Cheapest Car Insurance in New Jersey for 2026

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Updated: May 22, 2026

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New Jersey is the second-most-expensive state for car insurance at $180/month for full coverage, 32% above the national average of $136/month and behind only Louisiana at $247/month. NJM, Plymouth Rock, and Selective, three regional NJ/NE carriers, lead nearly every category. All three price within $2/month of each other on full coverage at $121 to $123/month. NJM charges the lowest family policy rate for teen drivers at every age from 16 through 25 for both genders. New Jersey raised its minimum liability limits to 35/70/25 on January 1, 2026, more than doubling the prior 15/30/15 minimum.

Cheapest in New Jersey by coverage type

Cheapest by city

Cheapest by driver age

Cheapest by driving record and credit score

Rates come from Quadrant Information Services, which collects actual insurance filings from carriers across every ZIP code in the country. MoneyGeek does not receive compensation based on which companies rank highest. NJM ranks first because it filed the lowest rates in New Jersey. The baseline profile is a 40-year-old male driver with a clean record and good credit, carrying 100/300/100 liability coverage with a $1,000 deductible. If your age, driving record, or credit differs, your rate will differ. Each section below breaks out rates by profile.

Cheapest Minimum and Full Coverage Car Insurance in New Jersey

NJM, Plymouth Rock and Selective price full coverage within $2 a month of each other at $121 to $123. That's not a coincidence because all three are regional carriers writing policies almost exclusively in New Jersey and surrounding states. They don't carry the overhead of national advertising, 50-state agent networks or out-of-state claims processing, and that savings passes through to filed rates.

National carriers spread New Jersey risk across a national book and price accordingly, and New Jersey drivers pay for that averaging whether they benefit from it or not.

The gap is clearest at the extremes. AIG charges $287 a month for full coverage in New Jersey. Choosing NJM instead saves $166 a month, or $1,992 a year, for the same coverage. That's the cost of going with a carrier that wasn't built around New Jersey's market.

The one limitation of regional carriers is portability. None of the three writes policies outside the Northeast. A driver who moves out of the region mid-policy needs to requalify with a new carrier. For drivers who aren't planning to move, that tradeoff costs nothing.

Plymouth Rock Insurance
$67
Selective Insurance
$68
NJM Insurance
$74
GEICO
$82
Amica
$84
Plymouth Rock Insurance
$122
Selective Insurance
$123
NJM Insurance
$121
GEICO
$174
Amica
$149

Before you buy, confirm your policy meets the updated limits. New Jersey raised its minimum coverage requirements to 35/70/25 on January 1, 2026, more than doubling the prior 15/30/15 minimum. The new minimum also includes mandatory $15,000 PIP and required UM/UIM at 35/70. If your policy predates that change, check that it reflects the updated limits before your next renewal.

Cheapest Car Insurance by Age in New Jersey

Age affects rates more in New Jersey than in most states because the base cost is already high. A 16-year-old on a standalone policy pays $216 a month with NJM or GEICO (the lowest available) which is more than the full coverage adult baseline in 30 states, including Ohio at $88 and Vermont at $75. By 25, NJM's family policy rate drops to $240 a month for men and $235 for women after nine years of clean driving history.

NJM and GEICO are both $216 a month for standalone young driver full coverage but get there differently. NJM concentrates its book in New Jersey and prices local risk directly rather than averaging across states with worse teen accident records. GEICO uses a national self-service model to match that price. NJM has agent access, and GEICO is app and phone, so if you want an agent, get NJM.

On family policies, NJM holds the lowest rate at every age from 16 through 25 for women and men. The gender gap narrows from $15 a month at 16 to $5 at 25 but doesn't close because gender is a permitted rating factor in New Jersey. Selective is the one exception for older drivers, charging $126 a month for drivers 65 and older against NJM's $144 because it weights age less aggressively for clean-record drivers past 65. Check Selective's renewal terms if a claim has been filed in the past five years.

