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- Car Insurance in Virginia is fairly affordable. The average driver pays $785 per year for coverage.
- The best cheap car insurance comes Nationwide for drivers with good or better credit and GEICO for those with poor credit.
- Drivers who make the time to shop around for their car insurance coverage will save the most.
- See Business Insider’s picks for the best car insurance companies.
Finding the best cheap car insurance in Virginia will involve some shopping around. While it’s not expensive to insure your car in Virginia — the average driver pays $785 per year according to the Insurance Information Institute — there are some big opportunities to save.
Every insurance policy is different, as is everyone’s premium, or cost to maintain coverage. Every insurance company prices these differently, and will look at a variety of factors, like your driving history, age, credit score, and even the type of car you drive.
That said, it’s important to shop around and find the right coverage for you.
The following are the most popular car insurance companies in Virginia, based on the percentage of insured Virginia drivers who use them:
| Company | Market share (%) |
| GEICO | 19.64 |
| State Farm | 14.88 |
| USAA* | 13.39 |
| Progressive | 11.07 |
| Allstate | 9.67 |
| Nationwide | 6.60 |
| Erie Insurance | 4.10 |
| Liberty Mutual | 2.41 |
| Travelers | 2.30 |
| VA Farm Bureau | 2.20 |
| National General Holdings | 2.12 |
| Elephant Insurance | 1.27 |
| Farmers Insurance | 0.87 |
| American Family | 0.85 |
| The Hartford | 0.65 |
| Agency Insurance Co. of MD | 0.62 |
| MetLife | 0.61 |
| Alfa Mutual Group | 0.60 |
| Auto-Owners Insurance | 0.55 |
| The Hanover Insurance | 0.39 |
| Northern Neck Insurance | 0.35 |
| Rockingham Insurance | 0.34 |
| Grange Insurance | 0.33 |
| Donegal | 0.32 |
| Amica | 0.30 |
*USAA is only for active military, veterans, and their families.
Data from S&P Global Intelligence
Customer satisfaction with car insurance providers may factor into your decision. According to J.D. Power, a consumer research company that surveys customers, these are the top car insurance companies in the Southeast region (which includes Virginia):
- Farm Bureau Insurance TN
- Erie Insurance
- Alfa Insurance
- GEICO
- Auto-Owners Insurance
- North Carolina Farm Bureau
- Kentucky Farm Bureau
- Region Average
- Progressive
- Allstate
- Safeco
- State Farm
- Farmers
- National General
- Nationwide
- Travelers
- Liberty Mutual
- MetLife
Consumer Reports compiled a list of the best cheap car insurance in each state, gathering pricing information from every insurance company. Here are the three best insurance companies offering the best rate at each credit level, along with the average yearly premium for each:
Drivers with excellent credit scores, FICO scores 800-850, will see some of the most affordable car insurance, on average.
- USAA car insurance: $505 per year
- Nationwide car insurance: $951 per year
- State Farm car insurance: $964 per year
Drivers with good with good credit scores, FICO scores 670-739, will see the best coverage from USAA, Nationwide and State Farm, on average.
- USAA car insurance: $667 per year
- Nationwide car insurance: $1,068 per year
- State Farm car insurance: $1,166 per year
Drivers with poor credit scores, FICO scores 300-579, will pay the most for coverage, on average, but these three companies are the most affordable in Virginia:
- GEICO car insurance: $1,437 per year
- Nationwide car insurance: $1,550 per year
- USAA car insurance: $1,959 per year
For a driver in Virginia age 25 or older with no accidents and one vehicle, the following companies provide the best average rates:
| Company | Average monthly insurance premium |
| State Farm | $114 |
| GEICO | $123 |
| Nationwide | $135 |
| Progressive | $138 |
| Travelers | $141 |
| USAA* | $144 |
| Root | $147 |
| Allstate | $151 |
| Liberty Mutual | $155 |
| Esurance | $160 |
*USAA is only for active military, veterans, and their families.
Above data obtained from Savvy, based on 2,812 policyholders in the state of Virginia
For a driver in Virginia age 25 or older, with one or more accidents and one vehicle, the following companies provide the best average rates:
| Company | Average monthly insurance premium |
| Bristol West | $101 |
| GEICO | $130 |
| Progressive | $157 |
| Allstate | $161 |
| Esurance | $184 |
| Farmers | $198 |
Above data obtained from Savvy, based on 2,812 policyholders in the state of Virginia
Below is the estimated average annual premium of auto insurance policies per household in Virginia’s most populous cities:
| City | Average annual insurance premium |
| Virginia Beach | $1,495 |
| Norfolk | $1,304 |
| Chesapeake | $1,492 |
| Arlington | $1,553 |
| Richmond | $1,299 |
| Newport News | $1,347 |
| Alexandria | $1,493 |
| Hampton | $1,348 |
| Roanoke | $1,223 |
| Portsmouth | $1,339 |
| Suffolk | $1,456 |
| Lynchburg | $1,274 |
| Centreville | $1,637 |
| Dale City | $1,554 |
| Reston | $1,612 |
| Harrisonburg | $1,280 |
| Ashburn | $1,689 |
| Leesburg | $1,650 |
| McLean | $1,772 |
| Charlottesville | $1,339 |
| Tuckahoe | $1,503 |
| Blacksburg | $1,304 |
| Linton Hall | $1,762 |
| Lake Ridge | $1,553 |
| Annandale | $1,506 |
| Manassas | $1,510 |
| Burke | $1,711 |
| Danville | $1,247 |
| Marumsco | $1,421 |
| Mechanicsville | $1,524 |
| Oakton | $1,634 |
| Fair Oaks | $1,576 |
| South Riding | $1,821 |
| Springfield | $1,528 |
| Petersburg | $1,194 |
| West Falls Church | $1,565 |
| Sterling | $1,564 |
| Short Pump | $1,683 |
| Fredericksburg | $1,396 |
| Winchester | $1,367 |
Data from S&P Global Intelligence
As the numbers show above, the better the credit score, the more affordable the car insurance. Drivers with the best credit scores typically pay the least for their coverage.
But, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities to save. By shopping around for your coverage, you can easily see which companies offer you the best coverage for your money. Because each insurance company gives different prices for coverage based on various factors, shopping around can help you find the company that will offer you the best coverage for your money.
To start shopping around, get quotes from several different insurance companies and compare them. You’ll want to look past the premium and consider things like the coverage types and limits, and look at the deductible, or the amount you’ll pay for coverage if you get into an accident.
The best policy is the one that offers you the most types of coverage and the highest limits with the lowest deductible and premium. By shopping around, you can find the best insurance for you, and find the most coverage for your budget.
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