Our mission is to help you make educated insurance decisions with confidence. We have an advertising relationship with some of the offers included on this page. However, this doesn’t influence our editorial judgment or recommendations. The rankings and listings of our reviews, tools and all other content are based on objective analysis, and we fully own our opinions.

Get Personalized Car Insurance Quotes ! *Please enter valid Zip Code AGE 16 - 20 21 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65+ Currently insured? Not currently insured 21st Century AAA Insurance Allstate Commerce Insurance Co Esurance Farmers Geico The Hartford Liberty Mutual Mercury Insurance MetLife National General (GMAC) Nationwide Progressive Safeco State Farm Travelers USAA Other I own my home I am married Multiple vehicles? Good driver? ⓘ A good driver means: Have no accidents or violations in the last 3 years. Don't have a DUI. Don't need an SR22. *Please select one

Even a no-frills car insurance policy -- just what's needed to legally drive and the cheapest car insurance an 18-year-old can buy -- is a huge expense. Due to their inexperience behind the wheel, insurance companies deem young motorists as high-risk drivers. Though average car insurance rates by age data show that around age 24 rates begin to drop, drivers in their teens and early 20s typically pay much more than others. Here we'll outline what drivers age 18 can expect to pay for car insurance, showing average rates by state, coverage level and company. You'll also see how many hours you need to work at minimum wage to pay for a policy. And, perhaps most important, we'll explain how you can still get cheap car insurance, regardless of your age.

How much is car insurance for an 18-year-old?

The average price of a year of bare-bones coverage for an 18-year-old woman is $1,769, for men that age it's $2,030, according to a rate analysis by CarInsurance.com. Here is how much it costs for seven different coverage levels for drivers age 18, broken down by state. To see how much you can expect to pay, and to compare costs by coverage level, enter your state in the search field. You can also sort by cheapest car insurance for an 18-year-old to most expensive by clicking on the arrows next to each column header.

