Cheap Idaho Low-Income Car Insurance for Families and Individuals

Your income does not affect the cost of car insurance. In Idaho, the most significant factors affecting the price are your age, adding a teen driver to your policy, and selecting higher coverage levels. Your credit score is another important factor that impacts the cost of insurance.

MoneyGeek helps you find the cheapest car insurance for low-income families and individuals, even if you have a poor credit score. We also show you how much you can save with good credit.

There are no government car insurance programs in Idaho to help low-income drivers with the cost of car insurance. Despite car insurance being required by law, there are still about 13.2% uninsured drivers in the state. The likely reason for this is that the average cost of car insurance in Idaho is too expensive for many low-income drivers.

To lower the cost of your car insurance, you should consider minimum coverage, which meets the Idaho state coverage requirements. Another option is pay-per-mile car insurance, which may suit those who only drive occasionally.

Idaho’s state government does not have assistance programs for low-income drivers seeking to reduce the costs related to car insurance. Comparing quotes from several companies and looking at other ways to lower premiums if you have a low income might help you save money.

Some factors weigh more heavily than others when insurers calculate car insurance rates in Idaho. While insurance companies can consider a driver’s age and credit scores, they cannot include income as a factor.

Drivers with identical profiles, with only their income levels different, may still see the same car insurance rates. The cheapest low-income car insurance in Idaho is a minimum coverage policy. MoneyGeek found that GEICO is the cheapest car insurance provider for low-income families and students in the state, while State Farm is the most affordable insurer for low-income adult individuals and seniors.

There are several factors that affect car insurance rates in Idaho. Though income is not one of them, your credit score can have a significant effect. Having a poor credit score, for instance, increases your car insurance premiums.

Single parents with a teen driver and poor credit pay approximately $987 per year more than if they had good credit. Couples with a teen driver and poor credit scores pay about $1,277 more yearly than their counterparts with good credit scores.

The two cheapest companies for couples with a teen driver and poor credit scores are:

• GEICO: $2,333 per year
• State Farm: $2,410 per year

USAA is cheaper at an average cost of $1,435 per year. However, this insurer is exclusive to military members and their families.

The two cheapest companies for single parents with a teen driver and poor credit scores are:

• GEICO: $1,676 per year
• State Farm: $1,697 per year

At $1,131 per year, USAA is the cheapest insurer for this driver profile in the state. However, USAA is excluded from our rankings of most affordable insurance companies in Idaho because its policies are only available to military members and their families.

Having a low income doesn’t mean you have poor credit, of course. See the table below to find the cheapest option for your profile.

In Idaho, our 40-year-old sample individual driver with a good credit score pays on average $412 per year on car insurance. With poor credit scores, they will pay $691 per year on average. That’s a difference of $281 per year just by changing their credit score profile.

The two cheapest car insurance companies for individuals with poor credit scores in Idaho are:

• State Farm: $491 per year
• GEICO: $508 per year

On average, USAA costs $315 per year. This is the cheapest option for individuals with poor credit scores. However, only military members can purchase car insurance from this provider.

If the same driver has good credit, insurance costs are much cheaper. State Farm offers coverage at an average of $292 per year, and GEICO costs $302 per year. USAA is the cheapest car insurance provider in Idaho for this driver profile at $188 per year on average, although it is exclusive to members of the military and their families.

Student drivers are riskier to insure due to their inexperience behind the wheel and are more likely to be charged higher car insurance premiums. While most student drivers are low-income, their income is not related to those higher premiums. That means a recent grad who just landed a highly paid job will pay similar premiums to a low-income student.

The following companies offer the cheapest car insurance for low-income students in Idaho with poor credit scores:

• GEICO: $1,170 per year
• State Farm: $1,132 per year

At $727 on average per year, USAA is the cheapest Idaho car insurance for low-income students. However, it is only available to military members and their families.

If you have a low income, it doesn’t automatically mean you have poor credit scores. And good credit scores can have a positive effect on your car insurance premiums. For example, low-income students with good credit can pay around $696 per year for car insurance through GEICO and $673 with State Farm.

Senior drivers tend to pay higher car insurance premiums compared to middle-aged drivers. As with most drivers, a senior’s credit score is another important factor that affects their car insurance rates. A senior driver with poor credit scores pays approximately $309 per year more than their counterpart with good credit.

The cheapest car insurance for low-income seniors in Idaho are from the following providers:

• State Farm: $491 per year
• GEICO: $541 per year

USAA again has the cheapest car insurance in Idaho at an average of $386 per year. If you are a current or retired member of the military, you may be able to take advantage of this rate.

Your income doesn’t necessarily affect your credit, but you can save money with lower car insurance premiums if you have good credit. Low-income senior drivers with good credit pay $292 per year on average for car insurance from State Farm and $321 at GEICO.

Car insurance companies can’t use your income as a factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Factors that may relate to your income, however, can be important.

For example, low-income drivers are more likely to send insurance claims they can’t afford to pay for out-of-pocket repairs. Insurers consider your claims history when pricing your car insurance.

MoneyGeek analyzed the factors that matter the most when Idaho insurers calculate car insurance rates. The three most important are:

• Your age.
• The coverages you select.
• Adding a teen driver to your policy.

Your credit score and car model are also important when determining how much your car insurance will cost.

MoneyGeek calculated the cost of car insurance for low-income drivers in Idaho using quotes sourced in partnership with Quadrant Information Services. The sample driver is either a 40-year-old male, a single 40-year-old parent with a 16-year-old child, an adult couple each 40 years old or a couple with a 16-year-old child. The individual or family drives a 2010 Toyota Camry LE. The driver buys the minimum car insurance required in Idaho.

Costs for poor and good credit scores were extrapolated based on MoneyGeek’s dataset of credit score rate adjustments by score categorization.