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Last updated: June 26, 2023

The Cheapest Car Insurance in Maryland

Find the most affordable insurance in the Old Line State.

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Known for its historic cities and delicious seafood (and Old Bay seasoning), Maryland is home to more than 4.3 million licensed drivers, according to the state’s Motor Vehicle Administration. Maryland also has a high cost of living, thanks in part to its proximity to the nation’s capital. In 2022, Maryland had the seventh-highest cost of living in the U.S.

Whether they live in Aberdeen or Baltimore, many Marylanders are looking to cut costs and save on living expenses. Luckily, when it comes to car insurance, AutoInsurance.com is here to help. Keep reading for information on how to get the cheapest car insurance in Maryland.

The Cheapest Maryland Auto Insurance

Here are the lowest annual rates for car insurance in Maryland for a wide variety of drivers. You’ll notice that the cheapest car insurance company isn’t one-size-fits-all. Factors like your zip code, a speeding ticket in your driving history, and other considerations all impact your car insurance rates.

Age

  • 16: Allstate, $975
  • 17: Allstate, $975
  • 18: Allstate, $975
  • 19: Allstate, $975
  • 20-29: Progressive, $1,385
  • 30-39: GEICO, $1,211
  • 40-49: GEICO, $1,211
  • 50-59: GEICO, $1,211
  • 60-69: Progressive, $1,216
  • 70-79: Progressive, $1,216
  • 80s and above: Progressive, $1,216
  • Age and Gender
  • Female teens: GEICO, $1,815
  • Male teens: Kemper, $1,827

Coverage

  • Full coverage car insurance: GEICO, $1,211
  • Minimum coverage car insurance: Progressive, $669

Credit Score

  • Bad credit: Progressive, $1,588

Driving Record Issues

  • Ticket: Auto-Owners, $1,051
  • At-fault accident: Hastings Mutual, $656
  • DUI: Erie, $1,520

TIP

If you’re looking for insurance after a DUI conviction, visit our guide to car insurance in Maryland with a DUI.

Active Military and Veterans

  • Current U.S. Armed Forces military personnel: USAA, $1,466
  • Veterans: USAA, $1,466

The Best Car Insurance in Maryland

Check out the best car insurance companies in Maryland for great coverage options and affordable rates.

  • Allstate
  • GEICO
  • Progressive
  • USAA

Ways to Find Cheap Car Insurance in Maryland

Even if you select an insurance provider with cheap rates, you can still employ additional strategies to save even more. Keep reading for advice on how to maximize your car insurance savings.

  • Drive safely and maintain a clean driving record: Since being involved in accidents raises the cost of auto insurance, staying accident-free is a major way to save on your car insurance.
  • Take advantage of your insurance provider’s discounts: Pay attention to the auto insurance discounts your insurance provider offers. Many providers offer discounts for safe driving behavior, bundling multiple policies, insuring multiple vehicles, paying for your policy upfront, or enrolling in automatic billing. High schoolers and students at Maryland’s 55 colleges and universities should look for good student discounts, which offer savings based on grade point average.
  • Increase your auto insurance deductible: Your deductible is the amount you will have to pay out of pocket before your insurance policy will pay out on a claim. Generally, insurers offer cheaper premiums to customers who take on higher deductibles, so if you’re looking to lower your monthly premiums, consider raising the deductible on your collision and comprehensive insurance.

Be careful not to increase it too much, though; you don’t want to be stuck with a bill that’s more than you can afford to pay after an accident.

  • Consider getting rid of unnecessary coverage: If you’re in a pinch and need to cut costs on your auto insurance, consider reducing your level of insurance down to the minimum coverage Maryland requires legally.

Eliminating coverages will allow you to pay the lowest amount in terms of premiums, but it’s a risky bet. Minimum coverage won’t cover collisions you cause, for example, or damages from weather, vandalism, or theft. We recommend buying more coverages with higher limits to ensure that you’re always fully protected.

  • Compare car insurance quotes and switch providers: Not sure if you’re getting the best possible deal from your current insurance provider? Request free quotes from competing insurance companies to see if you could get a better price.
  • Try usage-based insurance: If you don’t drive a lot, you might benefit from switching to usage-based insurance, sometimes called pay-per-mile auto insurance. With a usage-based policy, the cost of your premium depends on the number of miles you drive as well as your safe driving behaviors. The less you drive and the safer you drive, the more you can save.
  • Explore payment options: Check to see if your insurance provider offers installment plans that allow you to pay for your policy in smaller increments. Some companies allow you to pay monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly for a small fee and no interest.

LEARN MORE

The average annual cost of car insurance in Maryland is $1,201 per year, which is about 15 percent higher than the national average.1 Read more about the average price of car insurance.

How Much Auto Insurance Coverage Do You Need in Maryland?

Like 47 other states and Washington, D.C., Maryland requires its drivers to buy and maintain some minimum level of car insurance. To remain compliant with the law, Maryland residents must have the following coverage:

Type of insurance Minimum amount required What it pays for
Bodily injury liability coverage $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident Medical and funeral expenses for injured parties, not including you and your passengers
Property damage liability coverage $15,000 per accident Damages to property and vehicles other than your own
Uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury liability coverage $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident You and your passengers’ medical expenses if an uninsured driver (or a driver with insufficient insurance) causes an accident. This also applies to hit-and-run accidents.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist property damage liability coverage $15,000 per accident Damages to your vehicle if an uninsured or insufficiently insured driver causes an accident or if you’re the victim of a hit-and-run accident
Personal injury protection (PIP) $2,5002 Medical, disability, and funeral expenses for yourself and your passengers, as well as childcare costs and lost wages related to a covered accident.