State State Minimum Liability Only - 50/100/50 BI/PD Liability Only - 100/300/100 BI/PD State Minimum BI/PD - 500 Comp/Coll Full Coverage - 50/100/50 BI/PD - 500 Comp/Coll Full Coverage - 100/300/100 BI/PD - 500 Comp/Coll Full Coverage -100/300/100 BI/PD - 1000 Comp/Coll Alaska $1,322 $1,335 $1,514 $4,332 $4,345 $4,604 $4,066 Alabama $1,955 $2,182 $2,430 $5,011 $5,289 $5,649 5, 153 Arkansas $2,069 $2,281 $2,659 $5,668 $5,815 $6,247 $5,687 Arizona $1,915 $2,371 $2,690 $4,509 $5,046 $5,449 $4,959 California $1,780 $2,205 $2,396 $5,609 $6,134 $6,415 $5,651 Colorado $2,090 $2,423 $2,793 $5,204 $5,671 $6,217 $5,652 Connecticut $3,408 $3,786 $4,366 $6,416 $6,770 $7,358 $6,913 DC $2,535 $2,833 $3,095 $5,490 $5,751 $6,025 $5,324 Delaware $2,728 $3,199 $3,559 $5,298 $5,772 $6,182 $5,625 Florida $2,652 $3,767 $4,376 $5,012 $6,372 $7,130 $6,730 Georgia $2,041 $2,798 $3,187 $5,109 $5,432 $5,877 $5,425 Hawaii $467 $525 $577 $1,247 $1,333 $1,411 $1,227 Iowa $1,128 $1,272 $1,369 $3,208 $3,348 $3,425 $3,006 Idaho $1,646 $1,831 $2,098 $4,073 $4,291 $4,601 $4,185 Illinois $1,849 $2,093 $2,388 $3,986 $4,240 $4,518 $4,129 Indiana $1,594 $1,753 $1,948 $3,993 $4,164 $4,366 $3,839 Kansas $1,601 $1,740 $1,926 $4,470 $4,588 $4,742 $4,160 Kentucky $2,177 $2,476 $2,906 $5,968 $6,229 $6,631 $6,051 Louisiana $2,749 $3,636 $4,494 $6,551 $7,657 $8,766 $8,246 Massachusetts $1,816 $2,348 $2,543 $4,041 $4,681 $4,876 $4,137 Maryland $2,332 $2,520 $2,707 $4,671 $4,850 $5,035 $4,509 Maine $1,386 $1,400 $1,579 $3,520 $3,533 $3,717 $3,342 Michigan $4,243 $4,518 $4,763 $8,881 $9,200 $9,488 $8,577 Minnesota $2,049 $2,221 $2,311 $4,154 $4,324 $4,375 $3,928 Missouri $1,814 $2,015 $4,006 $4,275 $4,495 $4,069 Mississippi $1,670 $1,971 $2,203 $4,202 $4,550 $4,857 $4,492 Montana $1,358 $1,570 $1,781 $4,082 $4,416 $4,723 $4,213 North Carolina $1,050 $1,138 $1,269 $2,173 $2,265 $2,399 $2,261 North Dakota $1,275 $1,386 $1,519 $4,085 $4,197 $4,330 $3,762 Nebraska $1,465 $1,607 $1,799 $3,751 $3,874 $4,045 $3,569 New Hampshire $2,242 $2,450 $2,733 $4,777 $4,940 $5,222 $4,785 New Jersey $2,199 $2,690 $2,973 $4,214 $4,709 $4,994 $4,601 Wisconsin $1,574 $1,822 $2,080 $4,301 $4,553 $4,802 $4,299 West Virginia $1,768 $1,993 $2,288 $4,291 $4,466 $4,761 $4,170 Wyoming $832 $917 $1,003 $3,520 $3,614 $3,717 $3,079 New Mexico $1,979 $2,220 $2,488 $5,076 $5,382 $5,784 $5,289 Nevada $2,168 $2,731 $3,419 $4,963 $5,670 $6,559 $6,157 New York $2,061 $2,297 $2,610 $4,362 $4,598 $4,911 $4,424 Ohio $1,631 $1,717 $1,899 $3,942 $4,009 $4,232 $3,731 Oklahoma $1,889 $2,089 $2,519 $5,342 $5,647 $6,261 $5,626 Oregon $2,790 $3,112 $3,487 $4,915 $5,229 $5,596 $5,186 Pennsylvania $1,426 $1,730 $1,999 $3,815 $4,116 $4,358 $3,899 Rhode Island $3,197 $3,713 $4,216 $6,866 $7,350 $7,857 $7,223 South Carolina $1,714 $1,937 $2,213 $4,509 $4,753 $5,086 $4,526 South Dakota $1,172 $1,311 $1,512 $4,534 $4,674 $4,838 $4,058 Tennessee $1,946 $2,150 $2,372 $4,810 $5,019 $5,289 $4,801 Texas $2,020 $2,201 $2,438 $5,136 $5,361 $5,685 $5,175 Utah $2,051 $2,237 $2,601 $4,281 $4,471 $4,912 $4,514 Virginia $1,295 $1,426 $1,638 $3,126 $3,226 $3,438 $3,094 Vermont $1,235 $1,369 $1,567 $3,598 $3,717 $3,910 $3,504 Washington $1,772 $1,959 $2,164 $3,980 $4,189 $4,476 $4,121 Wisconsin $1,574 $1,822 $2,080 $4,301 $4,553 $4,802 $4,299 West Virginia $1,768 $1,993 $2,288 $4,291 $4,466 $4,761 $4,170 Wyoming $832 $917 $1,003 $3,520 $3,614 $3,717 $3,079

How many hours do you have to work to pay for a policy?

Among employed teenagers (ages 16 to 19) paid by the hour, about eight percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with about one percent of workers age 25 and older, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

But it represents a bigger challenge in some places than in others. Young drivers in Michigan and Louisiana will work nearly four times as long as their counterparts in Hawaii and Vermont to buy liability insurance that meets their state minimum car insurance requirements, according to a CarInsurance.com analysis.

We ranked states by the number of hours needed to buy coverage, comparing their cheapest car insurance for 18-year-olds with their minimum wage.

This is as cheap as insurance gets, and there are few trade-offs available to save further. For example, by law you can’t reduce your limits below the minimum amounts. And you can’t raise your deductible. There are no deductibles on liability insurance.

