Cheapest Car Insurance in Texas for 2026


Texas ranks 44th most affordable of 50 states (seventh most expensive) with full coverage averaging $150/month, 23% above the national average. Our analysis of rate data across 2,019 zip codes found that State Farm is the cheapest across coverage types and driver types including minimum coverage, full coverage, and all four violation categories analyzed, an unusually complete sweep of the competitive set. State Farm's speeding ticket and texting rates both equal its clean-record rate, meaning violations carry no surcharge with this provider in Texas.  GEICO is the cheapest for Texas for a few Texas driver profiles explained below.

Cheapest in Texas by coverage type

Cheapest by driver age

Cheapest by driving record and credit score

MoneyGeek analyzed 56,756 quotes across 10 companies in Texas. The baseline profile included a 40-year-old Toyota Camry driver with a clean record, good credit, 100/300/100 coverage and a $1,000 deductible. Texas includes PIP by default, but drivers can decline it in writing. It is not mandatory. Germania is a regional Texas insurer. Gender is a rating factor. Data sourced from Quadrant Information Services and has been updated this month based on insurance company rate filings data. See our full methodology.

Cheapest Minimum and Full Coverage Car Insurance in Texas

State Farm offers the best car insurance in Texas, as it leads both minimum coverage ($41/month) and full coverage ($95/month). Choosing State Farm over Dairyland (the most expensive at $244/month full coverage, according to our dataset) saves $149/month ($1,788/year). Dairyland is a specialty nonstandard insurer often positioned for drivers who cannot qualify elsewhere. The gap versus a standard insurer like GEICO ($113/month) is a more typical comparison of $18/month ($216/year). 

Texas minimum coverage is 30/60/25: $30,000 per person bodily injury, $60,000 per accident bodily injury, and $25,000 property damage. Texas is an at-fault state. Personal injury protection (PIP) is included by default on Texas policies but can be declined in writing.

$41
$95
$55
$113
$56
$129
$60
$126
$66
$137

Cheapest Car Insurance by Age in Texas

GEICO is the cheapest for young adult policies at $204/month. State Farm is the cheapest for seniors at $106/month. Car insurance rates change by age. Texas uses gender as a rating factor: at age 16, State Farm charges females $376/month and males $436/month on a family policy, a $60/month ($720/year) gap with the same insurer. That gap narrows steadily, reaching zero at age 25 ($207/month for both genders).  

Open the dropdowns below for full breakdowns by age group.

Young Drivers (standalone)
$204
Seniors
$106

Cheapest Car Insurance for High-Risk Drivers in Texas

State Farm leads all four violation categories in Texas: speeding tickets ($95/month, matching its clean-record rate), at-fault accidents ($109/month), DUI ($144/month), and texting while driving ($95/month, also matching the clean-record rate). GEICO leads the bad credit category at $189/month. Compare options using the high-risk car insurance in Texas guide.

Most Texas violations affect rates for three years. DUI violations remain on your record longer. Speeding tickets increase State Farm's rate by 0% (matching the clean-record rate), at-fault accidents by 15% ($95 to $109), DUI by 52% ($95 to $144) and texting while driving by 0% (matching the clean-record rate). Bad credit increases GEICO's rate by approximately 67% compared to its good-credit rate of $113/month.

Speeding Ticket
$95
At-Fault Accident
$109
DUI
$144
Texting While Driving
$95
Bad Credit
$189

Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Texas by City

State Farm leads all 10 Texas cities analyzed, but where you live within Texas moves your rate more than which carrier you choose. Austin drivers pay $97 monthly while Dallas and Laredo drivers pay $118 to $119, a $264 annual difference for identical coverage with the same carrier. Dallas carries Texas's highest traffic density and accident frequency. Laredo's border city dynamics push theft and uninsured driver rates above the state average.

Fort Worth and Corpus Christi both come in at $102 monthly despite being different sizes and locations. That reflects how insurers model regional risk profiles rather than precise city-by-city differences. Your ZIP code within a city will move your rate further than the city average suggests.

Arlington
State Farm
$109
State Farm
$97
State Farm
$102
State Farm
$118
El Paso
State Farm
$105
State Farm
$102
State Farm
$117
Laredo
State Farm
$119
Plano
State Farm
$105
State Farm
$108

If you live in Dallas, Houston or Laredo, the city averages above are a starting point, not your rate. Drivers in high-density ZIP codes within those cities regularly pay $20 to $40 more monthly than the city average shown here.  State Farm leads every city in this table, but the gap between State Farm and GEICO narrows in lower-risk ZIP codes, making a second quote from GEICO worth getting regardless of where you live.

