Progressive has the cheapest car insurance in North Carolina for full coverage, at $61 per month.

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Best cheap car insurance in North Carolina

How we chose the top companies

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442,000+ quotes from 7 top companies
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856 North Carolina ZIP codes for accurate rates

Best and cheapest car insurance in North Carolina

Monthly rates based on full coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old man. Some rates use different ages or coverage limits.


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Erie, State Farm and Farm Bureau all offer a good mix of affordable rates and reliable customer service. Although Progressive has cheaper rates for some drivers, it's customer service isn't as good.


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Erie and State Farm offer online quotes, so you can quickly compare rates and find the best policy for you. To get a quote from Farm Bureau, you'll need to speak with a local insurance agent.

Cheapest car insurance in NC for full coverage: Progressive

Progressive has the cheapest car insurance in North Carolina, at $61 per month. But for $63 a month, State Farm is a better choice for most drivers.

At $61 per month, full coverage from Progressive costs $48 per month less than the state average.

North Carolina drivers should also compare quotes from State Farm, which charges around $63 per month. Although State Farm is a little more expensive than Progressive, it has much better customer service reviews. It may be worth spending $2 more per month for more reliable service, which will come in handy if you're ever in an accident.

Cheapest car insurance companies in North Carolina

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The average cost of car insurance in North Carolina is $109 per month for full coverage. That's 34% cheaper than the national average, which is $165 per month.

Cheap full coverage car insurance quotes in NC

Company
Monthly rate
Progressive logo
Progressive$61
State Farm logo
State Farm$63
Farm Bureau logo
Farm Bureau$63
Erie logo
Erie$66
Geico logo
Geico$140
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Cheapest liability insurance in NC: Erie

Erie has the cheapest minimum liability insurance in North Carolina, at $26 per month.

That's $18 per month less than the statewide average, which is $44 per month.

Cheapest North Carolina liability insurance

Company
Monthly rate
Erie$26
Farm Bureau$29
State Farm$29
Progressive$31
Geico$58
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Cheapest car insurance in NC for new drivers: Erie

Erie has the cheapest minimum liability rates in North Carolina for new drivers. State Farm has the best full coverage insurance.

A minimum liability policy from Erie costs $58 per month for an 18-year-old driver. That's $36 per month cheaper than the North Carolina average.

State Farm and Progressive have the cheapest full coverage quotes for new drivers. At $125 per month, both companies are around half as expensive as the statewide average. However, State Farm has much better customer service reviews than Progressive. That makes State Farm the best cheap car insurance in NC for new drivers who want full coverage insurance.

Cheap insurance in NC for new drivers

Company
Liability only
Full coverage
Erie$58$136
State Farm$60$125
Farm Bureau$65$140
Progressive$68$125
Geico$94$257
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It's illegal for insurance companies to use your age to determine your car insurance rates in North Carolina. However, companies can consider how much driving experience you have.

New drivers typically pay much more for insurance than more experienced drivers.

An 18-year-old driver in North Carolina who got their license at 16 pays twice as much for car insurance as a 30-year-old with more than a decade of driving experience. That's because new drivers are more likely to make a mistake and cause an accident.

Young drivers in North Carolina can get the cheapest rates by sharing a policy with their parents.

Cheap auto insurance in NC after a speeding ticket: Progressive

Progressive has the cheapest car insurance in NC for drivers with a ticket on their record. Full coverage costs $80 per month with Progressive, which is 47% cheaper than average.

State Farm and Farm Bureau are slightly more expensive. But, at $82 and $83 per month, respectively, both companies are much cheaper than the state average. State Farm and Farm Bureau have better customer service reviews than Progressive. Either company is a great choice for drivers with a recent ticket.

Best auto insurance in NC after a ticket

Company
Monthly rate
Progressive$80
State Farm$82
Farm Bureau$83
Erie$97
Geico$198
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A speeding ticket will raise your rates by an average of 38% in North Carolina. That's an average of $41 per month more than drivers with a clean record pay for full coverage insurance.

Best cheap auto insurance in NC after an accident: Erie

Erie is the cheapest insurance company for North Carolina drivers who have caused an accident. Full coverage insurance from Erie costs just $72 per month, which is less than half the North Carolina average.

Most affordable car insurance in NC after an accident

Company
Monthly rate
Erie$72
Progressive$95
Farm Bureau$98
State Farm$98
Nationwide$284
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Typically, the cost of car insurance in North Carolina increases by 67% after an at-fault accident. But not all companies raise rates by the same amount.

Erie raises rates by just 10%, making it the only company with an increase of less than 50% after a crash. Geico has the largest increase: Its rates more than double after one accident.

Best for new drivers with a ticket or accident: State Farm or Erie

Erie and State Farm have the cheapest auto insurance quotes for new drivers with a ticket or accident on their driving record.

Minimum liability coverage from State Farm costs $71 per month for an 18-year-old with a recent speeding ticket. That's $40 per month cheaper than the North Carolina average, which is $111 per month.

Erie has the most affordable quotes for new drivers after an at-fault accident. At $64 per month, minimum coverage from Erie is half as expensive as the statewide average.

Cheap insurance in NC for new drivers with a ticket or accident

Company
Ticket
Accident
State Farm$71$78
Erie$73$64
Farm Bureau$74$81
Progressive$77$85
Geico$103$168
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New drivers can expect to pay 18% more for insurance after getting a single speeding ticket, and 34% more after causing a crash.

