The Cheapest Car Insurance in Montana (September 2023)

State Farm is the cheapest company for the average driver looking for minimum coverage.

MoneyGeek ranked the best insurance companies in Montana for drivers that want to compare insurers by affordability and service quality.

The cheapest car insurance meets at least the minimum coverage requirements. The companies offering the most affordable minimum car insurance in Montana are:

• State Farm: $176 per year
• Nationwide: $177 per year

The most expensive company is Allstate, with policies that cost $686 per year.

The minimum coverage policy only covers bodily injury liability and property damage liability.

A minimum coverage policy covers damages and injuries inflicted on other drivers and their vehicles in an accident. This coverage does not include your vehicle.

To ensure that you have coverage that will pay for the cost of damages to your car, you’ll want to purchase a full coverage policy with comprehensive and collision insurance.

MoneyGeek found the cheapest full coverage auto insurance in Montana. These companies are:

• State Farm: $658 per year
• Nationwide: $679 per year

Kemper sells full coverage policies at an average of $1,559 per year — the most expensive in Montana.

Getting full coverage is a greater financial investment. For example, adding comprehensive and collision insurance to a Nationwide policy costs an additional $502 per year.

Although this is a significant difference, a full coverage policy will financially protect you from various accidents. At this cost, you are protected against huge expenses incurred from on-road incidents like hitting a tree or experiencing a hit-and-run and off-road incidents like flooding and storms.

How much car insurance you need will greatly affect your car insurance rate. MoneyGeek’s recommendations for a full coverage policy specifically have the following liability protection:

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

The above amounts are the coverage limits that we think are sufficient for average drivers. To save on premiums, you can opt for lower liability limits by dropping the comprehensive and collision insurance or raising the deductible. However, doing so risks having insufficient coverage in an accident.

Many insurers allow prospective drivers to see their rates online. However, it can take up to 15 minutes to see just one sample quote, and you will still have to check quotes across multiple websites to compare your options.

MoneyGeek’s insurance calculator is a useful tool for checking your rates. Our free tool gives you a quick estimate of your auto insurance without you having to provide any personal information. MoneyGeek estimates can be a great starting point when comparing companies and finding the cheapest insurance rates for your profile.

Age is one of the biggest factors affecting car insurance rates in Montana. Across the board, MoneyGeek found that Progressive, State Farm and Nationwide offer the cheapest options for teens, seniors, and young adults, respectively.

The cheapest full coverage car insurance companies in Montana for teens are:

• Progressive: $1,601 per year for male and female teens
• Allstate: $1,740 per year for male and female teens

Kemper is the most expensive company for teens, offering full coverage at $7,535 per year.

As the teen policyholder gets older, his car insurance rates significantly decrease. The cheapest car insurance provider for 19-year-old males in Montana is Progressive ($1,206).

Montana teen drivers pay around $6,100 for car insurance per year, but being included in their family’s policy costs only approximately $2,899 per year. This gives as much as $3,201 in savings each year if teens join a family policy instead of buying their own.

Families looking to save on car insurance may be able to get discounts for young drivers.

Progressive and State Farm offer both distant student discounts and good student discounts for young drivers.

The following companies offer the cheapest full coverage car insurance in Montana for 25-year-old drivers:

• State Farm: $725 per year
• Nationwide: $810 per year

Kemper offers the most expensive policies at $2,109 per year.

In Montana, drivers in their 20s are far more expensive to insure than middle aged-drivers. Nationwide's policies for 40-year-old drivers are $131 cheaper annually than for 25-year-old drivers. State Farm's policies for 40-year-old drivers are $71 cheaper annually than for 25-year-old drivers.

For senior drivers, the cheapest full coverage car insurance companies in Montana are the following:

• Nationwide and State Farm: $584 per year
• Farmers: $932 per year

The most expensive company is GEICO, which sells policies at an average of $1,411 per year.

Senior drivers pay slightly less for car insurance than middle-aged drivers. Nationwide’s insurance for a 65-year-old driver is $95 cheaper than a comparative policy for a 40-year-old driver.

Car insurance rates tend to increase as drivers reach the age of 70, as they pose a higher risk on the road.

Seniors looking to save on car insurance can get discounts with certain insurers. Based on MoneyGeek’s gathered data, Allstate, Farmers, GEICO and Kemper are the insurers that offer discounts for senior drivers.

