Cheapest Car Insurance in Montana for 2026

fact checked icon

Updated: October 14, 2026

Advertising & Editorial Disclosure

State Farm is the cheapest car insurance in Montana for full coverage ($85/month), minimum coverage ($19/month), for all ages from 16 through senior and across all 17 cities analyzed.

For poor credit, GEICO and Nationwide are both cheapest at $246 a month. At the same price, GEICO has a higher MoneyGeek score of 4.33/5 compared to Nationwide's 3.90/5. To compare how each company scores on customer service, claims handling and coverage options, see the best car insurance in Montana.

Get the cheapest car insurance in Montana below.

Cheapest Car Insurance by Coverage Type in Montana

State Farm is the cheapest car insurance in Montana for minimum coverage at $19 a month and full coverage at $85. The $66 monthly gap carries more weight here than in most states. Minimum coverage drops comprehensive, leaving drivers without protection against animal collisions, which account for 74% of Montana's comprehensive claims.

For minimum coverage, State Farm is $13 less than GEICO's $32 and $39 less than Nationwide's $58. State Farm also has the highest MoneyGeek score at 4.80/5. No other Montana carrier in MoneyGeek's analysis matches it on both price and claims performance. Nationwide charges $112 and GEICO charges $113 for full coverage, both $27 more than State Farm. If State Farm isn't available for your profile, GEICO is the better choice. It scores higher than Nationwide on claims handling and complaints at 4.33/5 versus 3.90/5.

State Farm
$19
$85
4.80/5
Nationwide
$58
$112
3.90/5
GEICO
$32
$113
4.33/5
Progressive
$67
$135
4.04/5
Allstate
$68
$144
3.84/5

Cheapest Car Insurance for Teens and Young Adults in Montana

State Farm is the cheapest car insurance for teen drivers in Montana, starting at $244 a month for a 16-year-old female and $256 for a male for full coverage policy, with the lowest rate at every age from 16 through 25. Male drivers pay $12 more than female drivers at 16 and $4 more by 25.

Montana issues learner's permits at 14 and a half and full licenses at 16, among the youngest thresholds in the country. Remote highways with limited cell service and 1-in-53 annual odds of a deer or elk collision make roadside assistance and comprehensive coverage worth considering beyond the monthly rate.

16

State Farm
$244
State Farm
$256

17

State Farm
$215
State Farm
$226

18

State Farm
$197
State Farm
$207

19

State Farm
$172
State Farm
$181

20

State Farm
$154
State Farm
$162

21

State Farm
$94
State Farm
$99

22

State Farm
$93
State Farm
$97

23

State Farm
$90
State Farm
$95

24

State Farm
$89
State Farm
$94

25

State Farm
$83
State Farm
$87
State Farm

State Farm

Best Cheap Car Insurance for Teens and Young Adults in Montana

State Farm is the best cheap car insurance for teen and young adult drivers in Montana. Its roadside assistance covers towing and a replacement vehicle, practical coverage when a teen is stranded on a remote highway.

Rates drop at age 21, with male drivers falling from $162 to $99 per month and female drivers from $154 to $94, both on full coverage policies. Insurers don't always automatically update rates as a driver ages, so call State Farm when the teen turns 21 to confirm the policy reflects the change. That confirmation captures up to $63 a month in savings.

State Farm's Steer Clear program offers drivers under 25 a rate reduction at renewal for completing safety training modules. Coverage details and ratings are in the State Farm car insurance review.

Cheapest Car Insurance for Seniors in Montana

State Farm is the cheapest option for drivers 65 and older in Montana at $75 a month for full coverage, $10 less than its own standard adult rate, with Nationwide as the next option at $108 a month.

Completing an approved defensive driving course is one way to lower the $75 rate. Drive Safe & Save tracks mileage and driving behavior through the State Farm app and can reduce the premium by up to 30% at renewal for enrolled drivers. Low-mileage seniors benefit most from telematics programs, though poor driving results during the monitoring period can raise the rate instead.

State Farm
$75
3.80/5
Nationwide
$108
3.60/5

GEICO

$117
3.65/5
Kemper
$137
1.98/5
Progressive
$144
3.90/5

Cheapest Car Insurance by City in Montana

State Farm is the cheapest across all 17 Montana cities and communities in this analysis, with full coverage rates ranging from $74 per month in Helena Valley West Central to $89 per month in Great Falls. The $15 gap reflects real risk differences: Great Falls generates more claims as Montana's third-largest city and a regional commercial hub, while Helena, Lewiston and smaller communities see fewer. If you move within Montana, update your address with State Farm to make sure your rate reflects your location.

Helena Valley West Central
State Farm
$74
$17
Helena
State Farm
$75
$17
Lewistown
State Farm
$75
$17
Helena Valley Southeast
State Farm
$76
$17
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
State Farm
$77
$18
Havre
State Farm
$78
$18
Laurel
State Farm
$78
$18
Miles City
State Farm
$78
$18
Missoula
State Farm
$78
$18
Belgrade
State Farm
$80
$18
Bozeman
State Farm
$80
$22
Butte
State Farm
$83
$19
Livingston
State Farm
$83
$19
Billings
State Farm
$84
$24
Whitefish
State Farm
$85
$19
Kalispell
State Farm
$87
$20
Great Falls
State Farm
$89
$20

Cheapest Car Insurance for High-Risk Drivers in Montana

State Farm is the cheapest in Montana after every violation type. A speeding ticket, DUI or texting while driving each brings the full coverage rate to $89 a month, $4 above State Farm's $85 clean-record rate. Montana law limits surcharge periods to three years from the date of conviction, so DUI isn't priced more harshly than a speeding ticket. An at-fault accident costs $94 a month.