Cheap car insurance in North Carolina after a DUI: Progressive

Progressive has the most affordable car insurance in NC for drivers with a DUI (driving under the influence) conviction. Full coverage from Progressive costs $226 per month, which is about half as much as the North Carolina average after a DUI.

Cheapest car insurance after a DUI in NC

Company
Monthly rate
Progressive$226
State Farm$234
Erie$278
Farm Bureau$353
Geico$474
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In North Carolina, drivers with a DUI pay almost four times as much as drivers with a clean driving record, on average. That's because insurance companies believe drivers with a DUI are more likely to cause an accident in the future.

Cheap auto insurance in NC for drivers with poor credit: Progressive

Progressive has the cheapest full coverage quotes for NC drivers with poor credit, averaging $61 per month. That's three times less than the North Carolina average, and $35 per month less than the second-cheapest option, Erie.

Best rates for car insurance in NC with bad credit

Company
Monthly rate
Progressive$61
Erie$96
Farm Bureau$112
Geico$204
Nationwide$224
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On average, North Carolina drivers with bad credit pay nearly twice as much for full coverage insurance as those with good credit. Statistically, drivers with lower credit scores tend to file more insurance claims, so insurance companies often charge more to compensate.

Best car insurance in NC

Erie has the best car insurance in North Carolina because of its good customer support, coverage options and affordable rates.

State Farm also offers reliable customer service, along with some of the cheapest rates in the state.

Top insurance companies in North Carolina

Company
Editor's rating
J.D. Power
AM Best
Erie
871A+
State Farm
842A++
Farm Bureau
NRA
Geico
835A++
Nationwide
815A+
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Comparing customer service reviews of insurance companies in your area is just as important as finding the best rate.

If you ever have to file a claim, it's good to know your insurance company has a history of quick, helpful service. On the other hand, a company with poor service reviews may take longer to pay for repairs after a crash.

Average cost of car insurance in NC by city

Beaufort and Harkers Island, which are both located in the Outer Banks, have the cheapest auto insurance in NC.

Full coverage costs just $92 per month in these towns. The most expensive city for car insurance in North Carolina is Newell, just outside Charlotte. Full coverage in Newell costs around $146 per month.

Full coverage NC car insurance quotes by city

City
Monthly rate
% from average
Aberdeen$104-4%
Advance$100-8%
Ahoskie$1145%
Alamance$1101%
Albemarle$103-5%
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Compare Rates

The average cost of full coverage car insurance in North Carolina is $109 per month. But depending on where you live in the state, average full coverage auto insurance rates can vary by $54 per month.

Large cities with more traffic and higher crime rates typically have more expensive car insurance quotes. For example, the largest city in North Carolina, Charlotte, has the second-highest rate, at $131 per month. That's because insurance companies have found that people in big cities are more likely to be in an accident or have their car stolen.

North Carolina car insurance requirements

North Carolina requires that drivers have a minimum amount of bodily injury, property damage and uninsured motorist coverage to drive legally. These limits are sometimes written as 30/60/25.

What's the best car insurance to get in North Carolina?

Full coverage is the best car insurance in NC if you can afford it.

Full coverage car insurance in North Carolina costs $65 per month more than minimum liability coverage. That's because it includes higher liability limits than the state requires. It also comes with comprehensive and collision coverage, which pay for damage to your car after an accident.

If you have a loan or lease on your car, your lender will require you to have full coverage insurance. You should also consider full coverage if you have a car that's worth more than $5,000 or less than 8 years old, or if you don't have enough money to repair or replace your car on your own.

Minimum liability limits in North Carolina are increasing in 2025

Drivers with minimum coverage won't have to do anything — your insurance company will automatically raise your limits to meet the legal requirement. But you should expect your rates to increase since you'll have more coverage.

The new liability limits will be:

You only have to buy minimum liability to drive legally, but it's usually not the best choice. Minimum coverage is often not enough to pay for an expensive accident. And if you have a car loan or lease, your bank will require that you add collision and comprehensive coverage to your policy.


Frequently asked questions

Who has the cheapest car insurance in NC?

Erie has the cheapest car insurance in North Carolina, at $26 per month for minimum liability coverage. The cheapest full coverage comes from Progressive, at $61 per month, making it the best price for car insurance in that category.

How much is car insurance in NC per month?

The average cost of auto insurance in North Carolina is $44 per month for a minimum liability policy. Full coverage costs $109 per month, on average.

Who has the best car insurance in NC?

Erie and State Farm are the best car insurance companies in North Carolina. Both companies have dependable customer service, along with some of the cheapest rates in the state.

How much is car insurance in Raleigh, NC?

Car insurance in Raleigh costs an average of $113 per month for full coverage. That's 4% more expensive than the North Carolina state average. In comparison, drivers in Charlotte pay $131 per month for full coverage.


Methodology

To find the best cheap car insurance in NC, ValuePenguin collected thousands of rates from ZIP codes across North Carolina from the state's largest insurance companies. Quotes are for a 30-year-old man with a 2015 Honda Civic EX who has good credit.

Full coverage rates include liability coverage limits higher than the state requirements, plus collision and comprehensive coverage.

  • Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury: $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist property damage: $25,000 per accident
  • Comprehensive and collision: $500 deductible

ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your own quotes may be different.

Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.