Best Cheap Car Insurance In Pennsylvania (2023)

To give you a better sense of how much car insurance is in the state of Pennsylvania, we’ve included a list of the seven cheapest providers on average below. Nationwide stands out as the most affordable option with an average cost of $1,107 per year. Travelers, Donegal Group, and Erie Insurance follow with average rates below $1,400 for Pennsylvania drivers.

How Much Is Auto Insurance In Pennsylvania?

According to our rate estimates, the average cost for full-coverage car insurance in Pennsylvania is $1,647 per year. Compared to the national average of $1,730 per year, Pennsylvania drivers pay about 5 percent less on average. In 2019, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) ranked Pennsylvania as the 20th-most expensive state for insuring a vehicle.

It’s important to note that your car insurance costs are highly personalized and will vary based on factors such as:

• Age: Because teen drivers are considered higher risk due to their lack of driving experience, they generally pay more for auto insurance.

• Gender on driver’s license: Car insurance tends to be more expensive for men than for women in most states.

• Marital status: The average married driver pays less for coverage than a single driver. Couples may also qualify for more family or bundling discounts when purchasing coverage together.

• Driving record: Speeding tickets, accidents, and DUIs can all drastically increase car insurance rates.

• Credit score: In most states, auto insurance costs tend to be significantly higher for drivers with poor credit scores.

• Coverage level: Full-coverage auto insurance policies are more expensive than those that only meet state minimum coverage requirements.

Cheapest Pennsylvania Car Insurance: Young Drivers

Car insurance premiums are usually more expensive for young drivers compared to older and more experienced drivers. Young drivers in Pennsylvania can generally find the cheapest car insurance with Travelers.

Cheapest Car Insurance In Pennsylvania: 16-Year-Olds

Sixteen-year-olds can find the cheapest coverage in Pennsylvania at Travelers, which has an average monthly cost of $282. Drivers this age can also find affordable coverage from Erie Insurance and State Farm.

Cheapest Car Insurance In Pennsylvania: 18-Year-Olds

The cheapest car insurance in Pennsylvania for 18-year-olds comes at roughly $214 per month on average from Travelers. Erie Insurance also offers affordable coverage at $247 per month.

Cheapest Car Insurance In Pennsylvania: 21-Year-Olds

In Pennsylvania, the cheapest full-coverage car insurance for 21-year-olds comes from Nationwide at $151 per month. Travelers comes in a close second at $152 per month.

Cheapest Car Insurance In Pennsylvania: 25-Year-Olds

Twenty-five-year-old drivers in Pennsylvania can find the cheapest car insurance from Travelers at around $106 per month and from Nationwide at around $111 per month.

Cheapest Pennsylvania Car Insurance: High-Risk Drivers

In general, those with clean driving records pay lower insurance premiums than drivers who have a history of speeding tickets, car accidents, or DUI convictions. The table below shows the difference in cost for each traffic violation by the top five cheapest companies for Pennsylvania drivers.

*Speeding tickets are for 16 to 20 mph over the speed limit. Recent accidents are for a single vehicle ($2,500 worth of damage).

Cheapest Pennsylvania Car Insurance: Bad Credit

Your credit score is one of the biggest factors in determining the cost of auto insurance. A poor credit score can elevate the cost of insuring your vehicle by over 47 percent.

After a thorough review of the top insurance providers, our experts found these five car insurance companies to be the best options for car insurance in Pennsylvania. Travelers, Erie Insurance, Geico, Nationwide, and Penn National Insurance all score well in our cost, coverage, reliability, and service categories, making them stand out from the competition in the state.

*Our research team scores car insurance companies by taking nationwide factors into account. The order of insurers in this table is specific to auto insurance in Pennsylvania.

#1 Travelers

Our review team selected Travelers as our No. 1 pick for the best car insurance in Pennsylvania. In our research, we found that Travelers consistently offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates to many types of drivers in the state, with average rates sometimes hundreds of dollars below competitors’.

Travelers also has a positive reputation within the insurance industry. The company has an A++ financial strength rating from AM Best. It’s a great option for teens and young drivers in particular because of its low average rates and many discount opportunities, including discounts for good students, students away at school, and those who take a driver training course.

Read more: Travelers insurance review

#2 Erie Insurance

Consistently ranking among the top providers in the industry, Pennsylvania-based Erie Insurance demonstrates the benefits of buying auto insurance locally. This provider focuses on customer satisfaction, which is exemplified through its A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the fact that the company has only closed 113 complaints in the last three years via the organization’s website.

