Cheapest Car Insurance in Arizona (October 2024)

Mercury provides the cheapest average minimum coverage auto insurance in Arizona. However, depending on your driving profile, Root Insurance or Auto-Owners might offer better rates.

If you want a balance of price and service quality, MoneyGeek evaluated the best auto insurance companies in Arizona.

The cheapest auto insurance companies offering minimum coverage policies in Arizona are:

• Mercury: $397 per year
• State Farm: $561 per year

The General is Arizona's most expensive auto insurance provider for minimum coverage, with an average yearly premium of $1,431. The company specializes in insuring high-risk drivers.

Property damage liability, bodily injury liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist are the only coverages included in an Arizona minimum coverage auto insurance policy.

A minimum coverage policy covers only the cost of any harm or injury you cause to others. If you want more protection, consider comprehensive and collision coverages that financially safeguard you and your car.

These companies provide the lowest rates for full coverage auto insurance in Arizona:

• Root Insurance: $947 per year
• Travelers: $1,094 per year

The General offers Arizona's most expensive full coverage auto insurance at about $2,932 annually. Your annual rate may increase if you add comprehensive and collision insurance to your policy. You'll pay $298 more for full coverage than minimum coverage with the cheapest provider.

Full coverage auto insurance provides more financial protection if you need to make a claim. It covers losses from off-road incidents (e.g., theft, flooding and vandalism) and on-road collisions with another vehicle or object.

The amount of auto insurance you need will impact your rates. MoneyGeek’s full coverage sample policy provides the following liability insurance limits:

• $100,000 bodily injury per person
• $300,000 bodily injury per accident
• $100,000 property damage per accident

You could reduce your insurance rates by lowering your liability limits, forgoing comprehensive and collision coverages or raising your deductible. However, you risk paying more in case of an accident or other disaster.

Many car insurance providers provide online quotes. However, you must input your information each time, and the process can take up to 15 minutes.

MoneyGeek provides an auto insurance calculator to assist you in getting a quick quote. Choose your age, driving history and gender from the options below to get started.

In Arizona, car insurance rates change significantly depending on your age and who else is on your policy. Travelers provides the cheapest rates on average for teens and seniors, while Root Insurance offers the most affordable rates for young adults.

The following companies provide the cheapest teen auto insurance in Arizona when added to a parent’s policy:

• Travelers: $1,652 per year for female teens and $1,970 per year for male teens
• GEICO: $2,356 per year for female teens and $2,356 per year for male teens

These premiums are for a 16-year-old insured under their parent's policy. Allstate is the most expensive company for most teen drivers, with an average cost of $3,692 for females and $5,098 for males.

As teens age, diminishing car insurance rates result in a significant difference between a 16-year-old's and a 19-year-old's premiums. Arizona's cheapest car insurance provider for male drivers aged 19 is Travelers at $1,409 annually.

Adding a teen to your policy is significantly less expensive than purchasing a separate insurance policy, and it's usually illegal for a teen under 18 to buy auto insurance without a parent or guardian as a co-signor. An individual policy for a 16-year-old male in Arizona can cost $5,905 per year instead of $3,011 if his parents add him to an existing policy — a $2,894 difference.

Most insurance companies provide discounts to students who attend school away from home without a vehicle on campus and those with good grades. GEICO and Nationwide require exceptional academic achievement for their student discounts.

The following are the cheapest auto insurance providers for Arizonians in their 20s:

• Root Insurance: $949 per year
• Travelers: $1,121 per year

The General offers the priciest car insurance for young adults at $4,597 annually. In Arizona, drivers under 25 pay an additional $397 on average in annual auto insurance premiums compared with middle-aged drivers.

The following insurance companies offer the lowest rates for senior drivers in Arizona:

• Travelers: $973 per year
• Root Insurance: $1,017 per year

The General charges seniors the most for car insurance, about $3,278 annually. The average annual increase in auto insurance premiums for drivers in Arizona over 60 is roughly $61.

Seniors in Arizona can get discounts from GEICO, Farmers and Allstate. Comparing quotes from several companies is the best way to find affordable coverage since age is only one factor insurers consider when setting rates.

Root Insurance provides the lowest rates for drivers with tickets, at-fault accidents, DUIs or poor credit. Travelers is the cheapest for insuring sports cars.

