Connecticut Car Insurance

Car insurance rates in traffic-clogged Hartford are nearly twice as expensive as those found in more rural areas of Connecticut. No matter where you live, you'll find some insurance companies charge way more than others. You can get an idea of how state car insurance rates compare in nearly every Connecticut ZIP code below.

The average car insurance rate in Connecticut is $1,771 a year. The severity and frequency of claims in your neighborhood, your driving record, the type of car you drive and other variables are used by insurance companies to figure out the cost of your policy. That’s why the price for the same coverage can vary significantly among insurance companies — and why you should compare rates. For example, in Hartford ZIP code 06103 the highest rate among six carriers ($3,534) is over $2,294 more than the lowest ($1,249). When shopping for car insurance, use our average car insurance rates tool to compare rates. Enter a ZIP code to see the average premium for your neighborhood. You will also see the highest and lowest rates from the six major carriers surveyed to get an idea of what the most affordable car insurance price is in your area. For a customized rate, choose among six age groups and three coverage levels.

Cheap car insurance in Connecticut

Your state's minimum car insurance requirements will be the cheapest coverage you can get. Connecticut requires car owners to buy liability insurance of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability and $25,000 for property damage liability. These minimum requirements were just hiked on Jan. 1, 2018, so if your policy had the prior, lower limits, you should be aware of how your coverage and rates are affected when states hike mandated liability requirements.

If you have personal assets to protect, home and savings, higher limits might be worth the extra premium you pay.

You will pay more for more protection, but as you’ll see in the chart below, additional liability coverage is typically affordable. To increase your limits to 50/100/50, you’ll pay an average of $107 more yearly, or just $9 a month. Increasing your insurance from the state minimum to full coverage with a $500 deductible costs, on average, $1,010 more, or $505 a month.

*The table shows the average annual rate of nearly every ZIP code in Connecticut from up to six major insurance companies. Rates are for a male driver, age 40, with a clean record and good credit for a 2016 Honda Accord. Data was provided for CarInsurance.com by Quadrant Information Services.

Recommended car insurance

Even a minor fender-bender can cost much more than what your minimal insurance will pay out. For instance, say you have Connecticut minimum bodily injury of $20,000 and $10,000 in property damage. You then cause an accident that totals the other driver’s car, valued at $20,000. It also results in $45,000 of medical expenses for the other driver’s injuries. You’re responsible for damages not covered by insurance. That means you have to pay $25,000 for medical bills and $10,000 for the damaged car – a total of $35,000.

Use our How Much Car Insurance Do You Need? tool to get a recommendation.

Liability

We recommend you buy more insurance than is required to legally drive a car in your state, especially if you have savings and assets. The more money you have, the more likely you are to be sued following a car accident should your insurance be insufficient to cover all the expenses. If your net worth is:

• less than $50,000, choose at least 50/100/50
• between $50,000 and $100,000, choose at least 100/300/100
• more than $100,000, choose at least 250/500/100

If you're leasing or financing your car, you must get coverage of 100/300/100 or higher.

Collision and comprehensive

Collision coverage pays for damage to your car after an accident that you cause. Comprehensive insurance pays to replace stolen cars and broken glass and for damages from vandalism, flooding, hail, fire and animal strikes. These optional coverages are usually not budget-busters. Connecituct drivers pay, on average, $359 a year for collision and $131 annually for comprehensive, according to the Insurance Information Institute. If your car is:

• less than 10 years old, you should strongly consider buying collision and comprehensive.
• more than 10 years old, only buy collision and comprehensive if your car is worth $3,000 or more, if you couldn’t afford to replace your car if it’s wrecked, or if you just want more protection on your policy.

If you buy comp and collision, check our guide to choosing a deductible amount.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist

These coverages are required in Connecticut and should match the liability limits you choose. Uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage pays for damages if you’re hit by a driver with no insurance or a driver with coverage that’s insufficient to pay for your repairs and medical expenses.