Comparing multiple insurers to see which is cheapest for you is essential, as many factors besides age are used in rating individual policies.

Safe drivers generally pay cheaper insurance than drivers with bad driving records. However, you can still find affordable rates through comparison shopping.

MoneyGeek’s research shows Progressive offers the cheapest insurance after a ticket, an accident or a DUI.

If you have received a speeding ticket, the following companies offer the most affordable rates for a full coverage policy:

• State Farm: $713 per year
• Nationwide: $854 per year

The most expensive company for drivers with a ticket is Kemper at $1,808 per year. A speeding ticket might increase your insurance premiums by as much as $183 on average.

The cheapest car insurance companies in Montana for drivers with an at-fault accident are:

• State Farm: $763 per year
• Nationwide: $1,118 per year

The most expensive company is Kemper offering policies at $2,168 per year. Drivers with an at-fault accident on their record might see their premiums increase by $525 on average.

In Montana, MoneyGeek found that the cheapest car insurance companies for drivers with a DUI are:

• State Farm: $713 per year
• Progressive: $1,278 per year

The most expensive company is GEICO with policies at $4,029 per year. Drivers with DUIs in Montana generally pay $671 more in insurance premiums.

MoneyGeek found that the cheapest car insurance companies in Montana for drivers with poor credit are:

• Nationwide: $867 per year
• State Farm: $1,428 per year

GEICO offers the most expensive full coverage to drivers with poor credit at $2,147 annually. Drivers with poor credit pay $610 more in car insurance premiums.

Insurers have determined that having a lower credit score indicates your likelihood of filing claims, making you riskier to insure than drivers with good credit ratings. As a result, drivers with poor credit are charged higher premiums.

Improving your credit score could help with car insurance rates. However, suppose you need to save money in the short term. In that case, the best way to find affordable insurers is by comparing offers and taking advantage of discounts like bundling and having car safety features.

Owning a sports car will likely mean paying a higher car insurance premium. We found that the cheapest car insurance companies for drivers in Montana with a sports car are:

• Nationwide: $820 per year
• State Farm: $821 per year

The most expensive insurer is Kemper at $1,881 per year.

Drivers of a Ford Mustang in Montana pay $1,307 on average, which is $226 more expensive than a driver of a Toyota Camry.

Although we used Ford Mustang in our example, remember that costs can vary greatly based on your car model.

Luxury, electric and sports cars are much more expensive than standard model types. Insurance for these types of cars varies by state.

We found that the cheapest car insurance company in Montana for active duty or military veterans is Progressive, which costs $1,071 for a full coverage policy.

USAA is the second cheapest at $1081 annually. Its policies and discounts are tailored to military members and their families.

Car insurance can vary widely depending on where in Montana you live. In Billings, full coverage costs $871 from State Farm. Meanwhile, the cheapest full coverage policy in Montana comes from Progressive, with annual premiums averaging $922. Click to learn more about car insurance in your city.

Most states, like Montana, require drivers to carry bodily injury liability and property damage liability. For drivers that don't own the vehicle they are driving, they are still required to carry a certain insurance alternative. In the sections below, learn about Montana's minimum car insurance requirements and the recommended liability coverage that ensures your protection.

In Montana, you only need to buy minimum car insurance containing bodily injury and property damage liability coverage to drive legally.

Although only meeting the minimum car insurance requirements is usually the cheapest way to save on your premiums, it offers the least protection if you’re in an accident. To ensure that you are covered, MoneyGeek recommends buying enough liability coverage.

After repeated driving violations, Montana also requires getting SR-22 insurance, which will likely increase your insurance premium.

Based on MoneyGeek’s estimate, when getting car insurance, it is ideal to obtain $100,000 in bodily injury liability insurance per accident and the same amount for property damage insurance per accident.

For newly-purchased or financed vehicles, you will likely need comprehensive and collision insurance, which protects any damages done to your car by non-collision and collision events, respectively.

Even if you are generally considered a safe driver with no known violations, having a high-value car is another reason to consider buying comprehensive and collision insurance.

If you are without a vehicle or frequently use car-sharing services, you can secure your non-owner car insurance in Montana as an alternative to regular car insurance. This type of insurance is required for non-owner vehicle drivers when filing an SR-22 to get their license reinstated after a violation.

You can also visit Montana’s Motor Vehicle Division for appointment scheduling and online renewal.

In the following sections, MoneyGeek answers your questions regarding the cost and quality of car insurance in Montana.