Let's consider an 18-year-old working an entry-level job. The federal minimum wage as of July 1, 2019 was just $7.25 an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. And teenagers pay much more than older drivers for insurance: The average price of a year of bare-bones coverage for an 18-year-old woman is $1,769, for men that age it's $2,030, according to a rate analysis by CarInsurance.com.

At those averages, a year of state minimum liability insurance would require 244 hours of work for the females, and 280 for males, on average.

Because both wages and car insurance rates swing dramatically, we looked at affordability by comparing the cost of legal-minimum auto insurance with each state’s minimum wage. Young drivers in Michigan had it worst, with 448 hours required to buy the cheapest liability policy required to drive legally. A young driver finds much cheaper insurance in Hawaii -- a year of liability insurance takes just 46 hours of work.

CarInsurance.com calculated how many hours an 18-year-old earning minimum wage in each state would have to work to buy his own state minimum car insurance policy.

How many hours an 18-year-old works at minimum wage to pay for a state-minimum liability car insurance policy

State Annual Average Liability Cost Minimum Wage Hours Worked to Buy Policy Hawaii $467 $10.10 46 Vermont $1,329 $10.78 123 Wyoming $952 $7.25 131 Maine $1,472 $11 134 South Dakota $1,282 $9.10 141 Alaska $1,411 $9.89 143 North Carolina $1,050 $7.25 145 Massachusetts $1,816 $12 151 Washington $1,897 $12 158 Montana $1,358 $8.50 160 Iowa $1,213 $7.25 167 Nebraska $1,571 $9 175 California $1,926 $11 175 North Dakota $1,362 $7.25 188 Arizona $2,079 $11 189 Virginia $1,413 $7.25 195 Missouri $1,683 $8.60 196 Pennsylvania $1,420 $7.25 196 DC $2,768 $14 198 Colorado $2,246 $11.10 202 Ohio $1,743 $8.55 204 New York $2,297 $11.10 207 West Virginia $1,919 $8.75 219 Minnesota $2,168 $9.86 220 New Jersey $2,271 $10 227 Wisconsin $1,685 $7.25 232 Kansas $1,696 $7.25 234 Illinois $1,967 $8.25 238 Arkansas $2,230 $9.25 241 Indiana $1,751 $7.25 241 Mississippi $1,767 $7.25 244 Idaho $1,781 $7.25 246 Maryland $2,553 $10.10 253 South Carolina $1,852 $7.25 255 Oregon $2,897 $11.25 257 Oklahoma $2,051 $7.25 283 Nevada $2,338 $8.25 283 New Mexico $2,129 $7.50 284 Alabama $2,092 $7.25 289 Tennessee $2,099 $7.25 290 Texas $2,177 $7.25 300 Utah $2,209 $7.25 305 Georgia $2,223 $7.25 307 Kentucky $2,344 $7.25 323 Rhode Island $3,439 $10.50 328 New Hampshire $2,399 $7.25 331 Florida $2,813 $8.46 333 Delaware $2,973 $8.75 340 Connecticut $3,715 $10.10 368 Louisiana $2,991 $7.25 413 Michigan $4,234 $9.45 448

Note: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee have no minimum wage mandate so are displayed at the federal minimum.

How young drivers can get more affordable car insurance

The cost of liability insurance, your state minimum car insurance required to drive, has more to do with the driver than the car. (The insurance company isn’t going to fix your car, just the person’s you hit.) In your search for the best cheap car insurance, these are the factors you have some control over:

Your driving record: More than one violation or accident is going to hurt.

Your credit: If it’s dismal, you’re seen as a bigger risk of a claim and thus charged more in many states.

Your mileage: The less you drive, the less risk of your hitting someone.

Your insurance history: If you’ve let your policy lapse, even for a few days, you’ll pay more for coverage.

Your insurance company: No two insurers offer identical rates, and even on state-minimum policies, premiums can differ by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars a year.

Your car: If your car has a significantly higher rate of claims than most (because, say, it’s driven mostly by young drivers), your liability rates will reflect that risk.

