Cheapest and Best Car Insurance Companies in Rochester, NY

Several factors, including your coverage requirements and driving history, determine which auto insurance provider is the cheapest. Kemper is the most affordable insurer for minimum and full-coverage policies, for teens and drivers with a military affiliation.

Meanwhile, Kemper is the cheapest if you have a speeding ticket, whereas Progressive is the cheapest if you have an at-fault accident or a DUI on your driving record. Chubb ranked first for drivers looking for the best customer service. Based on our study, the overall best insurer and the best cheap company in Rochester is Erie.

The following car insurance providers offer the most affordable premiums for minimum coverage policies in Rochester:

• Kemper: $314per year
• Progressive: $344 per year

With an average yearly cost of $518, Kemper also offers the cheapest car insurance in New York as of October 2022. Hanover has the highest average annual premium for minimum coverage car insurance, costing about $1,446.

Based on the New York auto insurance law, a minimum coverage policy must include liability protection for bodily injury, death, property damage, personal injury protection and uninsured motorist coverage with the following limits:

• $25,000 in bodily injury liability protection per person
• $50,000 bodily injury liability protection per accident
• $50,000 liability coverage for death per person up to 100,000 per accident
• $10,000 property damage protection per accident
• $25,000 bodily injury coverage per person and $50,000 per accident for uninsured motorist coverage
• $50,000 personal injury protection

For instance, if an accident results in death, the insurance company will pay up to $50,000 per person or up to $100,000 per incident. You will pay the excess out of pocket if the costs exceed these limits.

If you need the most affordable full coverage auto insurance policy in Rochester, the top companies to consider are:

• Kemper: $470 per year
• Progressive: $561 per year

Mercury charges the highest premium in the city for full coverage, at about $2,550 yearly. Kemper also provides the most affordable full coverage auto insurance in New York at an average yearly rate of $882 as of October 2022. However, that rate is significantly higher than Rochester’s average, illustrating how car insurance rates can vary depending on where you live.

A full coverage auto insurance plan comprises liability coverage, collision insurance and comprehensive insurance.

• Collision Insurance: If you get into a collision-related accident, this coverage pays to replace or repair your vehicle.
• Comprehensive Insurance: If your car is damaged from non-collision events, such as vandalism, fires and thefts, comprehensive insurance will pay for the repair and replacement costs.

Full coverage auto insurance may not be a priority if you have an older car that's not worth much since you can spend more on insurance than the vehicle is worth.

The following auto insurance companies have the most affordable full coverage policies in Rochester after a chargeable violation:

• Speeding ticket: Kemper ($555 per year)
• At-fault accident: Progressive ($561 per year)
• DUI: Progressive ($587 per year)

Mercury has the highest car insurance premium after a traffic incident. You will pay about $3,136 after a speeding ticket, $2,734 after an accident and $3,287 after getting charged with a DUI. Although you can find the most affordable premiums after a traffic violation, you are still likely to pay more than a safe driver since rates spike significantly after an offense.

Your car insurance costs after a violation will increase depending on the violation’s severity. Typically, the average rate for a driver with a clean record is $1,257. A DUI increases the premium to an average of $1,832, while a speeding ticket will only increase the average cost by $159. By comparing prices from different insurance providers, you can find affordable auto insurance if you have a poor driving record.

The following Rochester auto insurance companies provide the lowest average rates when you add a teen driver to a family plan:

• Kemper: $810 per year for female teens and $838 per year for male teens
• GEICO: $1,089 per year for female teens and $1,447 per year for male teens

State Farm has the most expensive auto insurance for male and female teenagers. Female teen drivers pay about $3,791, while male teens pay about $4,590 yearly. Male teens are considered riskier to insure, explaining the difference in average costs between genders. However, the difference decreases in early adulthood.

Auto insurance costs more for teens if they buy separate coverage, so it is more cost-effective to include them on a family policy. In Rochester, for instance, a male teen would pay roughly $7,621 per year for individual coverage, while adding them to a family plan would only cost $4,262. That’s a yearly difference of $3,358. You can save hundreds of dollars annually by comparing rates and selecting the most affordable coverage for your teen driver.

The cheapest car insurance companies for military members and veterans in Rochester for a full coverage policy are:

• Kemper: $470 per year
• Progressive: $561 per year

For the minimum coverage policy, Kemper is still the most affordable insurer at $314 per year, then Progressive with an average of $344.

USAA policies cost $776 for full coverage and $426 for the minimum coverage policy. The insurer exclusively serves military members, veterans and their families.

Getting a single auto insurance quote online in Rochester can take 15 minutes or longer because you need to provide detailed personal information. Luckily, the MoneyGeek auto insurance calculator can help you compare rates quickly and gives you an accurate estimate of your premium based on your age, coverage amount and other aspects of your profile.

The best auto insurance company in Rochester will depend on your priorities around coverage levels and cost, among other considerations. According to our ranking system, the top insurers for different categories are:

• Best overall: Erie (MoneyGeek score 79 out of 100)
• Best for service: Chubb (MoneyGeek score 76 out of 100)
• Best cheap: Erie (MoneyGeek score 80 out of 100)

Erie is also the best auto insurance provider in New York, with a MoneyGeek score of 81 out of 100. USAA is the best insurer for military-specific services, scoring 80 out of 100 on our ranking system. The overall MoneyGeek score for an insurer may vary based on how we weighted relevant factors for each category.

Our review of auto insurance providers indicates that the overall best options in Rochester are:

• Erie: MoneyGeek score 79 out of 100 ($771 per year)
• American Family: MoneyGeek score 77 out of 100 ($702 per year)

In addition to being the fourth cheapest, Erie ranks well for customer satisfaction and claims management. The scores indicate that the insurer strikes an exceptional balance between low premiums and excellent customer service.

USAA, with a MoneyGeek score of 80 out of 100, is the best overall insurer for drivers with a military affiliation.

If you value service quality over cost, the following auto insurance providers stand out in Rochester. They offer the best customer service if you need a full coverage policy:

• Chubb: MoneyGeek score 76 out of 100 ($1,446 per year)
• Erie: MoneyGeek score 70 out of 100 ($771 per year)

Chubb ranks highest among ten insurers for claims experience and customer satisfaction, making it our top pick for service quality. However, its premium is the fourth highest, so you will pay more for the best experience.

The best auto insurance providers in Rochester for policies that meet New York's minimum coverage requirements, based on our analysis of service quality and affordability, are:

• Erie: MoneyGeek score 80 out of 100 ($424 per year)
• American Family: MoneyGeek score 79 out of 100 ($424 per year)

A minimum coverage plan typically provides the lowest level of protection despite being the cheapest. Minimum coverage car insurance lacks comprehensive and collision coverage, so it does not protect your car in case of an accident.

Rochester drivers pay an average of $1,177 per year for car insurance, which is $851 lower than the average annual cost of auto insurance in New York as of October 2022. Different factors may contribute to the variation in cost, including where you live.

The average premiums in this study are for a comprehensive and collision insurance policy with $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident, $100,000 bodily injury liability per person and $100,000 property damage liability per accident.