Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Kansas?

In the Sunflower State, auto insurance rates differ by as much as 32% based solely on where people reside. We looked at auto insurance quotes across nearly 100 cities for a benchmark driver to find out who had the best car insurance rates in Kansas. While the average rate for our profiled driver was $1,219 in Kansas, his costs varied between $1,021 at the cheapest insurer, and $1,507 at the costliest. Where you get your quotes from can mean a difference of $486 for an annual policy if low costs are important. Enter your zip code above for a list of major insurers to begin your search for the best rates.

• Cheapest Auto Insurance Companies
• Best Car Insurance Rates: by City
• Best Auto Insurance Companies in Kansas
• Average Cost by City in Kansas

Cheapest Auto Insurance in Kansas

Our team obtained quotes for a single sample driver in 99 cities within Kansas across a selection of national and regional auto insurance companies here. We found the best car insurance quotes in Kansas at American Family, State Farm, and Farmers. If you're looking for lower costs on your auto insurance in Kansas, we'd recommend including these companies in the graph in your shortlist of places to get quotes from.

For the general population, the three companies with the cheapest rates cost about $943 for our profiled driver - that's about 23% cheaper compared to the typical company in the state. Auto Owners and Allied rounded out the top five carriers with the best rates. 

American Family: This insurer ranked with some of the lowest rates on auto insurance in Kansas, and represented a 26% discount to what the typical provider charged for liability coverage here. In order to get a quote from American Family, you can start online or visit their agencies in person. Keep an eye out for agents who have been certified with "American Star Excellence", which is given to the top 20% of agencies for the best customer service. As an example, we counted 24 agencies within the city proper.

State Farm: The country's largest auto insurance company, State Farm had the second cheapest rates for standard liability protection in Kansas. Our sample driver saw average quotes of about $940 for a year's worth of coverage, which was 23% less than the KS mean. Quotes are available both online and through an agent, including 25 agents operating in Overland Park.

Farmers: Farmers sells auto insurance through independent agencies, where you can get quotes from other carriers as well. Farmers placed with the third best car insurance rates in Kansas, with average rates of $991 for our single male driver's policy - 19% cheaper than the statewide mean. Within Kansas City alone, there are 13 agencies that can provide Kansans with auto insurance quotes on the ground.

Below are all of the 14 Kansas auto insurers surveyed in our study. Based on our sample motorist's quotes from each company, we've displayed them in the order of lowest to highest average annual rate:

Cheapest Car Insurance in Kansas: by City

Our research encompassed rates for our male driver from 14 providers across 99 cities and towns in the Sunflower State. The table below shows the three cheapest carriers for our profiled driver in cities from our study. The rates you get will be different, so to shop around a few companies for the best quotes - even drivers in Minneola, Syracuse, or Tribune which ranked with the three most expensive auto insurance rates.

Wichita, KS

For cheap car insurance in Wichita, KS, we recommend including Auto Owners, American Family, and GEICO when you're getting quotes. The first three companies had an average rate of about $1,007 for a year's worth of standard auto insurance coverage, which was $311 less than what the typical provider charged ($1,318).

Wichita has been an entrepreneurial and industrial leader, with companies such as White Castle and Pizza Hut launching here. It's also the birthplace of the Jones Automobile Company, which was once one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the U.S. There's a model right over at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum on S Main Street if you're a car buff! From the Sedgwick County Zoo to the Arkansas River Path and the Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita's 387,000 families have access to a number of attractions and outdoor recreation.

Kansas City, KS

We found the best auto insurance rates in Kansas City at Auto Owners, American Family, State Farm, Allied, and Farmers.Rates among these five carriers averaged $962 for a year's worth of full coverage protection for a Toyota Camry, and were 24% and $306 better than the city average of $1,268. If you're looking for cheap quotes in KC, we suggest including any of these companies among a minimum of three carriers.

Nicknamed the BBQ Capital of the World, Kansas City restaurants are reknowned for their delicious and unique tomato and molasses based barbecue. According to the Kansas City Barbecue Society, KC is home to more BBQ joints per capita than the rest of the U.S. - lucky for the 148,000 residents who call it home. Interstates 35 and 635, and a widespread network of roadways connect residents whether they're commuting to work on a weekday, or shopping at Country Club Plaza (purported to be the first vehicle-friendly suburban mall). Between the nearly 2,000 acres at Swope Park and NASCAR races at the Kansas Speedway, there's lots to do in KC.

Olathe, KS

The fourth-most populated city in Kansas (by 2013 estimates)Olathe was a popular stop for travelers in wagons along the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails more than a hundred years ago. In more modern years, the city has experienced growth since the construction of the Interstate 35 highway that links it to Kansas City. The city is home to the Kansas State School for the Deaf. In Olathe, residents can insure their cars for a rate that beats the state average by 3%, averaging $1,186 based on our male driver here. Individual consumers can get even lower rates through some comparison shopping. Our sample Olathe motorist found the cheapest rate for his Toyota Camry at Auto Owners, GEICO, Allied, American Family, and State Farm. Compared to the city mean of $1,186, going with one of these five providers meant shaving off about $216 or 18% in costs on a year's worth of car insurance.

