Where to Find the Cheapest Car Insurance in Reno, Nevada
Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Reno
Minimum coverage car insurance costs $809 per year on average in Reno, Nevada. That's $223 cheaper than the Nevada state average of $1,032.
If you're looking to find the cheapest rates, your best bet is to shop around. Different insurers charge different rates for the same coverage.
For example, the cheapest minimum coverage policy costs $466 per year, while the most expensive policy costs $1,079 — a 132% increase. Huge differences like this show why it's so important to compare quotes.
Cheapest minimum coverage car insurance for minimum policy in Reno
The most affordable minimum coverage insurance in Reno comes from State Farm. Annual premiums from State Farm are 42% cheaper than the city average of $809 for minimum coverage.
Progressive is the second-cheapest insurer for Reno residents. The company's annual rates average $657. That's 19% lower than the city average, but $191 more expensive per year than State Farm.
USAA charges Reno drivers $630 annually for minimum coverage, making it more expensive than State Farm but cheaper than Progressive. If you or a qualifying member of your household are serving or have served in the military, get a quote from USAA.
Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Reno
Minimum coverage might seem like an appealing choice, given the low annual premiums such policies carry. Minimum coverage in Nevada includes two components:
- Bodily injury liability: Covers costs related to physical injuries sustained by another driver and their passengers if you're at fault in an accident.
- Property damage liability: Covers costs you incur when you damage another driver's property.
Minimum coverage policies in Nevada don't include any protection for your own car. So while these policies might be affordable, you risk insufficient protection in the event of an accident.
We recommend a full-coverage policy to all drivers, but particularly to drivers of new or expensive cars.
Minimum coverage only protects you from liability you incur after hitting another driver; full coverage protects both you and the other driver.
Cheapest car insurance companies in Reno, NV
Company | Average annual cost | |
|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $466 |
| Progressive | $657 |
| American Family | $718 |
| Allstate | $905 |
| Farmers | $958 |
Cheapest companies in Reno for full coverage insurance
State Farm, Progressive and American Family offer the most affordable full coverage policies for Reno drivers. Together, these three insurers charge an average of $1,719 per year for full coverage, which is 32% cheaper than the city average of $2,514.
Geico imposes the smallest increase for Reno drivers who want to switch from a minimum-coverage policy to a full coverage policy. The company charges $1,079 for a minimum-coverage policy and $2,615 for a full coverage policy— a 142% increase.
USAA also offers Reno drivers cheap full coverage. Only qualified military members, veterans and some of their family members can purchase USAA insurance, but they're likely to get a solid deal. Full coverage from USAA averages $1,765 per year, which is $748 cheaper than the city average.
Rank | Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $1,243 |
| 2 | Progressive | $1,653 |
| 3 | American Family | $2,260 |
| 4 | Geico | $2,615 |
| 5 | Allstate | $3,192 |
| 6 | Farmers | $3,537 |
| 7 | AAA | $3,844 |
| N/A | USAA* | $1,765 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Full coverage policies can cost three or four times as much as minimum coverage policies. The increased cost comes from adding comprehensive and collision coverages to the state-mandated liability coverages.
Comprehensive
Covers the cost of "acts of God", or damage caused by circumstances out of your control. This includes animal damage, falling objects and vandalism.
Collision
Covers the cost of repairs due to a collision with a stationary object, another car or an incident like driving into a ditch.
ValuePenguin recommends full coverage to drivers who have a car that is less than 10 years old or worth more than $3,000. Collision coverage ensures that your own car is fully protected in an accident, while comprehensive coverage accounts for unforeseen incidents beyond your control.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with prior accidents
Virtually all insurers increase rates after an at-fault accident, but to different degrees. In Reno, State Farm, Allstate and Farmers increased rates the least for these drivers.
Always shop around whenever your driving record changes. Insurance companies treat at-fault accidents differently. Some, like State Farm, raise rates by a few hundred dollars, while others, like American Family, nearly double rates.
State Farm increased rates by just 19%, from $1,243 per year to $1,483 per year. Allstate and Farmers, despite charging higher rates overall, did not raise rates too sharply after an accident. Annual premiums from Allstate jumped 38%, from $3,192 to $4,389, while premiums from Farmers jumped 43%, from $3,537 to $5,058.
Drivers with an accident history may have a harder time finding affordable insurance than drivers with a clean record. Insurers view an at-fault accident as a sign of increased risk and raise rates to compensate for it.
Rank | Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $1,483 |
| 2 | Progressive | $2,638 |
| 3 | American Family | $4,164 |
| 4 | Geico | $4,301 |
| 5 | Allstate | $4,389 |
| 6 | Farmers | $5,058 |
| 7 | AAA | $6,777 |
| N/A | USAA* | $2,381 |
*USAA is not ranked because only military members (current and former) and their families are eligible.
Drivers looking to mitigate the effect of an accident on their rates should ask about discounts. Insurance companies offer discounts for a wide variety of factors, ranging from your occupation to safety features installed in your car to successful completion of a defensive driving course. It never hurts to ask if your insurance company has any additional discounts.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with poor credit
Nevada insurers often take a driver's credit score into account when assessing risk and calculating rates. Drivers with higher credit scores are seen as lower risk and usually receive better rates than drivers with lower credit scores. In Reno, drivers with very good credit pay an average $827 per year, while drivers with poor credit pay $2,991.
State Farm has the most affordable rates for Reno drivers with low credit scores. Annual rates for a full coverage policy were $1,896 per year, which is $1,095 cheaper than average.