For poor credit, GEICO and Nationwide tie at $246 a month. GEICO's MoneyGeek score of 4.33/5, versus Nationwide's 3.90/5, makes it the better pick for claims handling and complaints. Once credit improves, get a new quote from State Farm. At standard credit, its $85 rate is $161 less than the poor-credit rate.

Speeding Ticket

State Farm
$89
3.80/5

At-Fault Accident

State Farm
$94
3.80/5

DUI

State Farm
$89
3.80/5
Texting While Driving
State Farm
$89
3.80/5

Bad Credit

GEICO, Nationwide

$246
3.65/5, 3.90/5

How to Get Cheaper Car Insurance in Montana

In Montana, the biggest savings come from working within State Farm's programs rather than switching companies. Telematics enrollment, credit improvement and timing violation surcharge windows account for most of the available savings in this market.

  1. 1
    Keep comprehensive coverage for Montana's wildlife risk and protect against a potential $4,000 claim

    Full coverage costs $66 more per month than the minimum with State Farm, or $792 per year. Montana ranks second nationally in animal collision risk, at 1 in 53 odds, and 74% of all Montana comprehensive losses are due to animal collisions.

    A deer or elk strike can total even an older vehicle, so factor in the comprehensive claim risk before dropping full coverage based on vehicle value alone. Use MoneyGeek's car insurance calculator to run the numbers for your vehicle.

  2. 2
    Bundle home and auto with State Farm and save up to $1,101 a year

    Ask State Farm for a bundled home and auto quote before renewing either policy separately. State Farm offers a 25% bundle discount in Montana that saves an average of $1,101 a year on the combined cost of both policies.

  3. 3
    Improve your credit to bring State Farm back into range and save up to $161 a month

    Drivers with poor credit pay GEICO or Nationwide $246 a month, $161 more than State Farm's $85 standard credit rate. In Montana, credit improvement is the path back to State Farm, recovering $161 a month or $1,932 a year. Consistent on-time payments and lower credit card balances can move a score from poor to good within 12 to 24 months.

  4. 4
    Use a telematics program to lower your rate

    Two companies in MoneyGeek's Montana analysis offer telematics programs. GEICO DriveEasy isn't available in Montana, so GEICO drivers don't have that option.

    • State Farm Drive Safe & Save tracks mileage and driving behavior through the State Farm app and can reduce the premium by up to 30% at renewal. Drivers under 25 use Steer Clear, which rewards completing driver safety modules with a rate reduction.
    • Nationwide SmartRide tracks driving behavior for four to six months and earns a national average 21% discount at renewal. The program can't raise your rate after monitoring ends. Verify discount rates directly with Nationwide.

Cheapest Montana Car Insurance FAQ

MoneyGeek analyzed car insurance rates for Montana using data from Quadrant Information Services, collected from insurance company filings with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance across all residential ZIP codes in Montana. These are filed rates, not online quote estimates.

The baseline driver profile is a 40-year-old male driving a 2012 Toyota Camry LE with a clean record, good credit and 12,000 annual miles, tested with 100/300/100 full coverage at a $1,000 deductible and Montana's required 25/50/20 minimum liability limits. Profile variations include teen drivers ages 16 through 25 on a family policy (shown separately by gender per House Bill 379), a senior driver at age 65, violation profiles with one variable changed at a time and a poor-credit profile. USAA is excluded from all tables because its policies are available only to military members, veterans and immediate family. Eligible drivers should include USAA in any comparison.

Montana is an at-fault state with no personal injury protection requirement. Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on every policy, though drivers can decline it in writing. Approximately 7.2% of Montana drivers carry no insurance per Insurance Research Council data.

Montana enacted House Bill 379 in April 2021, effective January 2022, permitting insurers to use gender and marital status in setting rates. Montana law limits the insurance surcharge window to three years from conviction for at-fault accidents and DUIs. A second DUI within five years extends the window by resetting the clock. Convictions stay on the Montana DMV driving record permanently. Montana requires SR-22 filing after a DUI, maintained for approximately three years.

MoneyGeek scores carriers on three factors, with affordability accounting for 60% of the score (normalized rates across all companies within each driver profile), customer experience accounting for 30% (based on J.D. Power survey results, NAIC complaint index, AM Best financial strength ratings, agent network ratings and Google Business ratings) and coverage options accounting for 10% (based on available add-ons and included benefits).

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, Licensed P&C Insurance Expert, MoneyGeek

Mark Fitzpatrick is a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer and MoneyGeek's resident expert in insurance and economics. In nearly a decade covering the insurance market at LendingTree and MoneyGeek, he's analyzed hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR. He draws on independent cost and consumer experience data, and no insurance company partnerships affect his recommendations.

Mark studied at Boston College and later earned a master's in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University. He worked in financial risk management at State Street before joining MoneyGeek. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

Read Full Bio »
Sources