Is car insurance cheaper when you’re married or single?
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.
Using a user methodology outlined here, 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.
| Car Insurance Provider | Married Driver | Single Driver |
| Allstate | $1,390 | $1,446 |
| Geico | $1,076 | $1,088 |
| Farmers | $1,280 | $1,472 |
| Liberty Mutual | $5,494 | $6,186 |
| Nationwide | $1,113 | $1,163 |
| Progressive | $1,312 | $1,508 |
| State Farm | $1,383 | $1,383 |
| USAA | $816 | $904 |
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.
| Average Annual Increase for Single Driver | |
| Allstate | $56 |
| Geico | $13 |
| Farmers | $192 |
| Liberty Mutual | $693 |
| Nationwide | $50 |
| Progressive | $195 |
| State Farm | $0 |
| USAA | $88 |
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.
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.
| Average Annual Premium | |
| Poor | $2,502 |
| Good | $1,552 |
| Fair | $1,689 |
| Excellent | $1,207 |
| Below Fair | $2,060 |
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.
| Average Annual Premium | |
| Renter | $1,416 |
| Condo Owner | $1,386 |
| Home Owner | $1,386 |
| Renter With Multi-Policy | $1,339 |
| Condo Owner With Multi-Policy | $1,273 |
| Home Owner With Multi-Policy | $1,252 |
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.