You need enough car insurance to satisfy your state’s minimum coverage requirements and adequately protect your finances if you’re involved in an accident or your car is otherwise damaged. Drivers in nearly every state need at least a minimum amount of car insurance in order to drive legally. The exact amount of coverage you should buy depends on multiple factors, like your financial situation, the value of your vehicle, your driving habits, and where you live.

3 Steps to Determine How Much Car Insurance You Need

1. Find out your state’s minimum coverage requirements.
2. Compare the cost of collision and comprehensive coverage to the cash value of your car. If the cost is greater than 10% of your car’s value minus your deducible, consider skipping it.
3. Calculate how much liability insurance you need to cover the total value of your net worth.

EDITOR’S RATING

3.0 / 5

PROS

• 40,000 miles initial bonus
• Up to 5 miles per $1 spent
• Free companion ticket each year
• Free checked bags for up to 7 people
• No foreign-transaction fee

CONS

• $75 annual fee
• Potential for above-average regular APR

The Verdict: The Alaska Airlines Credit Card is a solid option for someone with good credit who regularly flies with Alaska Air and its network of 17 partner airlines, both domestic and international. And it’s best suited to be a complementary card, used only for Alaska Airlines expenses to supplement an everyday card with more well-rounded rewards.

The best way to get cheap car insurance is to compare quotes from different car insurance companies. In order to help drivers nationwide find the cheapest car insurance rates for their needs and circumstances, WalletHub collected quotes from auto insurance companies across all 50 states.

Read on for the full results of WalletHub’s car insurance comparison, along with a detailed description of our methodology and additional insight from a panel of experts.

A conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) will make it harder to get car insurance and will increase premiums by 30% to 370%, depending on the state and insurance company. The best car insurance companies after a DUI are State Farm, Allstate, Progressive and Geico because they do not increase premiums as much as other insurers.

Key Points To Know About DUI Insurance

• Each insurer considers DUI convictions differently when calculating premiums.
• A DUI conviction is only one of several factors that insurers use to determine risk.
• Every state has a last-resort program to provide car insurance for drivers convicted of DUI and other serious offenses.
• Insurance rates can increase by up to 370% after a first DUI, depending on the state and insurance company.
• It is possible to rebound after a DUI, but the best thing to do is never let it happen again. Both criminal and insurance penalties are far more significant for repeat offenders.

To check your driving record, you need to go through your local DMV or state driver’s licensing office. You can request a copy of your driving record online, through the mail or in person, and it will cost $2 to $25, depending on the state. Checking your driving record can be useful to check for possible errors and find out exactly what points or violations are on your license.

How to Check Your Driving Record

1. Visit your state’s DMV website to view your driving history online.
2. Request a copy of your driving record in the mail.
3. Go to your local DMV office.

Your driver’s license history includes the status of your license, driving points, citations, convictions, and traffic accidents. The best ways to improve your driving record are taking a defensive driving class, practicing good habits, and fixing citation errors by contacting the state DMV.

EDITOR’S RATING

3.6 / 5

PROS

• High rating for overall customer satisfaction and claims servicing.
• Good coverage options.
• Plenty of discounts.

CONS

• Limited online account management and no online claims filing option.
• Must call insurance agent to receive a quote.
• Only available in 26 states.

Auto-Owners car insurance earns high marks for customer service and claims support, but it is not the best choice for drivers who want to manage their policy online. Everything from getting a quote to purchasing a policy to filing a claim must be done through an Auto-Owners insurance agent.

EDITOR’S RATING

2.6 / 5

PROS

• Coverage for cars, homes and more.
• Nationwide availability.
• Legal defense coverage.
• Major auto parts replacement coverage.

CONS

• Limited discount options.
• No 24/7 live customer support.
• Expensive rates.

MetLife is an above-average insurance company, earning a 2.6/5 rating from WalletHub’s editors and receiving positive customer reviews plus good scores from organizations like J.D. Power and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Overall, MetLife Inc. – short for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company – is a pretty good choice for people who want standard insurance policies for their cars, homes, health and more.

The U.S. is making progress in the fight against COVID-19 with the distribution of the vaccine, and this has been reflected in the job market, yet new unemployment claims slightly increased week-over-week on March 29. There are currently 9.7 million Americans unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in total, though, so it’s important to look at some key stats for the latest week to get the full picture:

• There were 744,000 new unemployment claims nationwide, which is a lot fewer than the 6.9 million during the peak of the pandemic (an 89% reduction).
• The good news is that every state had unemployment claims last week that were better than the same week last year.
• The following states had unemployment claims last week that were lower than before the pandemic: Arkansas, Kansas, and Arizona.

To identify which states’ workforces are experiencing the quickest recovery from COVID-19, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on changes in unemployment claims for several key benchmark weeks.

The average cost of car insurance is $720 per year, according to WalletHub data for 2021. This means car insurance costs $60 per month, on average, though drivers may have to pay higher or lower rates based on factors such as their driving record, age, car type, and credit history.

Average Car Insurance Cost by Category

• Minimum Coverage: $716 per year
• Full Coverage: $1,997 per year
• Drivers with a Violation: $903 per year
• Young Drivers: $2,415 per year
• Senior Drivers: $734 per year

The cost of the average car insurance policy can be a good indication of how much a driver should expect to pay for coverage. But each driver’s car insurance rates depend on a variety of factors such as their driving record, age, car type, and credit history. Insurance companies use these factors to determine a driver’s risk, and high-risk drivers typically pay more for coverage.

Rental car insurance is coverage from a personal insurance policy, a credit card, or the rental company itself that protects people when they drive a rental car. Depending on the policy, rental car insurance may cover damage to the vehicle, damage or injuries that you cause, your own injuries, theft, and loss of personal items.

Key Things to Know About Rental Car Insurance

• The most common types of rental car insurance are liability, collision damage waiver, personal accident, and personal effects.
• Rental car insurance costs $61 per day, on average, but it depends on how much coverage you purchase and where you’re renting the car.
• Your personal car insurance, health insurance, and credit card benefits will usually provide coverage when you rent a car.
• Other alternatives to rental car insurance are non-owner car insurance, temporary car insurance, and travel insurance.