Young Adult Drivers (Standalone)
NJM Insurance / GEICO (tie)
$216
Teen Drivers (16, Female, Family Policy)
NJM Insurance
$326
Teen Drivers (16, Male, Family Policy)
NJM Insurance
$341
Seniors (65+)
Selective Insurance
$126

Cheapest Car Insurance for High-Risk Drivers in New Jersey

The regional carriers hold their pricing advantage after violations just as they do on clean records, but the gap widens. After an at-fault accident, GEICO charges $219/month against NJM's $130/month, an $89/month difference compared to a $53/month gap on a clean record. NJM, Plymouth Rock, and Selective rank first in every violation category, and the spread between regional and national pricing grows as the violation gets more serious.

The cheapest carrier also changes depending on the violation, which matters as much as choosing regional over national. Selective prices a speeding ticket identically to a clean record but jumps $81/month after an at-fault accident, moving from first to fourth, while NJM leads after at-fault accidents and texting violations and Plymouth Rock leads after a DUI. Using the wrong regional carrier for your specific record can cost nearly as much as using a national brand.

Most violations affect rates for three years in New Jersey, with DUI surcharges running longer. New Jersey requires 120 days' notice for non-renewal, the longest in the country, giving you time to requote before coverage lapses if a carrier decides not to renew.

Profile
Cheapest Provider
Monthly Rate

Speeding Ticket

Selective Insurance

$123

At-Fault Accident

NJM Insurance

$130

DUI

Plymouth Rock Insurance

$145

Texting While Driving

NJM Insurance

$146

Bad Credit

NJM Insurance

$188

Cheapest Car Insurance by City in New Jersey

Where you live in New Jersey matters almost as much as your driving record, with the gap between Camden at $125/month and Paterson at $152/month reaching $27/month ($324/year) for the same driver profile and coverage. Plymouth Rock charges the lowest rate in eight of the 10 cities, while NJM leads in Clifton at $139/month and Jersey City at $140/month.

Newark and Paterson price at $151 to $152/month because carriers see higher auto theft rates and a higher concentration of uninsured drivers in those ZIP codes, pushing comprehensive premiums and required uninsured motorist coverage costs up across every carrier. Camden's ZIP codes carry lower claim costs, and that's what determines its $125/month rate.

The New York metro band, Bayonne, Union City, Jersey City, and Newark, prices between $129/month and $151/month because carriers assess those ZIP codes the same way they assess New York City's outer boroughs, with high traffic density and accident exposure priced in regardless of the state line. Passaic, Clifton, and Trenton all price below that band because their claim profiles sit closer to the state average. Rates can also vary by street within the same ZIP code, so get a direct quote for your specific address.

City
Cheapest Provider
Monthly Full Coverage Rates

Bayonne

Plymouth Rock Insurance

$129

Camden

Plymouth Rock Insurance

$125

Clifton

NJM Insurance

$139

Elizabeth

Plymouth Rock Insurance

$150

Jersey City

NJM Insurance

$140

How to Get the Cheapest Car Insurance in New Jersey

New Jersey's market is unusual. Regional carriers outperform national brands across every driver profile and every violation category, which means the biggest savings available to most New Jersey drivers come from carrier selection rather than coverage changes. Choosing NJM, Plymouth Rock, or Selective over AIG saves $166/month ($1,992/year). The tips below work within that framework.

  1. 1
    Start with NJM, Plymouth Rock, and Selective

    The three regional carriers rank first in every category MoneyGeek analyzed in New Jersey. National brands aren't competitive here. Get quotes from all three before renewing. No other single action saves more money for a New Jersey driver.

  2. 2
    Match the carrier to your violation

    NJM leads after an at-fault accident and texting violation. Selective leads after a speeding ticket. Plymouth Rock leads after a DUI. Using the wrong regional carrier for your specific record can cost nearly as much as using a national brand. Check all three against your actual driving history, not just your clean-record rate.

  3. 3
    Check Selective if you are 65 or older

    Selective charges $126/month for drivers 65 and older, $18/month below NJM. That's $216/year for identical coverage. Confirm renewal terms if a claim has been filed in the past five years, since Selective's advantage narrows when surcharges apply.