Medical coverage (MedPay)

Medical payments coverage can help pay for the medical or funeral expenses of covered drivers and passengers after an accident, regardless of fault, starting at $5,000 and up to $25,000. In most states, including Connecticut, it's an optional addition to your car insurance policy. MedPay does the following:

• Covers you and your passengers’ medical expenses
• Pays for expenses after health insurance limits are exceeded
• Offers additional protection to insured drivers who are hit by a car while walking or biking

If you and your passengers:

• Don’t have health insurance, or have a plan that doesn’t cover car accidents or has low limits, we recommend that you add medical coverage of at least $5,000 to your car insurance policy.

Gap insurance

If you don’t own your car outright and have an accident, gap insurance pays the difference between the cash value of your car and the current outstanding balance on your loan or lease.

• If you’re financing your car, your car is less than one year old and you’ve put less than 20 percent down on it, you should buy gap insurance. If not, you don’t need gap insurance.
• If you’re leasing your car, it’s a good idea to buy gap insurance if you aren’t already required to in your lease agreement.
• If you own your car outright, you don’t need gap insurance.

Connecticut car insurance rates by company

Below you'll see average annual rates for Connecticut, ranked cheapest to most expensive, for three coverage levels:

• State minimum liability requirements
• Liability limits of $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident and $50,000 property damage
• Liability of $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident and $100,000 property damage, with comprehensive and collision at $500 deductible

Best car insurance companies in Connecticut

Scores are based on Insure.com’s “Best Insurance Companies” customer review survey of 3,700 customers. Companies not in the top 10 of market share do not qualify. All scores are out of 100.

Best customer service:

1.     Geico – 88.7

2.     Progressive – 88.4

3.     Liberty Mutual -- 86

Best claims service:

1.     Liberty Mutual – 96

2.     Geico –93.9

3.     Progressive – 92.5

Best value for the price:

1.     Progressive – 86.3

2.     Geico – 81.1

3.     Liberty Mutual – 80.4

Car insurance companies by market share in Connecticut

Source: A.M. Best market share rankings are based on direct premiums written in 2015.

Customer review rankings based on Insure.com's 2016 "Best Insurance Companies" survey of 3,700 customers. Scores are out of 100.

To find Hartford car insurance rates by company and ZIP code, visit our Hartford auto insurance page. 

Connecticut Car Insurance Laws

Uinsured/underinsured motorist

Uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage is bundled together in Connecticut and required as part of a basic auto insurance policy. Connecticut auto insurance providers must also offer you underinsured motorist conversion coverage.

Normally, underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UIM) is reduced by any payment for your injuries you get from other sources, including the at-fault driver's insurance company. If you choose to pay for conversion coverage, you are eligible to receive the entire amount of your own coverage.

Online DMV appointments

Skip the lines at the DMV. Connecticut offers online driver's license testing appointments and payments.

Points for speeding

Speeding is a one-point offense on your Connecticut motor vehicle record, but driving too slowly -- impeding traffic -- is two points.

Repairs

Connecticut state law permits parts that are not original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to be used for the repair of your vehicle. Recycled (used, reconditioned or salvage) parts can also be used. However, you must be notified in the repair estimate. If you want OEM parts used instead, you normally must pay the difference of what the insurer will pay and what the OEM part costs.

Total loss

If a Connecticut auto insurance company's repair estimate equals or exceeds the fair market value of your vehicle, it should be considered a total loss according to state law. But some insurers may decide to total a vehicle at a lower percentage of damage, such as 75 percent.

Driving an unregistered car

The fine for driving an unregistered car in Connecticut is around $150 on top of administrative costs, court costs and other fees. Car insurance rates should not go up as a result of the violation, however.

Uninsured motorist penalties

You may be fined $100 to $1,000, be sentenced to 90 days in jail and your license and registration may be suspended for driving without insurance.

Complaint tickets

Some basic traffic violations, such as speeding or running a stop sign, are termed complaint tickets in Connecticut. Complaint tickets will result in a fine, but they won't add points to your driver's license. Your insurance rates may be affected still -- some companies consider your infraction when you renew or change insurance.