The average monthly car insurance rate in Columbia is $137. Are you paying too much?
The typical Columbia driver pays $1,650 per year for auto insurance. That's less than the average across Missouri ($1,736) and pricier than the national average of $1,548. Read on to learn more about how much you can expect to pay based on your credit score, gender, marital status, and other common factors in Columbia.
| Columbia Average (yearly) | Missouri Average | U.S. Average |
| $1,650 | $1,736 | $1,548 |
One of the best ways to save on auto insurance is to compare rates from multiple companies and to choose the insurer that best fits your coverage needs. In Columbia, State Farm offers the cheapest premiums for the typical insurance buyer. See below the best options for affordable auto insurance in Columbia. Don't forget to get car insurance quotes based on your driving profile.
| Insurer | Average Yearly Rate |
| State Farm | $1,029 |
| American Family | $1,524 |
| Progressive | $1,649 |
| GEICO | $1,705 |
| Farmers | $1,752 |
Read our guide to finding the best cheap auto insurance.
The age group that pays the least for car insurance in Columbia are drivers in their 50s ($1,361 per year). Those in their 60s don't pay much more ($1,370).
Teen drivers pay Columbia's most expensive auto insurance rates. One of the most effective ways to get cheaper car insurance rates as a driver in Columbia is to celebrate your 20th birthday. The cost differential between the car insurance premiums paid by teenage drivers and drivers in their 20s in Columbia is $3,884, the largest such difference between any two age brackets.
| Age tier | Average Yearly Rate |
| Teenagers | $6,097 |
| 20s | $2,213 |
| 30s | $1,599 |
| 40s | $1,478 |
| 50s | $1,361 |
| 60s | $1,370 |
| 70s | $1,645 |
Learn more about the impact of age on car insurance premiums.
Marital status and gender are contributing factors to car insurance rates in many cases. In most places, single drivers pay more than married drivers based on data that says they're more likely to file claims. Married drivers in Columbia pay $152 less than single drivers for auto insurance. Rates for those who are widowed are also much cheaper than rates for those who are single. Interestingly enough, in Columbia, single drivers pay more than those who are widowed.
Another component of auto insurance pricing is gender. In Columbia, female drivers pay more for auto insurance than do male drivers: $3 per year, to be precise.
| Marital Status/Gender | Average Yearly Rate |
| Female | $1,653 |
| Male | $1,650 |
| Single | $1,498 |
| Married | $1,498 |
| Divorced | $1,605 |
| Widowed | $1,576 |
Learn more about how gender and marital status have on car insurance rates.
Maintaining a clean driving record is an effective way to minimize your insurance rates. Speeding tickets, reckless driving citations, DUIs and DWIs, and at-fault accidents all can trigger insurance rate hikes.
Columbia drivers found guilty of reckless driving pay a steep price when it comes to auto insurance, facing a rate increase of $598 per year versus the city average. A ticket for speeding results in a $358 rate hike while a DWI or DUI violation costs $593per year in extra insurance expenditures.
| Incident/Violation | Average Annual Rate |
| DUI/DWI | $2,243 |
| Reckless Driving | $2,247 |
| At-fault Accident (damages less than $1,000) | $2,236 |
| At-fault Accident (damages > $2,000) | $2,448 |
| Speeding Ticket (16-20 mph over speed limit) | $2,007 |
Learn more about citations' impact on your auto insurance rates.
An important insurance rating factor is credit. Drivers with checkered credit histories typically face higher car insurance rates than do drivers with good credit. In fact, Columbia drivers who build their credit score from the "Very Poor" tier (300-579) to the "Exceptional" tier (800-850) earn a 66% decrease in car insurance rates. Moving from "Very Poor" to "Fair" credit is a great way to save money on car insurance. In Columbia, improving your credit to "Fair" could help you earn $1,652 in savings on insurance premiums each year.
| Credit Tier | Average Rate (annual) |
| Very Poor | $3,671 |
| Fair | $2,019 |
| Good | $1,650 |
| Very Good | $1,447 |
| Exceptional | $1,249 |
Learn more about the relationship between poor credit and car insurance.
