at-fault accident, it reaches $137 a month. That is actually $30 more than the DUI rate of $107. Most drivers expect a DUI to cost more, but Maryland companies penalize at-fault accidents more heavily than DUI convictions. Maryland law limits how long companies can apply an at-fault rate increase to three years from the accident date. Getting new quotes once that window closes brings the rate back to the $87 clean-record baseline.

For poor credit, Nationwide is cheapest at $196 a month, $109 more than the $87 good-credit rate. Maryland allows companies to use credit for new-policy pricing but prohibits raising a renewal premium based on credit changes. Improving credit before applying for a new policy recovers that $109 a month directly.


Speeding Ticket	GEICO	$102	3.65/5
At-Fault Accident	GEICO	$137	3.65/5
DUI	GEICO	$107	3.65/5
Texting While Driving	GEICO	$102	3.65/5
Bad Credit	Nationwide	$196	3.60/5

How to Get Cheaper Car Insurance in Maryland

For most Maryland drivers, the single biggest lever on the rate is which company you choose. GEICO is cheapest for minimum coverage, full coverage, seniors and every violation type. Switching to GEICO from the most expensive company in the table saves $48 a month. Dropping from full to minimum coverage where the vehicle value supports it saves another $37 a month.

1
Compare at least three Maryland insurers and save up to $48 a month
Comparing quotes before renewing saves up to $48 a month in Maryland. GEICO charges $87 a month for full coverage. Erie Insurance charges $135 a month for the same coverage. Getting quotes from both, plus at least one more company, takes the same policy from the most expensive to the cheapest. Rates shift at every renewal. A company that was cheapest last year may not be cheapest today.
2
Match your coverage level to your vehicle's value and save $37 a month
Matching coverage to your vehicle's value saves $37 a month in Maryland. Full coverage costs $444 more a year than minimum coverage. For a vehicle worth less than $4,440, that annual cost approaches 10% of the car's value. Use the Maryland car insurance calculator to check whether the math works for your vehicle.
3
Bundle home and auto and reduce both premiums
Ask for a combined quote from GEICO or State Farm before renewing either policy separately, this will help lowering your premium through bundling discounts. The discount varies by company and policy mix. Confirm the amount directly with your agent.
4
Get new quotes when your violation clears and recover up to $50 a month
Getting new quotes after a violation surcharge ends recovers up to $50 a month. Maryland law limits the at-fault surcharge to three years from the accident date. After that window closes, the rate returns to GEICO's $87 clean-record baseline. Don't wait for the insurer to lower it automatically.
5
Improve your credit before applying for a new policy and recover $109 a month
Improving your credit before applying for a new policy recovers $109 a month in Maryland. Maryland allows companies to use credit for new-policy pricing but not to raise a renewal premium. The difference between Nationwide's $196 bad-credit rate and GEICO's $87 good-credit rate is $109 a month or $1,308 a year.
6
Ask about telematics discount programs
Asking about telematics programs at GEICO, State Farm or Travelers can lower your rate at renewal based on how you drive. Each program works differently. Each can also raise the rate if driving scores are poor.

GEICO DriveEasy: Tracks driving behavior through the GEICO app. Safe drivers earn a discount at renewal. Poor scores can raise the rate.

State Farm Drive Safe & Save: Tracks mileage and driving behavior. Safe drivers earn a discount at renewal. Poor driving cannot raise the rate under this program.

Travelers IntelliDrive: Monitors driving for 90 days and can lower the rate at renewal. Poor driving during the monitoring period can raise the rate.

MoneyGeek analyzed car insurance rates for Maryland using data from Quadrant Information Services, collected from insurance company filings with the Maryland Insurance Administration across all residential ZIP codes in Maryland. These are filed rates, not online quote estimates.

Baseline driver profile

Age: 40-year-old male
Vehicle: 2012 Toyota Camry LE
Record: Clean driving history, good credit
Annual mileage: 12,000 miles
Full coverage: 100/300/100 liability with a $1,000 deductible
Minimum coverage: Maryland's required 30/60/15 liability limits

Profile variations

Young drivers ages 16 to 25 on a family policy, split by gender
Senior driver at age 70
Violation profiles with one variable changed at a time
Poor-credit profile

USAA is excluded from all tables. USAA is available only to military members, veterans and immediate family. Eligible drivers should include USAA in any comparison.

MoneyGeek scoring factors

Affordability (60%): Normalized rates across all companies within each driver profile
Customer experience (30%): J.D. Power survey results, NAIC complaint index, AM Best financial strength ratings, agent network ratings and Google Business ratings
Coverage options (10%): Breadth of available add-ons and included benefits

The overall MoneyGeek score shown in summary tables reflects this composite. Customer experience sub-scores shown in section tables reflect the customer experience component only and differ from the overall score.

Maryland state notes

Maryland is an at-fault state under pure contributory negligence, one of four states plus DC using this standard. A driver who is even 1% at fault cannot recover damages from the other party. Maryland requires UM/UIM coverage at 30/60 bodily injury limits by default. Drivers can waive it in writing. Maryland's uninsured driver rate is 16.9%. Maryland does not require SR-22 filing after a DUI. The FR-19 form, filed by the insurer, verifies current coverage and is valid for 30 days. Maryland law limits at-fault and DUI rate increases to three years from the incident. Credit is a permitted rating factor for new policies but cannot be used to raise a renewal premium. Gender is a permitted rating factor.

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident insurance expert. He has spent nearly a decade analyzing the market, first at LendingTree and now at MoneyGeek, where he produces original research on hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

He covers economics and insurance at MoneyGeek, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR, among other outlets.

Like all MoneyGeek analysts, he draws on independent cost and consumer experience data. No insurance company partnership influences his recommendations.

Mark holds a B.A. from Boston College and an M.A. in Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. He started his career in financial risk management at State Street and is also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

Read Full Bio »