Drivers in Arizona with a speeding ticket will find the cheapest full coverage insurance from the following providers:

• Root Insurance: $1,166 per year
• Auto-Owners: $1,251 per year

The General has the costliest car insurance policy, at $3,816 annually. After receiving a speeding ticket in Arizona, you might have to spend an average of $437 more on auto insurance.

The cheapest full coverage auto insurance providers for Arizona drivers with an at-fault accident on their record are:

• Root Insurance: $1,185 per year
• Travelers: $1,347 per year

Drivers with at-fault accidents pay the highest premiums from The General, which averages $4,501 annually. In Arizona, having an at-fault accident record could result in an $834 yearly rate increase.

The cheapest selections for full coverage auto insurance in Arizona, if you have a DUI on your record, are:

• Root Insurance: $1,049 per year
• Progressive: $1,330 per year

CSAA provides the most expensive car insurance for drivers with DUIs, costing about $4,325 a year. In Arizona, a DUI typically results in a $938 increase in annual rates.

Arizona's cheapest auto insurance providers for people with bad credit are:

• Root Insurance: $1,206 per year
• Travelers: $1,319 per year

CSAA costs $21,965 yearly for auto insurance, which is more expensive than any other insurer if you have bad credit.

When insurers determine your rate, your credit score plays a significant role. If your credit score is less than 580, you may have to pay about $2,375 more for auto insurance in Arizona than someone with a credit score of at least 750.

Drivers with poor credit histories are more likely to file claims. Like other states, Arizona permits companies to check your credit history when determining rates.

You can decrease your insurance costs over time by improving your credit score, but you can also look for insurers that give safe driver or other discounts.

The following auto insurance companies in Arizona offer the lowest rates to sports car drivers:

• Travelers: $944 per year
• Farmers: $1,190 per year

The General offers the most expensive auto insurance for sports car drivers, with an estimated yearly premium of $3,907.

Sports car insurance is typically more costly than a policy for a conventional car because these vehicles have higher maintenance and replacement rates. Arizona sports car drivers pay an extra $149 in auto insurance premiums compared with a Toyota Camry LE.

Your car model can significantly impact auto costs. For the above quotes, MoneyGeek used a Ford Mustang. Sports, luxury and electric cars often cost more to insure than other vehicle types.

In Arizona, Root Insurance offers the cheapest full coverage insurance policy for active-duty military officers or those with a military background, with an average annual premium of $947. It also provides discounts to active and retired military members and those in the Reserves or National Guard.

USAA also offers affordable auto insurance packages for military families, starting at $1,073 annually.

The city and ZIP code where you live affect Arizona's auto insurance prices. Drivers who reside in areas where vandalism, theft and collisions occur more frequently are more likely to make insurance claims and pay higher premiums.

The city with the cheapest auto insurance in Arizona is Tucson, where Travelers offers a policy for $1,216 a year. Travelers is the most affordable choice in Glendale, where a full coverage policy is about $1,467.

See the list of Arizona cities below for a location-specific comparison of the typical auto insurance costs:

Arizona drivers must have liability coverage if they cause an accident and/or property damage or injury to others.

To drive legally in Arizona, you only need to buy the minimum required insurance. Note that a minimum coverage policy will provide less financial security in an accident. MoneyGeek advises buying as much liability coverage as possible for increased security.

If you're charged with a major traffic violation, such as operating a vehicle while your license is revoked or a DUI/DWI, your insurance company must submit an SR-22 form to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

MoneyGeek suggests purchasing liability insurance with minimum limits of $100,000 per injury and $300,000 per accident and raising property damage coverage to $100,000 for better financial protection.

If you financed the purchase of your car or are leasing it, you might need to purchase comprehensive and collision insurance. Comprehensive insurance will pay for the necessary repairs or replacements if your vehicle is damaged off-road by theft or vandalism. Collision insurance pays to repair or replace your car if another car, pole or tree damages it.

The Arizona Automobile Insurance Plan offers auto insurance to high-risk drivers who cannot purchase it on the open market.

A certificate of self-insurance is another way to meet Arizona's standards for auto insurance. The application must be notarized and include the following:

1. Three-year accident/loss history (last three calendar years)
2. Reserve funding amounts
3. List of all pending claims
4. Any of the following:

• A certified public accountant's balance sheet and current profit and loss statement (CPA).
• A $1 million bond with a surety company registered in Arizona for business purposes.

Finding the right car insurance can be challenging with so many insurers to consider. Our answers to frequently asked questions about car insurance in Arizona can help.