Topeka, KS

Drivers looking for the lowest auto insurance rates in Topeka should check out Auto Owners, American Family, and Allied, with GEICO and State Farm rounding out the 5 top low-cost providers here. Our 30 year old male got rates for his 2011 Camry from these carriers that were 21% lower than what the typical insurer charged. That translated into about $252 back in their wallets on average for a standard annual car insurance policy.

One of the first luxury gasoline-powered automobiles was built in Topeka in the early 1900s: the Great Smith, manufactured by the Smith Automobile Company. Despite its powerful engineering and success on the roads, the vehicle was ultimately priced out of most consumers' reach. There's a model on display at the Kansas Historical Society on SW 6th Avenue for automobile and history buffs alike. In more modern car-related news, the Goodyear plant here produces industrial-strength tires for use in mining and construction.

Lawrence, KS

Car insurance in Lawrence costs, on average, 16% cheaper than the state mean, with our sample drivers getting quoted average annual rates of $1,028. The city was founded in 1854, shortly after Kansas became a state, and now numbers 88,000 in residents. Kansas's first legal brewery, the Free State Brewing Company, was established here in the 1800s. It is also home to Haskell Indian Nations University and the University of Kansas, which is the biggest employer in the city. From Allen Fieldhouse to Memorial Stadium, the screams and sounds of University of Kansas fans are sure to be heard throughout Lawrence - go Jayhawks!

When it comes to the most affordable car insurance in Lawrence, we recommend that drivers check out quotes from Auto Owners, American Family, and State Farm. These three companies averaged an annual rate of $776 for our driver living in Lawrence. That's a $252 and 25% less of an impact on their wallets compared to what the typical insurer charges in this city. Farmers and GEICO round out the top five providers with affordable rates. In aggregate, the five companies had a mean rate that was 19% and $200 dollars less versus the Lawrence mean. 

Minimum Auto Insurance Requirements in Kansas

Kansas is a no-fault state thus requiring drivers to carry personal injury protection insurance in addition to liability insurance. Kansas's PIP is different than in other states however in that rather than just one payout that can be used in anyway the driver sees fit, it is broken down into different limits for different types of benefits. Below you can see how the minimum auto insurance requirements in Kansas are split:

PIP

The total coverage is $11,925, but can only allocate up to the stated limits for different benefits. If an X-Ray for example costs $5,000, you can only use $4,500 of the medical costs benefit to pay for it.

Best Rated Car Insurance Companies in Kansas

Shelter, Nationwide, State Farm, USAA, and Farm Bureau are the best auto insurers in Kansas, based on having the least number of formal complaints relative to their share of business. We took a look at complaint data that auto insurance customers submitted to the Kansas Insurance Department in 2013 as a quantitative proxy for the best companies. We calculated each parent company's share of closed complaints compared to their share of the car insurance business in the state, and then ranked them from the lowest number to the worst. The lower the index figure, the better the company is; it indicates that they have few complaints relative to their market share. Individual affiliates have been aggregated under their parent marketing company since consumers don't get to decide which underwriting arm handles their policy. These parent groups represent 83% of the premiums underwritten in Kansas.

Rank	Car Insurer	2013 Premiums	2013 Complaints	Complaint Index
1	Shelter	$46,094,532	9	0.51
2	Nationwide	28,115,905	6	0.56
3	State Farm	313,415,399	74	0.62
4	USAA	69,105,907	17	0.64
5	Farm Bureau Mutual	125,690,688	38	0.79
6	Allstate	32,863,859	10	0.80
7	AAA	16,886,276	6	0.93
8	Travelers	30,784,299	11	0.93
9	Progressive	152,810,818	59	1.01
10	American Family	198,551,922	80	1.05
11	Farmers	118,834,680	59	1.30
12	Safeco	46,643,941	24	1.35
13	GEICO	63,366,753	47	1.94
14	Traders	7,244,152	12	4.33
15	Key Insurance Company	15,946,573	32	5.25

Cost of Auto Insurance by City in Kansas

Below, we've compared how each city's average annual rates stack up against all of the cities included in our Kansas analysis. Annual costs are based on the average quotes each of our sample profile drivers received.

How We Conducted the Study

We looked at rates for our sample driver, a single 30 year old male, in 99 cities within Kansas. He owns a 2011 Toyota Camry, which he drives 12,000 miles a year back and forth from work. He has a good credit history and a great driving record with no accidents or traffic violations in the past five years. Costs are based on full coverage for the 2011 Toyota Camry for the sample driver across national insurers such as GEICO, Allstate, and State Farm, and regional providers like Shelter Insurance. 

The Kansas Insurance Department requires that auto insurance policies in the state have at a broad coverage at a minimum. That includes Bodily Injury liability and Underinsured / Uninsured coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. It also requires that drivers are insured for up to $10,000 for property damage with various other personal injury coverage. The table below displays the major categories of coverage with the state minimums and our study limits.

Auto Insurance Liability Coverage	Kansas Minimum Coverage	Study Coverage
Bodily Injury (BI) (per person / per accident)	$25,000 / $50,000	$50,000 / $100,000
Property Damage (PD)	10,000	25,000
Personal Injury Protection	4,500	4,500
Uninsured Motorist BI (per person / per accident)	25,000 / 50,000	50,000 / 100,000

Sources:

Kansas Insurance Department Minimum Liability Coverage: http://www.ksinsurance.org/consumers/autoinfo.htm
Kansas Population Data: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/20000.html