2019’s Best Cheap Car Insurance in Maryland

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The best way to get cheap car insurance is to compare quotes from different car insurance companies. In order to help drivers in Maryland find the cheapest car insurance rates for their needs and circumstances, WalletHub collected over 15,000 quotes from 38 auto insurance companies in Maryland.

WalletHub’s cheap car insurance comparison was based on up to three driver profiles with different ages, genders, driving records, marital statuses and miles driven. Read on for the full results, along with a detailed description of our methodology and additional insight from a panel of experts.

1 Cheapest Companies 2 Survey 3 Tips

4 Ask the Experts 5 Methodology

Cheapest Car Insurance in Maryland

Overall Rank*	Company Name	Young Driver Rank*	Average Driver Rank*	Senior Driver Rank*	Male Driver Rank*	Female Driver Rank*
1	GEICO	1	6	6	1	5
2	Horace Mann	2	4	4	2	2
3	American National	3	1	2	3	1
4	Brethren Mutual Insurance Company	6	14	1	6	4
5	IDS Property Casualty Insurance Company	4	13	8	4	11
6	Cumberland Insurance Company Inc.	9	2	5	9	3
7	Unitrin	8	3	10	8	7
8	AIG	5	27	13	5	16
9	USAA	10	12	3	10	6
10	Allstate	7	17	25	7	22
11	Privilege Underwriters	12	9	9	12	10
12	Mercury	11	21	28	11	26
13	Integon	13	28	24	13	25
14	Nationwide	15	10	23	15	17
15	Mutual Benefit Insurance Company	21	8	7	21	9
16	State Farm	16	19	21	16	21
17	Progressive	14	29	26	14	28
18	Amica	19	15	20	19	18
19	Encompass	17	16	32	17	29
20	Erie	22	18	12	22	13
21	Garrison	20	32	15	20	24
22	Agency Insurance Company	18	26	30	18	30
23	Chubb National	24	25	16	24	19
24	Old Dominion Insurance Company	27	11	17	27	14
25	CSAA	31	5	11	31	8
26	Selective Ins. Company Of South Carolina	26	22	19	26	20
27	Travelers	25	23	27	25	27
28	American States Preferred Ins Co	29	24	22	29	23
29	Penn National Insurance Company	30	20	14	30	15
30	Farmers	23	30	35	23	33
31	Liberty Mutual	34	33	33	34	34
32	Elephant Insurance Company	33	35	34	33	35
33	Esurance	35	31	29	35	31
34	The General	32	36	36	32	36
35	Maryland Auto Insurance Fund	28	37	37	28	37
36	National General	36	34	31	36	32
37	Peninsula Insurance Company	37	7	18	37	12
38	Dairyland	38	38	38	38	38

*1=Cheapest

Cheap Car Insurance Survey

To better understand consumers’ attitudes toward car insurance, particularly related to cost, WalletHub conducted a nationally representative survey. We asked about issues ranging from how people prioritize cost versus coverage to whether it’s fair for car insurance companies to use gender, age or geography in policy pricing.

You can find the complete results of WalletHub’s 2019 Car Insurance Survey in the following infographic.

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Tips for How to Get Cheap Car Insurance

Get a car that’s cheap to cover. Certain car models cost more to insure than others. Cars that are safer and cost less, like minivans and SUVs, are cheaper to insure than expensive, fast sports cars.
Be on your best behavior. Safe drivers with no history of accidents, tickets or arrests can look forward to cheaper rates than people who haven’t been as responsible. Convicted felons will also often have to pay more, even if their record isn’t related to driving.
Take advantage of discounts. You may be able to get discounts if you are a veteran, get paperless statements, have a good driving record, bundle policies, are a student or have an anti-theft system, to name a few.
Build good credit. Your credit score will often factor into your auto insurance rates – people with no credit pay 67% more than people with excellent credit on average. To boost your credit score, make sure you have at least one open credit card account that’s in good standing, always pay your bills on time, and try to use less than 30% of your credit cards’ limits.
Look locally. There are several big-name nationwide auto insurers with lots of satisfied customers, but you don’t necessarily have to get coverage from a company that takes clients from all across the country. Plenty of car insurance companies only cater to customers in certain regions or states. These local insurers may provide lower rates but are often overlooked. Make sure to include them in your comparison, at least.
Choose a higher deductible. An insurer may lower your monthly rates in return for a higher deductible - the amount you personally have to pay when you make a claim. That can save you money if you never have an accident. This approach makes the most sense for people who are very infrequent drivers.
Select less comprehensive coverage. There are many types of car insurance. You will usually need liability coverage, to pay the other person’s damages if you’re at fault in an accident. But you might not need collision damage coverage (pays for your repairs) or comprehensive coverage (pays for non-accident-related damages). Both pay out based on your car’s current value. If your car is older and will cost more to fix than to buy a new vehicle, it may not be worth it.
Consider pay-per-mile plans. Rather than paying a set amount for car insurance each month, you could find a plan that lets you pay based on how much you drive. If you have a car but rarely use it, or only drive very locally, a pay-per-mile plan might be best for you. The insurance company will place a device in your car that tracks your mileage. It may also track things like your speed and braking, which could affect your rates positively if you’re a safe driver and negatively if not.

Ask the Experts: Cheap Car Insurance Pros & Cons

Car insurance is a necessary expense if you’re a driver, but trying to find the cheapest rates can be a time-consuming process. To gain more insight about getting cheap car insurance while still having quality coverage, WalletHub posed the following questions to a panel of experts in Maryland car insurance. Click on the experts below to view their bios and answers.

What are the biggest risk factors keeping car insurance rates from being cheaper in Maryland?
Is there anything that state and local governments can do to promote cheap car insurance rates for their constituents?
What is the biggest vehicle-related financial mistake that drivers in Maryland make?
Why do you think credit history has a relatively [big/small] impact on car insurance rates in Maryland?

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Michael J. McCartin President, Joseph W. McCartin Insurance, Inc.
Mike Ertel PIA National Director, Association of Professional Insurance Agents

Methodology

WalletHub collected quotes from all major auto insurers for at least 24 zip codes in Maryland. WalletHub obtained quotes for every possible driver profile in Maryland’s regulator’s database. By receiving quotes for multiple driver profiles, WalletHub ensured a diverse sample. Below are the general categories we considered and the metrics for each.

Maryland Driver Profiles
Toyota Corolla
	Category	Metrics Measured
	Gender	Men and women
	Age	23, 30, 65
	Marital Status	Single
	Driving Record	No at-fault accidents or traffic tickets in the past 5 years
	Miles Driven Per Year	15,000
	Car	Toyota Corolla or comparable sedan

Below are a few samples of the types of drivers for whom WalletHub received quotes:

Example A: A 23-year-old single male with a clean driving record. Drives 15 miles round trip to work daily. Drives 15,000 miles annually.
Example B: A 30-year-old single female with a clean driving record. Drives 20 miles round trip to work daily. Drives over 15,000 miles annually.
Example C: A 65-year-old single female with a clean driving record. Drives only for pleasure with 5,000 miles annually.

In terms of the amount of insurance coverage, WalletHub selected the closest available option to the amounts below.

Coverage Limits Assumed:

Coverage Type	Coverage Amount
Bodily Liability Coverage	$25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Coverage	$25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
Property Damage Liability Coverage	$25,000 per accident
Collision coverage deductible	$500
Comprehensive coverage deductible	$500

WalletHub used this data to rank the cheapest car insurance companies in Maryland overall and for the individual metrics.

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