Your ability to qualify for discounts: You may be able to earn a good student discount, or other car insurance discount, for instance, for paying online, so be sure to research which ones you can get and ask for them.

Comparing car insurance quotes: Cheap car insurance for an 18-year-old

Comparison shopping is one of the easiest ways to save on car insurance. Each insurance company uses different calculations to decide what you pay for coverage. That means the price for the exact same policy can differ significantly among insurers. For example, below you'll see the average rate for drivers age 18 buying a full coverage policy with a $500 deductible on comprehensive and collision. The difference between insurers with the cheapest rates and those with the highest is thousands of dollars.

Company Name Average Rate for Full Coverage Policy Concord General Mutual $1,443 Bear River $1,526 Nodak Mutual $1,533 Erie $1,736 Country $1,892 Erie Property & Casualty $2,131 Geico $2,135 Erie Insurance Exchange $2,143 North Carolina Farm Bureau $2,219 Farmers Insurance of HI $2,323 Plymouth Rock $2,371 Farmers Mutual $2,387 USAA $2,403 GEICO Advantage $2,431 Pemco Mutual $2,450 USAA Casualty $2,455 Southern Farm Bureau $2,545 Vermont Mutual $2,586 Geico County Mutual $2,621 Integon National $2,633 General Insurance $2,646 Mississippi Farm Bureau $2,650 Progressive Southeastern $2,671 Tennessee Farmers $2,854 Owners Insurance $2,855 Geico General $2,903 Farm Bureau Property & Casualty $2,926 Geico Casualty $2,971 NJM $3,163 Commerce/MAPFRE $3,306 American Family Mutual $3,345 Georgia Farm Bureau $3,424 21st Century Centennial $3,510 Liberty Mutual Fire $3,614 State Farm Mutual Auto $3,628 Farm Bureau Mutual Of ID $3,665 Nationwide Agribusiness $3,947 Kentucky Farm Bureau $3,990 Shelter Insurance $4,053 Nationwide Property & Casualty $4,232 Nationwide Affinity $4,392 Automobile Club $4,402 Nationwide Mutual Fire $4,437 National Farmers Union Prop & Cas $4,476 Home Owners Insurance $4,604 Arbella $4,634 Geico Indemnity $4,730 Depositors Insurance $4,901 Safeco Insurance of IL $5,015 Nationwide America $5,030 Allstate NJ Prop & Cas $5,104 Oklahoma Farm Bureau $5,131 Memberselect $5,265 First National $5,325 Allied $5,395 Allstate Indemnity $5,480 Amco $5,485 United Financial $5,529 Farmers Insurance of WA $5,570 Allstate Fire & Casualty $5,642 Allstate $5,649 Nationwide Mutual $5,741 Progressive Advanced $5,789 United Farm Family Mutual $5,796 Progressive Universal $5,797 Safety Insurance $5,885 Allstate $6,089 Amica $6,176 Farmers Insurnace Columbus $6,277 Western United $6,294 Safeco $6,302 Farmers Insurance of ID $6,409 Allstate Northbrook $6,443 Artisan & Truckers $6,501 Alfa $6,504 Colonial County Mutual $6,559 Progressive Paloverde $6,861 Louisiana Farm Bureau $6,934 Mountain Laurel $6,967 Auto Club of Southern CA $7,033 Progressive Premier $7,112 Mid Century $7,150 Liberty Mutual $7,173 Farmers $7,214 CSAA $7,476 Victoria $7,502 Illinois Farmers $7,680 Progressive Select $7,969 Progressive Direct $8,101 State Farm Ind $8,104 Progressive Gulf $8,288 Acuity $8,308 Farmers Insurance of OR $8,322 Progressive Specialty $8,770 Progressive Northwestern $8,807 Progressive Max $8,851 Progressive HI $8,872 Progressive Garden State $8,887 Foremost $9,047 Progressive Northern $9,272 Progressive Preferred $9,483 Progressive Mountain $9,566 Mercury $9,607 Farmers Insurance of AZ $9,671 Progressive $9,884

Whether you're a parent or a teen, read our guide to car insurance for young drivers and our guide to car insurance for an 18-year-old for plenty more information that can help you make the car insurance choices that are best for you.