Married vs. Single Drivers: Who Pays More for Car Insurance?

Is car insurance cheaper when you’re married or single?
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Ava Lynch

Senior Analyst

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty

Ava joined The Zebra as a writer and licensed insurance agent in 2016. She now works as a senior analyst, providing insights and data analysis as one…

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Renata Balasco

Content Strategist

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty

Renata joined The Zebra in 2020 as a Customer Experience Agent. Since 2021, she has worked as licensed insurance professional and content strategist.…

Car insurance for married vs. single drivers

On average, a married driver pays $160 less per year for car insurance than does a single, unmarried driver. While being married doesn’t necessarily make you a better driver, historical data show married couples are more likely to share driving responsibilities than single people. Thus, each driver files fewer claims and presents less risk to an insurance provider. There are some other rating factors that make married drivers cheaper to insure than single drivers. Let’s explore.


Cheapest insurance providers for married and single drivers

We pulled car insurance quotes for married and single drivers. With all other metrics constant, we discovered that an unmarried driver will pay $80 more for a standard six-month policy than will a married driver.

Marital Status Company Avg. Annual Premium
Married Allstate $2,255
Single Allstate $2,413
Married Farmers $1,636
Single Farmers $1,786
Single GEICO $1,542
Married GEICO $1,494
Single Nationwide $1,476
Married Nationwide $1,343
Married Progressive $1,557
Single Progressive $1,886
Single State Farm $1,569
Married State Farm $1,569
Married USAA $1,204
Single USAA $1,365
Updated: 09/21/23.

Dynamic auto insurance data methodology

Methodology: The auto insurance rates displayed above and throughout this page are dynamic, meaning the data will refresh when the most recent information is made available. Rates are based on a sample driver profile — a 30-year-old single male driver with a Honda Accord and full coverage. This profile was adjusted based on common pricing factors used by major car insurance companies, like age, coverage level, driving record and others.

State Farm is the only company that does not charge single and married drivers different premiums. Liberty Mutual's rates are considerably different for married and single drivers. On average, single drivers pay $692 more per year because of their marital status with Liberty Mutual. Below are average differences by company based on marital status.

Car Insurance Provider Average Annual Increase for Single Driver
Allstate $56
GEICO $13
Farmers $192
Liberty Mutual $693
Nationwide $50
Progressive $195
State Farm $0
USAA $88

Married vs. single: your insurance policy

Aside from premiums, a car insurance policy can differ in a few ways. Let’s break them down. Bear in mind, there will always be outliers to the data we present. Fair or not, car insurance companies always look at historical data in order to assess clients and price policies.

 

Credit score

Your credit score is a major contributor to determining what you pay for car insurance. Statistical data show married drivers have better credit scores than single drivers. Thus, they typically pay less for car insurance.

Credit Tier Avg. Annual Premium
Poor $3,147
Below Fair $2,461
Fair $2,071
Good $1,760
Excellent $1,506
Updated: 09/21/23.

Homeowner status

Homeowners are considered more financially stable than renters and thus are seen as less-risky clients. Furthermore, because home policies are considerably more expensive than a renter’s insurance policy, bundling will earn an insurance company more revenue. Thus, their multi-policy discount is larger. As you can see with the data below, homeowners — bundling or not) — pay less for car insurance than do renters.

Homeowner Status Avg. Monthly Premium
Renter $147
Condo Owner $144
Home Owner $144
Renter With Multi-Policy $140
Condo Owner With Multi-Policy $133
Home Owner With Multi-Policy $130
Updated: 09/21/23.

Discounts

Married couples tend to qualify for more discounts than single individuals. Multi-driver and multi-vehicle discounts can significantly reduce your premiums. Follow the links below for more information.

Regardless of your marital status, the best way to save on car insurance is to shop around. Only by comparing car insurance quotes with different companies can you see which company is the cheapest for you. Enter your ZIP code below to see how much you could be saving.

Protect your car with the right coverage at the best value.

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No junk mail. No spam calls. Free quotes.

About The Zebra

The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.

  • The Zebra’s insurance content is written and reviewed for accuracy by licensed insurance agents.
  • The Zebra’s insurance content is not subject to review or alteration by insurance companies or partners.
  • The Zebra’s editorial team operates independently of the company’s partnerships and commercialization interests, publishing unbiased information for consumer benefit.
  • The auto insurance rates published on The Zebra’s pages are based on a comprehensive analysis of car insurance pricing data, evaluating more than 83 million insurance rates from across the United States.