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Although pop-culture makes a big deal out of turning 22, your insurance company isn't going to be throwing up the sparklers any time soon. They treat this age very similar to most years in your early 20s. While you pay $244 less per year on auto insurance simply by turning 22, the cost of car insurance is still hundreds more than the national average. A lot of that has to do with being a young driver — you have less driving experience, shorter insurance history, and overall less life experience, all of which equates to more risk for auto insurance companies. In a business that surrounds itself in avoiding risk, being young and inexperienced is a tricky area. Let’s break down the ins-and-outs of car insurance for 22-year-olds in order to make sure you’re getting the absolute best rate when you're shopping around for auto insurance quotes.
All companies should not be seen as equal when it comes to choosing car insurance, as we can see below. As an average, 22-year-olds paid $1,108 for auto insurance (on their own six-month policy) in 2018 which is considerably higher than the national average of $871. So, in order to really understand the insurance arena for young drivers, we decided to survey the top five companies across five zip codes in the U.S. Using a profile outlined here, we discovered that State Farm is the cheapest for 22-year-old drivers, with Progressive in a close second. Consider our data as a jumping-off point when looking for car insurance quotes.
| Insurance Company | Average 6-Month Premium |
|---|---|
| State Farm | $1,121 |
| Allstate | $1,674 |
| GEICO | $1,331 |
| Progressive | $1,240 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,865 |
As you age, the difference between car insurance premiums for men and women begins to get smaller. At the national average level, the difference between men and women for auto insurance premiums is less than 1% — if it exists at all. The gap between the two at 22 is still over $300 per year and is a reflection of the risk associated with young male motorists in terms of an increase in accidents and citations. But, rest assured that as you age, the difference will fade.
Learn more about male vs. female car insurance rates.
| Age | Male | Female | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | $3,381 | $2,958 | $423 |
| 22 | $3,106 | $2,750 | $356 |
| 23 | $2,910 | $2,602 | $308 |
In the traditional route of life, most 22-year-olds have graduated from college and with that, comes some savings on auto insurance rates. Car insurance companies use the correlation between higher levels of education and decreased severity or frequency in claims to lower premiums with people with more education. Whether that's fair or not, the difference is only moderate.
| None | High School | Bachelors | Masters | PhD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,503 | $1,485 | $1,470 | $1,464 | $1,464 |
Your credit score is one of the biggest rating factors for insurance companies and it can be incredibly impactful on your premium. Statistically, drivers with a lower credit score (below 524) pay more than double the amount for car insurance than drivers with excellent credit (823 or more). Just like your education, this has to do with the correlation between drivers with lower credit and an increased number of severe claims and car accidents. From an insurance perspective, if there is more risk associated with insuring a person with a poor credit score, they will cushion this risk with a higher premium.
Learn more about car insurance with good credit and bad credit.
| Poor | Below Fair | Fair | Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,574 | $2,132 | $1,751 | $1,480 | $1,261 |
While you shouldn’t pick your location based on what your car insurance cost will be, you should still consider its effect. Living in a crowded metropolitan area will cause your premium to be higher, as more densely-packed cities are considered more likely to cause a claim given the population size. Moreover, living in coastal areas where floods are likely such as Louisiana will increase your premium.
| State | Premium |
|---|---|
| Michigan | $4,968 |
| Kentucky | $4,695 |
| Rhode Island | $4,505 |
| Louisiana | $4,429 |
| New York | $4,135 |
When your insurance quote is calculated, it includes certain aspects about you and your car via its unique VIN (vehicle identification number). So, just like having poor credit is an indicator of a higher premium, having a fancy car will also increase your premium. This is because vehicles with a high MSRP rating are more expensive for your insurance company to replace. If you’re trying to avoid paying more for auto insurance, consider a moderate vehicle.
| Sedan | Hybrid | Luxury Car | SUV | Truck | Van |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,116 | $2,016 | $1,953 | $1,802 | $1,621 | $1,657 |
Depending on your path in life, there are some ways to save money on car insurance without having to cut back on insurance coverage. Whether you're still in school or have since graduated, we have some tips for you.
These discounts are pretty straight forward. In order to be a good student, you must have a GPA above 3.0 and submit proof to your insurance company every policy period. In order to qualify for the defensive driver discount, you must take an actual defensive driving course and again, supply proof. While the amount varies per company, if you take advantage of both of these discounts, you can expect an average savings of $138 per year.
Average Annual Savings for Good Student and Good Driver Discount
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | $202 | $117 |
| 22 | $176 | $103 |
| 23 | $151 | $88 |
This goes without saying, but it’s imperative as a young driver to stay out of trouble. While your age is already counting against you, you don’t want a DUI or unnecessary citation on your record, as it will affect your rate massively. In most states, you will be charged for a citation or at-fault accident for three years. Meaning, if you are rated for a DUI, your premium will increase an extra $3,258 cumulatively for those three years. If, however, you’re in California, you’ll actually be charged ten years for that citation — a number we’re afraid to calculate (an extra $10,860 for auto insurance over ten years).
| Accident/Violation | Premium Increase |
|---|---|
| None | |
| Speeding 11 - 15 MPH Over Limit | $308 |
| Speeding 16 - 20 MPH Over Limit | $342 |
| Speeding 21 - 25 MPH Over Limit | $381 |
| At-Fault Accident | $617 |
| Reckless Driving | $1,034 |
| Racing | $1,084 |
| DUI | $1,086 |
If you’re living on your own, you most likely have a renter’s policy. A renter’s insurance policy acts as a liability policy for yourself as well as protects your personal property. While it's usually pretty inexpensive, you can save some money if you bundle your renters and car insurance policy if you get them from the same company. Through a multi-policy, your insurance rewards you for putting two policies with their company.
Learn more about discounts for bundling auto and renters insurance.
Annual Savings in 2018
| Renter | Renter with Multi-Policy |
|---|---|
| $1,470 | $1,393 |
Because your premium can change as you do, it’s important to shop for car insurance every six months with as many companies as possible. Only with us can you view over a hundred different premiums at once.
Being 22 is a considerable middle point in terms of auto insurance. While you have experienced some insurance savings, your youthful age still burdens you with a higher-than-average premium. Overall, you pay over $700 more for auto insurance than the national average. Still, considering the data we pulled from five top insurance companies, you should begin your search with State Farm and Progressive as well as consider the discounts and options we outlined.
We randomly selected five ZIP codes in five regions across the US and sampled rates from the five most popular companies in the US based on net premiums written. Here are the zip codes selected:
With that created, we created our user profile: a 22-year-old male driver. This is the information we used:
