Cheapest Car Insurance in Massachusetts

If you’re looking for cheap car insurance in Massachusetts, comparison shopping is key. The insurance company with the best price will vary depending on your situation.

Massachusetts law prevents auto insurers from basing rates on factors including sex, marital status, age (except a discount for safe drivers 65 and older), occupation, income, education, homeownership status or credit information. But companies can consider your driving record, past car insurance claims, where you live and what kind of car you drive. 

NerdWallet analyzed rates for 10 large auto insurance companies in 10 Bay State ZIP codes to help you find the best deal.

Included in this page are the cheapest rates for:

• Good drivers
• Young drivers
• Families with a teen driver
• Drivers with a speeding ticket
• Drivers with one at-fault accident
• Retired drivers

Cheapest for good drivers

Range of average prices: $1,185 to $1,931
	$1,185/year
	$1,286/year
	$1,365/year

Good drivers in Massachusetts pay an average of $1,500 per year for car insurance from the 10 insurers we surveyed. These rates are based on high liability limits and full coverage for drivers with no tickets or accidents.

Having the most expensive insurance company can cost you hundreds each year: We found a $746 gap between the lowest quote, from Hanover, and the highest quote, from Arbella Insurance.

Massachusetts requires insurance companies to set driving record-based discounts and surcharges using its Safe Driver Insurance Plan, or come up with their own version. The Safe Driver Insurance Plan provides the following discounts on liability, personal injury protection and collision coverage:

• Excellent Driver Discount Plus: 17% off for drivers who have at least six years of experience and no moving violations or at-fault accidents in the previous six years

• Excellent Driver Discount: 7% off for drivers with at least five years of experience and no incidents in the previous five years, or one minor moving violation in the previous six years that occurred at least three years before the policy took effect

Cheapest for young drivers

Range of average prices: $497 to $1,349
	$497/year
	$499/year
	$503/year

Young drivers always get dinged on car insurance rates due to their lack of driving experience. They’re also more likely to buy only the minimum level of car insurance required, so for this comparison, we ran quotes for Massachusetts minimums. The rates were far cheaper than those for full coverage policies, which include much higher liability limits.

The three lowest quotes for a theoretical 18-year-old driver were all within $6 of one another. Safety Insurance was the next least expensive option, at $523 per year, while the 10 insurers we checked had an average annual premium of $711 overall. The highest quote was $1,349 from Progressive.

Young drivers should look into discounts for good grades, driver training and being away at school. It’s also generally cheaper to stay on parents’ policies, if possible.

Cheapest for families with a teen driver

Range of average prices: $4,740 to $8,333
	$4,740/year
	$5,459/year
	$5,787/year

New teen drivers are notoriously expensive to insure. That held true in our analysis, which looked at coverage for two parents and a 17-year-old boy with a 2012 Toyota Camry and 2012 Ford Escape. Annual rates averaged a whopping $6,006.

Shopping around for car insurance is crucial for families in this category. It had the greatest price range, with $3,594 separating the lowest quote (Safety) from the highest (Plymouth Rock Assurance). Discounts for good grades and driver training may help ease the pain.

Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket

Range of average prices: $1,586 to $2,465
	$1,586/year
	$1,598/year
	$1,644/year

The average rate for a Massachusetts driver with a recent ticket for going 11 to 15 mph over the limit was $679 more per year than the average rate for a good driver.

Drivers with a speeding ticket paid $1,864 per year on average for insurance, with $879 separating the lowest and highest quote ($2,465 from Plymouth Rock Assurance). So shop around. And remember that the surcharge for a speeding ticket is temporary.

Insurance companies using the Massachusetts Safe Driver Insurance Plan will raise your rates if you’ve had any moving violations or accidents within the previous six years. The plan applies surcharges of 15% to liability, personal injury protection and collision coverage for each “point” on your record. Minor moving violations put two points on your record; major ones add five points. You can get a point removed after three years of clean driving using the plan’s “clean in 3” provision.

Cheapest for drivers with one at-fault accident

Range of average prices: $1,832 to $3,251
	$1,832/year
	$2,042/year
	$2,160/year

Causing an accident can put a big dent in your wallet. Drivers who’ve caused at least $2,000 in property damage pay an average of $2,485 per year for insurance. Another bit of bad news: You’ll lose any good driver discounts you had.

The gap between the cheapest and most expensive insurers in this category was $1,419. Plymouth Rock Assurance came in with the highest quote, $3,251.

If your company uses the Massachusetts Safe Driver Insurance Plan, it will add a 15% surcharge to your liability, personal injury protection and collision coverages for each “point” you’ve received on your record within the previous six years. Minor at-fault accidents add three points to your record; major accidents add four. You can get a point removed after three years of clean driving using the plan’s “clean in 3” provision.

Cheapest for retired drivers

Range of average prices: $683 to $1,397
	$683/year
	$889/year
	$933/year

Massachusetts retirees pay an average annual rate of $1,049. This group had the smallest price gap, with $714 separating the lowest and highest quote (from Arbella Insurance). Still, that means drivers could save 51% by shopping around.

Retirees can also score a healthy price break on these rates. Massachusetts requires insurers to provide a 25% discount to experienced drivers age 65 or older. It’s the only state that doesn’t require an accident-prevention course to get a senior-driver discount, according to the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group.

Ways everyone can save

Whether you’re a driver with a clean record or one who’s hit some bumps in the road, you can save by:

• Raising the deductible amount on your comprehensive and collision coverage
• Eliminating comprehensive and collision altogether on older cars
• Choosing a car that’s cheap to insure

Massachusetts requires insurers to provide car insurance discounts for anti-theft devices, passive restraint systems and other safety features. Many companies will also give price breaks for:

• Having multiple cars on one policy
• Buying both homeowners and auto insurance (called bundling)
• Driving a low number of miles each year
• Driving a hybrid car
• Remaining loyal to an insurance company
• Paying premiums in full at the start of the policy period
• Making payments electronically

But don’t be distracted by long lists of potential discounts. The company offering the most discounts may not turn out to be the cheapest if its initial rates are high, so it’s essential to shop around. NerdWallet’s car insurance comparison tool can help you compare rates easily.

Methodology

Rates for all profiles except young drivers are based on liability bodily injury limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, with $50,000 in property damage. These rates also include personal injury protection, comprehensive, collision, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Limits for young drivers, age 18, are $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident, plus $5,000 in property damage, with personal injury protection and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, but not comprehensive and collision.

Aubrey Cohen is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: acohen@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @aubreycohen.