Rank | Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $1,896 |
| 2 | Progressive | $2,059 |
| 3 | Geico | $2,721 |
| 4 | American Family | $2,796 |
| 5 | Allstate | $3,352 |
| 6 | Farmers | $3,537 |
| 7 | AAA | $4,818 |
| N/A | USAA* | $2,752 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Cheapest full coverage auto insurance for young drivers
Insurers view teen and young adult drivers as riskier investments than older drivers. This is because they tend to get into accidents more frequently due to their inexperience.
State Farm and Progressive offer the cheapest car insurance to Reno drivers. Average rates from both insurers are less than $4,000 annually.
Insurance for teen drivers will inevitably be more expensive than it is for adult drivers, but you can help reduce costs by comparing quotes to identify the best deal.
Rank | Insurer | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $1,363 |
| 2 | Progressive | $2,394 |
| 3 | Allstate | $4,402 |
| 4 | American Family | $4,473 |
| 5 | CSAA | $5,342 |
| 6 | Geico | $5,395 |
| 7 | Farmers | $5,440 |
| N/A | USAA* | $3,459 |
*USAA is not ranked because only military members (current and former) and their families are eligible. Our sample driver is an 18-year-old man.
If you still can't find affordable coverage after contacting several insurers, there are some other steps you can take to get your rates down:
- Talk to your insurer about discounts.
- Ask your parents if they will allow you to stay on their plan.
Insurers often offer discounts that can help young drivers, such as a good student discount or student away from home discount. And by staying on your parents' policy, you can benefit from the lower rates they receive as more experienced drivers and pay less overall.
Best car insurance companies in Reno by customer service
While cheap rates are a priority for most drivers, it's also important to find a reliable insurer. The best insurance companies process claims quickly, offer customer service 24/7 and communicate clearly with policyholders.
The insurers with the best customer service, measured by the frequency of customer complaints, are:
It's important to balance service and cost. Affordable premiums are important, but you also want an insurer who can promptly pay out your claims and answer questions when you need them to.
Fortunately, Reno drivers are well-positioned to strike this balance. The insurers that consistently offered the most affordable rates — State Farm, Progressive and American Family — also had the lowest amount of complaints proportional to their market share, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Rank | Company | Market share | Complaint Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Family | 0.67% | 0.46 |
| 2 | Allstate | 6.61% | 0.63 |
| 3 | State Farm | 13.22% | 0.66 |
| 4 | Progressive | 7.42% | 0.67 |
| 5 | USAA | 2.02% | 0.68 |
Insurers were selected based on market share and quote availability. Complaint Index information is drawn from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The national median for the Complaint Index is 1.0, meaning companies with a lower index provide better customer service compared to the median company. Market share information is drawn from S&P.
A low Complaint Index means that, taking the insurer's market share into account, a company had fewer complaints than would be expected.
Cost of car insurance in Reno by ZIP code
Insurers set rates not just based on what city you live in, but in which ZIP code you live as well. Certain neighborhoods experience more crime and congestion, which increases their risk level and the cost of protecting cars that drive and are garaged there.
ZIP code 89501 is the most expensive in Reno for full coverage auto insurance, with residents paying an average $2,613 per year. The cheapest ZIP code is 89510, where drivers pay $2,376 per year on average.
If you live in one of Reno's more expensive ZIP codes, shop around to make sure you get a good deal. We recommend obtaining quotes from at least three local insurers before you purchase coverage. Different insurers calculate risk differently, and one might factor your neighborhood in more strongly than another.
ZIP code | Average cost, full coverage | Average cost, minimum coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 89501 | $2,613 | $852 |
| 89502 | $2,572 | $824 |
| 89503 | $2,608 | $840 |
| 89506 | $2,443 | $802 |
| 89508 | $2,470 | $796 |
Minimum car insurance requirements in Nevada
To drive legally in Nevada, you must have an auto insurance policy that meets the mandatory state minimum requirements. These requirements are as follows:
- $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person
- $50,000 of bodily injury liability per accident
- $20,000 of property damage liability per accident
This is the lowest amount of coverage you can legally carry, and we generally recommend that drivers carry more. Medical payments coverage can help Nevada drivers pay for injuries if your health insurer doesn't offer sufficient coverage, while collision and comprehensive coverages help pay for damages to your on car both on and off the road.
Auto theft statistics in Reno
Reno has the highest rate of auto theft among major cities in Nevada. Our analysis of 2019 FBI crime data found that 4.64 cars are stolen for every 1,000 residents.
Theft rank | City | Population | Motor thefts in 2019 | Thefts per 1,000 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reno | 254,349 | 1,179 | 4.64 |
| 2 | North Las Vegas | 249,854 | 1,113 | 4.45 |
| 3 | Las Vegas | 1,666,803 | 7,311 | 4.39 |
| 4 | Sparks | 106,010 | 376 | 3.55 |
| 5 | Elko | 20,601 | 73 | 3.54 |
| 6 | Carlin | 2,259 | 5 | 2.21 |
| 7 | Henderson | 317,732 | 554 | 1.74 |
| 8 | Lovelock | 1,806 | 3 | 1.66 |
| 9 | Winnemucca | 7,800 | 12 | 1.54 |
| 10 | Boulder City | 16,102 | 16 | 0.99 |
Methodology
The sample driver for this study is a 30-year-old single male with a clean driving record, average credit and no accident history. We gave him the following coverage limits for a full coverage policy:
Coverage | Limits |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Personal injury protection | $10,000 |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Comprehensive and collision | $500 deductible |
Unless otherwise noted, this was the base policy for our study.
This ValuePenguin analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. Publicly sourced from insurer filings, these rates are intended only for comparative purposes. Your own quotes will likely differ.
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