How can I monitor my credit score?

You can request a free copy of your credit report from each of the major credit bureaus — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — once per week through December 2022. There are other apps and services you can use for more frequent monitoring, so you may want to do a quick internet search to see what services are right for you.

How can I improve my credit-based insurance score?

Keep in mind that credit-based insurance scores are not the same as your credit score. That said, improving your credit score will also likely improve your insurance score. Paying your bills on time and avoiding hard inquiries might improve both your credit score and your credit-based insurance score, which could possibly lead to lower premiums.

Do you have to have a good credit score to get insurance?

No, even drivers with poor credit have options for car insurance, but such drivers should be prepared to pay higher rates as they are considered a higher risk by insurance underwriters. A lower score may also limit your eligibility with certain companies, so you may need to do a bit more research to find the best company for you.

What other factors affect my car insurance rates?

Car insurance companies consider more than a dozen rating factors when calculating your premium. Although your credit score can significantly impact your rate, some other rating factors include the make and model of your vehicle, your driving record and how you use your car. Additionally, most states allow car insurance companies to use your gender, age, and ZIP code to generate your premium.

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Car insurance rates by credit score

Written by

Cate Deventer

Edited by

Mariah Posey

Reviewed by

Mark Friedlander

Updated Jan 30, 2023

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At Bankrate, we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. To help readers understand how insurance affects their finances, we have licensed insurance professionals on staff who have spent a combined 47 years in the auto, home and life insurance industries. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation of . Our content is backed by Coverage.com, LLC, a licensed entity (NPN: 19966249). For more information, please see our .

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Car insurance rates are determined using a number of personal factors, and in most states the way you handle credit is one of them. Drivers with a poor credit history pay an average of $3,002 per year for full coverage, according to 2022 rate data from Quadrant Information Services. That’s a staggering 93 percent more than drivers with excellent credit, who have an average annual full coverage premium of $1,556. Bankrate can help you understand why your credit history can affect your car insurance rates and what steps you can take to improve your credit standing and potentially lower your premium.

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Key takeaways

Drivers with poor credit pay $3,002 annually for full coverage car insurance on average. Those with average credit pay 57 percent more, with a rate of $1,907.
New Yorkers with poor credit pay an average of $6,835 annually for full coverage, the highest rate for drivers in this tier. However, New Yorkers with excellent credit may expect an average rate of $2,464 — a staggering savings of 177 percent.
Washington state may offer the lowest annual rates for drivers with poor credit at $1,366 on average for a full coverage policy.

Car insurance rates by credit tier

Credit history is used in nearly every state as a car insurance rating factor. Statistically, drivers with lower credit scores are more likely to file a claim, as actuarial studies show that how a person manages their financial affairs is a good predictor of filing an insurance claim, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). Because the risk of paying a claim is greater, car insurance companies charge higher premiums for drivers with lower credit scores.

National average annual full coverage premium by credit rating

Poor credit	Average credit	Good credit	Excellent credit
$3,002	$1,907	$1,771	$1,556

Why does your credit score affect car insurance rates?

While your credit history often impacts your auto insurance rates, your pure credit score isn’t what companies look at. Insurance companies use what is called a credit-based insurance score, which assesses certain elements of a consumer’s credit history to determine how likely they are to have an insurance loss. Insurance underwriters are not concerned with how much money you make, but rather with how well you manage your money. While each insurer has its own proprietary underwriting system for calculating an insurance-based credit score, common factors that determine this score typically include:

Outstanding debt: This is the amount of debt you currently have.
Credit history length: This shows how long you have had an open line of credit.
Credit mix: This reflects different lines of credit, such as auto loans and credit cards.
Payment history: This shows how well you have managed to pay your debts over time.
Pursuit of new credit: This shows recent attempts to open new lines of credit.

Together, these factors help insurance companies assess their insureds’ level of risk. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between credit-based insurance scores and claims filed. Statistically, the lower your insurance score, the more likely you are to file an insurance claim. Because of this increased risk, insurance companies tend to charge more if you have a lower credit score.

How credit score impacts insurance premiums by state

Most states allow insurance companies to use credit as a rating factor when pricing policies. Because of this, the average cost of car insurance changes based on the state you live in and your credit tier.

The table below shows the average full coverage premium in most states and Washington, D.C., sorted by credit tier. California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan prohibit or restrict the use of credit as a rating factor for car insurance policies.