Note: Depending on your health insurance coverage, PIP insurance may qualify as duplicate coverage. If you feel you have adequate health care coverage and/or can afford to pay for medical treatment, your health insurance and car insurance providers may agree to allow you to choose to waive Maryland’s PIP requirement. However, this means you will not be entitled to PIP’s coverage of non-medical expenses such as childcare costs and lost wages.

While the chart above shows the minimum coverage Marylanders need, we strongly recommend further types of auto insurance to protect yourself fully, including:

  • Collision insurance: Note that the required liability coverage above only pays for damages to others, meaning it won’t pay for damages to your own vehicle. This is where collision insurance comes in. Collision insurance ensures that if you’re in an accident, you won’t have to pay the full cost to repair or replace your own damaged car out of pocket. Collision insurance covers collisions with other vehicles, as well as objects like trees, fences, sign poles, and potholes.
  • Comprehensive coverage: Crashes aren’t the only events that can seriously damage or even total your vehicle. Comprehensive insurance covers damages from incidents aside from collisions, including many types of weather damage, theft, and vandalism.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Maryland’s Frederick and Howard counties ranked sixth and tenth in the nation, respectively, for the highest animal strike frequency from 2006 to 2018. Each November, Frederick County had an average rate of 31.7 animal strike claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years, and Howard County had an average rate of 19.6 claims.3

Alternative Car Insurance for Drivers in Maryland

Maryland Automobile Fund

The Maryland Automobile Insurance (MAI) is a state-owned car insurance fund that sells liability insurance to Maryland residents who are unable to obtain it from a private company. In practical terms, this applies to high-risk drivers, such as those with a history of accidents, poor credit, or other attributes that make them expensive to insure.

To be eligible for insurance from MAI, a driver must submit evidence that they have been rejected by at least two private insurers or that they’ve experienced a car insurance cancellation or nonrenewal for any reason other than nonpayment of their premiums. MAI also processes and pays out certain claims to state residents who are involved in accidents with uninsured motorists or in incidents where the responsible party can’t be found, such as a hit-and-run.4

To learn more about getting car insurance through MAI, call (800) 492-7120 or visit https://www.mymarylandauto.com.

Self-Insurance

Technically, Maryland offers an option for self-insurance, in which a driver can provide cash to the MVA as collateral instead of buying an insurance policy from a licensed insurance company, the route most drivers take. However, since Maryland only allows self-insurance for residents who own 26 or more vehicles, with a minimum required collateral of $105,000, very few drivers are actually eligible for this form of insurance.5

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Contact Information

  • Mailing address:
    • Office of the Director
      Motor Vehicle Administration
      6601 Ritchie Highway NE
      Glen Burnie, MD 21062
  • Customer service call center:
    • (410) 768-7000
  • Insurance compliance division:
    • (410) 768-7431
  • Fax:
    • (410) 424-3050
  • Online services, including scheduling an appointment: 
    • https://mymva.maryland.gov/TAP/IND/_/
  • Find an MVA branch near you:
    • https://mva.maryland.gov/locations/Pages/mvabranchesandveiplocations.aspx

Recap

Maryland has one of the highest costs of living in the country, as well as a relatively high average cost of car insurance. If you’re looking to save money on auto insurance, start your search with the companies we’ve listed above as the cheapest auto insurance providers in Maryland.

For further savings, always drive safely and maintain a clean driving record. You can also take advantage of any discounts you can qualify for, increase your deductible, switch providers, and even get rid of unnecessary coverage as a last resort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Maryland a no-fault state?

No, Maryland is not a no-fault state for car accidents. Rather, Maryland has an at-fault system in which the party who is found to be at fault, or responsible for an accident, is liable for any resulting damages, including paying for medical payments and property damage.

Can you go to jail for driving without insurance in MD?

Yes, you can go to jail for driving without insurance in Maryland. Driving without insurance is a misdemeanor crime with a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail for a first offense and a maximum of one year in jail for second or subsequent offenses.

Do I need an SR-22 in Maryland?

No, you do not need an SR-22 in Maryland. Maryland is one of eight states that doesn’t require SR-22 proof of insurance for drivers after a DUI or other serious violation.

Do you need car insurance with a learner’s permit in Maryland?

Yes, even drivers with only a learner’s permit need insurance in Maryland. Though permit holders have fewer driving privileges, they are at especially high risk of being involved in accidents due to their inexperience, making car insurance more necessary.

Citations

  1. 2019/2020 Auto Insurance Database Report. NAIC. (2023). https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/publication-aut-pb-auto-insurance-database.pdf

  2. Insurance Requirements. Motor Vehicle Association. https://mva.maryland.gov/Documents/ICD-004.pdf

  3. Deer season means animal strike season on the roads. IIHS. https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/deer-season-means-animal-strike-season-on-the-roads

  4. ABOUT MARYLAND AUTO. Maryland Auto Insurance. https://www.mymarylandauto.com/site/about/

  5. Sec. 11.18.02.03. Conditions for Certification as a Self-Insurer . elaws.us. http://mdrules.elaws.us/comar/11.18.02.03