  4. 4
    Verify your policy meets the 2026 minimum update

    New Jersey raised minimums to 35/70/25 on January 1, 2026. Policies written before that date may not have adjusted automatically. Check your declarations page before your next renewal to confirm the updated limits are in place.

  5. 5
    Match coverage to your vehicle's value

    The $71/month gap between minimum and full coverage ($852/year) is worth paying when the car is worth more than $852. At Plymouth Rock's $55/month gap, the break-even is $660. A car worth less than that costs more to insure fully in a year than it would pay out if totaled. Knowing how much coverage you need starts with your car's current market value.

  6. 6
    Enroll in a telematics program if your mileage is low

    NJM and Plymouth Rock both offer usage-based programs that adjust your rate based on actual driving data. Low-mileage drivers tend to benefit most. Confirm the discount cap and monitoring period directly with the carrier before enrolling, since the two programs differ on both counts.

  7. 7
    Get a combined quote before renewing your home policy separately

    Bundling auto and home insurance with the same carrier reduces both premiums. The combined cost of a home and auto bundle in New Jersey often comes in below what two separate policies cost. Get the combined figure first, then compare against what you're paying now.

  8. 8
    Consider a non-owner policy if you don't own a car

    Drivers who borrow or rent regularly can keep insured status through a non-owner policy, which also satisfies SR-22 requirements after certain violations. Plymouth Rock writes non-owner minimum coverage in New Jersey starting at $67/month for a standard driver profile.

What New Jersey's Upgraded Minimums Actually Cover

New Jersey requires drivers to carry at least $35,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $70,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage, written as 35/70/25, more than doubling the prior 15/30/15 minimum under N.J.S.A. 39:6B-1 effective January 1, 2026. Drivers who purchased policies before that date should verify their coverage reflects the new limits, as older policies may not have adjusted automatically. Check your declarations page to confirm.

The minimum also includes $15,000 in PIP, which covers your own medical costs after an accident regardless of fault. That $15,000 limit covers most minor injuries, but a single serious injury exhausts it. Drivers relying on minimum coverage without private health insurance to cover the difference carry real personal financial exposure that the policy won't absorb.

New Jersey requires UM/UIM coverage on every policy, built into the cost regardless of the state's 3.1% uninsured motorist rate, the lowest in the country per the Insurance Research Council's 2025 study. For drivers weighing the new minimum against full coverage, NJM, Plymouth Rock, and Selective all price full coverage at $121 to $123/month, satisfying the 35/70/25 requirement while adding comprehensive and collision protection the minimum doesn't include.

An image showing how New Jersey’s state minimum coverage compares to other states and an explanation of what is covered and where you are left unprotected.

MoneyGeek analyzed 12 car insurance companies operating in New Jersey. Rates were collected by Quadrant Information Services using ZIP-code-level premium filings submitted by insurers to state regulators. The baseline driver is a 40-year-old male with a clean driving record and good credit, carrying a full coverage policy with 100/300/100 liability limits and a $1,000 deductible. New Jersey is a choice no-fault state; the standard policy includes mandatory $15,000 PIP and required UM/UIM at 35/70. The state minimum was updated to 35/70/25 liability effective January 1, 2026 under N.J.S.A. 39:6B-1. NJM, Plymouth Rock, and Selective are regional NJ/NE carriers licensed primarily in New Jersey and surrounding northeastern states. AIG writes standard auto policies in New Jersey but is positioned as a high-net-worth specialty insurer and is included for range context. Gender is a permitted rating factor in New Jersey and is reflected in the age-based tables. The national average full coverage rate of $136/month reflects MoneyGeek's baseline profile applied across all 50 states using the same Quadrant dataset, with USAA excluded from all rankings as it is not available to the general public.

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 spent nearly a decade analyzing the market, first at LendingTree and now at MoneyGeek, where he has produced original research on hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

He writes about economics and insurance on MoneyGeek so people can make coverage decisions with confidence. His insurance insights have been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR, among other media outlets.

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

Fitzpatrick earned his degrees from Johns Hopkins University (M.A. Economics and International Relations) and Boston College (B.A.). He began his career in financial risk management at State Street. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!

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