How to Get the Cheapest Car Insurance in Texas

The largest controllable savings in our dataset comes from carrier selection. State Farm leads every standard and high-risk category we analyzed in Texas. The gap between State Farm and the next cheapest standard carrier, GEICO at $113 monthly, is $18 monthly. That gap widens significantly after violations, where State Farm's zero surcharge on speeding tickets and texting violations makes it the clear choice for drivers with a recent incident on their record.  
The eight strategies below address each of these Texas-specific factors directly, not just generic insurance advice that applies anywhere.

  1. 1

    Compare quotes even when State Farm leads

    State Farm leads every category in our Texas dataset, but the $18 monthly gap between State Farm and GEICO for full coverage is real money over time. Whether reshopping is worth the effort depends on your profile. Drivers with violations will find the gap widens significantly, making State Farm the clear choice. Drivers with clean records and good credit in lower-risk ZIP codes should run a GEICO quote before assuming State Farm wins for their specific address and profile.

  2. 2

    Decline default PIP if it doesn't serve your needs

    Texas includes PIP by default on all policies. Drivers who already have comprehensive health insurance with low deductibles may be able to decline PIP in writing and reduce their premium. Drivers without strong health coverage should keep it. PIP covers medical costs for you and your passengers regardless of fault, which matters in a state with a high uninsured driver rate. Verify with your insurer before removing it.

  3. 3

    Match coverage to vehicle value

    Full coverage averages $150 monthly in Texas, but the hail exposure that makes comprehensive particularly valuable here also makes dropping it riskier than in most states. Before removing comprehensive on an older vehicle, check whether your ZIP code falls in a high-hail corridor. If it does, the 10% rule still applies but the risk of a large out-of-pocket claim is higher than the national average suggests. Use the car insurance calculator for Texas to estimate whether dropping coverage makes financial sense for your vehicle value and location.

  4. 4

    Enroll in a telematics program

    State Farm Drive Safe & Save and GEICO DriveEasy both operate in Texas and reward low-mileage, safe-braking drivers with meaningful discounts. For Texas drivers in high-density cities like Dallas and Houston where traffic congestion is unavoidable, telematics programs that penalize hard braking can work against you. Drive Safe & Save is the stronger option for most Texas drivers because it rewards mileage reduction more heavily than driving behavior scores alone.

  5. 5

    Bundle home and auto

    Bundling home and auto with the same carrier produces multi-policy discounts that reduce both premiums. In Texas, where homeowners insurance rates are already elevated due to hail and storm exposure, bundling produces larger absolute savings than in most states. State Farm leads Texas bundling as it does standalone auto. Review the home and auto bundle in Texas guide to compare savings across providers before assuming your current carrier offers the best combined rate.

  6. 6

    Take a defensive driving course

    Texas allows drivers to complete an approved defensive driving course to dismiss one traffic ticket every 12 months and potentially earn insurer discounts. Given that most Texas violations affect rates for three years, dismissing a ticket before it reaches your insurer can save significantly more than the course costs. Texas DPS-approved courses are available online and typically cost $25 to $50.

  7. 7

    Improve your credit score

    The gap between GEICO's bad-credit rate ($189 monthly) and its good-credit rate ($113 monthly) is $76 monthly ($912 annually) in Texas. Moving from poor credit to fair credit produces the largest single rate drop, typically within one to two renewal cycles after the score improvement registers. Texas allows credit-based insurance scoring, so a credit improvement that crosses a tier threshold six months before your renewal date will show up in your next bill. Improving your credit score is one of the highest-return actions a Texas driver can take outside of maintaining a clean record.

About Mark Fitzpatrick


Mark Fitzpatrick headshot

Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident insurance expert. He has analyzed the insurance market for almost a decade, first with LendingTree and now with MoneyGeek, conducting original research on hundreds of insurance companies and millions of insurance rates for insurance shoppers. 

He writes about economics and insurance on MoneyGeek, breaking down complex topics so people can have confidence in their purchase. Like all MoneyGeek analysts, Mark collects and analyzes independent cost and consumer experience data on insurance companies to provide objective recommendations in our content that are independent of any of MoneyGeek's insurance company partnerships. 

His insights — on products ranging from car, home and renters insurance to health and life insurance — have been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR among others. 

Mark holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He started his career working in financial risk management at State Street before transitioning to analysis of the personal insurance market. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!


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