In the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Auto Insurance Study℠, Erie ranked in first place for the mid-Atlantic region with a score of 867 out of 1,000 possible points. Erie also holds an A+ financial strength rating from AM Best, which highlights the insurer’s ability to reliably pay out claims.

Read more: Erie Insurance review

#3 Geico

Geico offers low rates in the state for young drivers and those with poor credit scores in particular. This provider is known for offering affordable rates to many types of drivers, a wide range of coverage options, and many discount opportunities. Pennsylvania drivers can take advantage of the insurer’s usage-based insurance program, DriveEasy, which can be accessed via the Geico mobile app.

The company has a strong industry reputation as well, with an A++ AM Best financial strength rating as well as an A+ BBB rating.

Read more: Geico insurance review

#4 Nationwide

A great option for seniors and older drivers, Nationwide  offers affordable rates across the board in Pennsylvania, but it’s an especially great option for those with poor credit scores.  

The provider also features two great usage-based insurance programs that can help Pennsylvania drivers save significantly on their auto insurance premiums. SmartRide^® monitors drivers’ behaviors on the road and rewards safe driving habits with savings. Low-mileage drivers can also take advantage of Nationwide‘s pay-per-mile option, SmartMiles^®.

Read more: Nationwide insurance review

#5 Penn National Insurance

Rounding out the top five car insurance companies in Pennsylvania is Penn National Insurance. Founded in the state in 1919, the company has been providing quality insurance products to Pennsylvania residents for over a century. It’s known for offering outstanding customer service and some of the lowest Pennsylvania auto insurance rates.

Although it’s a smaller provider, Penn National has a positive industry reputation and highlights its reliability through its A+ BBB rating and A- financial strength rating from AM Best. It’s important to note that Penn National only offers auto insurance through individual insurance agents in Pennsylvania.

According to Pennsylvania state law, drivers must meet the following minimum coverage requirements:

• Bodily injury liability car insurance: $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident

• Property damage liability coverage: $5,000 per accident

• Medical benefits: $5,000 per accident

• Limited or full tort: You must have tort coverage of some kind, whether limited tort or full tort. Limited tort provides savings on your premium but doesn’t include payments for pain and suffering. Full tort offers unrestricted rights to bring a suit against a negligent party.

Though every driver needs to meet minimum insurance requirements, there are also optional types of car insurance that can offer protection in several situations. Some of the more notable options include:

Is Pennsylvania A No-Fault State?

Pennsylvania is one of twelve no-fault states. In a no-fault state, blame is not attributed for an accident and your car insurance coverage pays for any out-of-pocket losses incurred, up to coverage limits. The no-fault system requires all parties involved in a car accident to file a claim with their respective insurance provider.

However, Pennsylvania is known as a “choice” no-fault state because by choosing whether to have limited or full tort coverage, drivers can basically choose whether to operate under a no-fault or fault-based system. For drivers operating under a fault-based system with full tort coverage, blame is attributed to the driver who is responsible for the accident and the system requires them to compensate other parties involved in the accident.

The first step to finding quality, affordable car insurance in Pennsylvania is comparing cost and coverage options from providers. You can get free quotes online from most major providers, which makes it easy to compare car insurance quotes. Alternatively, you can call insurance companies directly or reach out to a broker or agent for more personalized service.

Based on our review team’s thorough research, we found Travelers to be the best provider available in Pennsylvania. Its incredibly affordable insurance rates for Pennsylvania drivers set it apart from the rest of the industry. We also recommend reaching out for auto insurance quotes from Erie Insurance, Geico, Nationwide, and Penn National Insurance.

Our review process aims to deliver consistent and unbiased assessments of car insurance providers. While there are multiple qualities that make a car insurance company successful, our review team focuses on those we believe are the most important for consumers:

• Cost: Cost can be difficult to compare between insurers because so many factors impact annual premiums. The cheapest insurer for one driver may not be the cheapest for another. To determine our cost score, we look at insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services, discount opportunities, and consumer reports.

• Coverage: To determine our coverage score, we look at the number of coverage options available as well as coverage limits and deductible options. Our ratings also take into account additional services and benefits like roadside assistance.

• Reliability: It’s important that an auto insurer is able to meet its claims obligations. Companies with a strong financial strength rating from AM Best score best in this category. Established insurers with a long history of reliable service also receive positive marks.

• Service: We comb through customer reviews on sites like the BBB to learn about customer experiences. Insurers with a low volume of complaints score well in this area. We also consider the claims process, giving higher ratings to car insurance providers that offer easy-to-use claims apps.

*Data accurate at time of publication.