Annual full coverage premium by state and credit rating

	Poor	Average	Good	Excellent
Alabama	$3,117	$1,896	$1,760	$1,543
Alaska	$2,451	$1,869	$1,770	$1,610
Arizona	$3,118	$1,903	$1,743	$1,527
Arkansas	$3,646	$2,002	$1,806	$1,521
California*	$2,190	$2,190	$2,190	$2,190
Colorado	$3,355	$2,192	$2,019	$1,670
Connecticut	$2,880	$1,700	$1,533	$1,241
Delaware	$3,280	$2,140	$1,963	$1,655
Florida	$5,477	$3,124	$2,762	$2,319
Georgia	$3,172	$2,122	$1,985	$1,754
Hawaii*	$1,206	$1,206	$1,206	$1,206
Idaho	$1,755	$1,146	$1,065	$954
Illinois	$2,455	$1,649	$1,548	$1,329
Indiana	$2,013	$1,337	$1,242	$1,078
Iowa	$2,230	$1,393	$1,254	$1,078
Kansas	$2,987	$1,942	$1,802	$1,571
Kentucky	$3,572	$2,148	$1,954	$1,671
Louisiana	$5,416	$3,147	$2,864	$2,433
Maine	$1,529	$949	$876	$783
Maryland	$3,127	$2,094	$1,931	$1,665
Massachusetts*	$1,297	$1,296	$1,296	$1,296
Michigan*	$5,896	$2,644	$2,345	$1,798
Minnesota	$3,155	$1,849	$1,692	$1,459
Mississippi	$3,082	$1,859	$1,701	$1,482
Missouri	$3,006	$1,995	$1,861	$1,566
Montana	$2,846	$1,889	$1,795	$1,572
Nebraska	$2,873	$1,702	$1,538	$1,304
Nevada	$3,505	$2,569	$2,426	$2,168
New Hampshire	$2,202	$1,320	$1,182	$950
New Jersey	$3,468	$2,087	$1,891	$1,474
New Mexico	$2,405	$1,570	$1,489	$1,323
New York	$6,835	$3,339	$2,996	$2,464
North Carolina	$1,743	$1,439	$1,392	$1,340
North Dakota	$2,284	$1,375	$1,225	$1,025
Ohio	$2,118	$1,304	$1,200	$1,009
Oklahoma	$3,379	$2,067	$1,902	$1,664
Oregon	$2,300	$1,494	$1,371	$1,202
Pennsylvania	$2,860	$2,115	$2,002	$1,823
Rhode Island	$3,039	$2,098	$1,847	$1,649
South Carolina	$2,794	$1,600	$1,464	$1,195
South Dakota	$3,253	$1,719	$1,542	$1,260
Tennessee	$2,654	$1,549	$1,383	$1,192
Texas	$3,088	$2,033	$1,868	$1,620
Utah	$2,551	$1,578	$1,449	$1,224
Vermont	$1,674	$1,077	$1,000	$885
Virginia	$2,344	$1,456	$1,340	$1,113
Washington	$1,366	$1,321	$1,313	$1,296
Washington, D.C.	$3,138	$2,107	$1,948	$1,751
West Virginia	$2,597	$1,676	$1,527	$1,301
Wisconsin	$5,377	$1,394	$1,249	$1,040
Wyoming	$2,454	$1,616	$1,510	$1,264

*These states prohibit or restrict the use of credit as a rating factor.

What can I do to improve my credit score?

Your credit score is an important part of your overall financial health. A high credit score can help you get approved for loans, qualify for lower interest rates or get a higher credit limit. If your credit score is not the best, there are ways that you can improve it. Although it may take time, improving your credit score might help you to lower your car insurance premiums by increasing your insurance score.

Pay your bills on time

One aspect of a credit-based insurance score is your payment history. If you have a history of overdue bills and credit delinquencies, this could be an indication to companies that you do not manage your money well, which means you may not have the funds available to pay for small damages out of pocket. That in turn may lead to you filing more claims. Consistently paying your bills by the due date might help to increase your overall credit score and your insurance score.

Keep hard credit inquiries to a minimum

Credit inquiries come in two forms: hard checks and soft checks. Whenever you apply for a line of credit, the company considering you as a customer will pull your credit report, which constitutes a hard inquiry and does affect your score. When insurance companies review your credit in the quoting process, that is considered a soft inquiry and shouldn’t have an impact on your actual credit tier. Too many hard inquiries can have a negative impact on your score. If you are trying to build your credit, you may want to consider waiting to apply for a loan or line of credit.

Monitor your score regularly

Monitoring your credit score can be beneficial in several ways. When you know your score, you can more easily take steps to improve it. Regular reviews of your credit reports can also help you to identify inaccuracies or fraudulent activity. If you see anything suspicious, you can take steps to dispute it.

Be aware of your credit utilization ratio

A few different metrics make up your credit score, and credit utilization is one of them. Your credit utilization ratio is a measurement of how much credit you have available compared to how much you use. Although there is no set rule of how much of your credit you should be using, many finance professionals recommend that you utilize no more than 30 percent of your total available credit at any given time. If you are using more than 30 percent of your available credit, paying off some of your debt to bring your credit utilization score down can help improve your credit score.

Frequently asked questions

You can request a free copy of your credit report from each of the major credit bureaus — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — once per week through December 2022. There are other apps and services you can use for more frequent monitoring, so you may want to do a quick internet search to see what services are right for you.
Keep in mind that credit-based insurance scores are not the same as your credit score. That said, improving your credit score will also likely improve your insurance score. Paying your bills on time and avoiding hard inquiries might improve both your credit score and your credit-based insurance score, which could possibly lead to lower premiums.
No, even drivers with poor credit have options for car insurance, but such drivers should be prepared to pay higher rates as they are considered a higher risk by insurance underwriters. A lower score may also limit your eligibility with certain companies, so you may need to do a bit more research to find the best company for you.
Car insurance companies consider more than a dozen rating factors when calculating your premium. Although your credit score can significantly impact your rate, some other rating factors include the make and model of your vehicle, your driving record and how you use your car. Additionally, most states allow car insurance companies to use your gender, age, and ZIP code to generate your premium.

Methodology

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze 2022 rates for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates are weighted based on the population density in each geographic region. Quoted rates are based on a 40-year-old male and female driver with a clean driving record, good credit and the following full coverage limits:

$100,000 bodily injury liability per person
$300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
$50,000 property damage liability per accident
$100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
$300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
$500 collision deductible
$500 comprehensive deductible

To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our base profile drivers own a 2020 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.

These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes.

Credit-based insurance scores: Rates were calculated based on the following insurance credit tiers assigned to our drivers: “poor, average, good (base) and excellent.” Insurance credit tiers factor in your official credit scores but are not dependent on that variable alone. Four states prohibit or restrict the use of credit-based insurance scores as a rating factor in determining auto insurance rates: California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

Written by

Cate Deventer

Insurance Writer & Editor