Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Massachusetts?

While auto insurance rates in Massachusetts tend to rank in the higher half in the nation, there is a lot of variability in what individual drivers pay based on where they live and which company they insure with. We compared costs for several different drivers to provide the Bay State's 4.7 million motorists with information on the best auto insurance rates and companies in Massachusetts.

Annual rates for our drivers ranged from an average of $889 per year at the cheapest car insurance company to $2,210 at the most expensive place, and $1,015 in Nantucket to $2,350 in Brockton – a difference of 149% and 132%, respectively. That’s why it’s always important for consumers to shop for quotes from several insurers to make sure they’re getting good rates. Read more below, or enter your zip code above for a list of companies to begin shopping for quotes.

Contents

• Cheap Car Insurance Companies in MA
• Cheap Car Insurance in MA: by City
• Best-Rated Auto Insurance Companies in MA
• Average Cost by City

Cheapest Auto Insurance in Massachusetts

Which companies have the cheapest auto insurance quotes in Massachusetts? Our analysis looked at rates for three single drivers, three married couples, and a family with a teenager across 179 cities in Massachusetts to determine average premiums by company. The graph below shows the six cheapest companies.

The five general auto insurers companies in Massachusetts with the lowest costs are GEICO, Green Mountain / Concord Insurance, Citizens / The Hanover Insurance Group, AIG / Chartis, and State Farm. Note that USAA actually ranked with the second best rates, but they’re a specialty company that only insurers military personnel and their family members. To arrive at this answer, we looked at the average annual premiums from thirty five insurers across a wide swathe of cities, and seven different kinds of drivers. We then ranked the thirty five companies from lowest to most expensive, and picked the six with the cheapest costs.

Rates at these five cheapest companies average $1,070 for civilian drivers in Massachusetts, which is a 21% decrease from what the average company charges in the Commonwealth. Just bear in mind that these figures are a composite of different companies and drivers, so your actual quotes will differ. Quotes will be based on how well you’ve driven in the past five years, where you live, what car you drive, how much liability protection you want, and various other factors.

This table below shows the complete list of 35 companies ranked from those with the best auto insurance rates to the most expensive ones:

Cheapest Auto Insurance in Massachusetts: by City

One of the most important factors companies consider when coming up with a quote is where you live and park your car. Generally speaking, urban drivers living in more densely populated cities or towns tend to pay higher than average costs to insure their vehicles. Even motorists living in Boston, or Brockton and Chelsea (two of our most expensive locations), can still find cheap auto insurance quotes with some research. 

In the table below, we take a look at which three companies have the lowest rates for drivers for each of the 179 cities in our Massachusetts analysis. For the most part, GEICO ranked as the cheapest insurance provider in in the 170+ cities. USAA ranked either 2nd or 3rd cheapest in 90% of the cities, but since they only insure the armed forces and their families, we’ve excluded them in the table to be applicable to the greatest number of drivers.

Boston, MA

The capital and the largest city in Massachusetts, Boston has a storied past and lays claim to a number of superlatives in the nation. History can be revisited at the Boston Harbor, site of the Tea Party, or along any number of buildings and institutes that dot the Freedom Trail. The nation’s longest road begins in Boston: it’s the U.S. 20, a highway that stretches 3,277 miles towards Newport, OR. Drivers commuting in the Ted Williams Tunnel are driving in the deepest tunnel in America.

The average auto insurance cost in Boston is $1,933 a year, which is 43% higher compared to the commonwealth average. This ranks the city as the 8th most expensive in the Bay State. Costs tend to be high in Boston due to a combination of factors, including its higher than average population and population density, as well as crime rate. It is the largest city in the state, has the fourth highest population density, and a citywide crime rate that is three times the state average.

For cheap car insurance in Boston, Green Mountain (Concord Insurance), GEICO, and Citizens (The Hanover Insurance Group) have the lowest overall rates. The average cost at these three companies for the civilian driver is $1,303, which is a 33% decrease compared to what the typical insurer charges in Boston. USAA ranked as the 3rd cheapest company for military families, with State Farm rounding out the top five most affordable companies in Boston. A married couple in their late 20s driving two cars in Boston could see rates as low as $835 at Green Mountain and $1,030 at GEICO, even with an at-fault accident and a speeding ticket on their records. A single civilian driver who has been licensed for fourteen years can see the lowest quotes at Green Mountain, GEICO, and Farm Family.

This figure factors in ten neighborhoods in the city from Hyde Park in the south up to Charleston in the north. Quotes ranged from a low of $1,581 in the West Roxbury to $2,350 in Roxbury. Boston ranked as the 8th most expensive city in Massachusetts, but three of its neighborhoods (Roxbury, Dorchester, and Charlestown) would have qualified as the three most expensive in the Commonwealth if considered on a standalone basis. While there are some variations in the rankings of the cheapest companies by neighborhood, in general, we see Green Mountain (Concord Insurance) holding steady at #1, and the other four companies (GEICO, Citizens, USAA, and State Farm) exchanging places, with several appearances from Liberty Mutual here and there. Here's how the average annual premiums differ by neighborhood within the city of Boston:

Worcester, MA

Worcester is home to 181,000 residents, which ranks it the second largest city in Massachusetts. It has been home to several notable people and advancements in the sciences, including the first American Nobel Prize winner, the first birth control pill, and the first federally-licensed HIV test. It costs on average $1,179 a year to insure an automobile in Worcester, which makes it 31% costlier than other cities in the state.

Which companies have the best car insurance rates in Worcester? Liberty Mutual, GEICO, and Citizens (The Hanover Insurance Group) had the lowest costs here. Collectively, the three insurers averaged a premium of $1,179, which is 33% cheaper than the citywide average of $1,764. Plymouth Rock and USAA (military insureds-only) complete the top five most affordable insurers. Here, a young married couple in their late 20s could see annual premiums as low as $1,067 for two cars from Liberty Mutual, GEICO, and Citizens, which come out to a 38% savings compared to the market average for this couple. Rates at these same companies average $1,284 for a couple just a decade older driving two vehicles, and are 45% lower versus the Worcester average.

Springfield, MA

A number of automobile advancements were innovated in Springfield. These include the first horseless vehicle, the first prototype car invented by Thomas Blanchard to be powered by steam; the first car to run on gas, created by the Duryea Brothers; and the first successful motorcycle company, the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company. Basketball fans also have much to celebrate about Springfield – it’s here that the first game of basketball was played in 1891, and the sport’s Hall of Fame is located.

Green Mountain (Concord Insurance), Liberty Mutual, and GEICO are the three cheapest companies for car insurance in Springfield, MA. $1,065 is the average of the annual premiums from these providers, which is a 45% or $877 decrease from the $1,942 that the typical insurer charges in Springfield. If you’re a family of parents in the late 30s and a new teenage driver sharing two cars, you can be looking at annual premiums averaging $4,107 a year in Springfield. Your best bets are to include quotes from Liberty Mutual, Green Mountain / Concord Insurance, USAA (military families only), Citizens, or Encompass in your comparison shopping – these companies rates average a more affordable $2,549, which is 38% less than what the typical company is charging in Springfield.

Lowell, MA

With 109,000 residents, Lowell is Massachusett’s fourth most populous city. Measuring 15 square miles in size, the city is located at the confluence of two rivers, the Merrimack and the Concord. It is attributed as the first planned industrial city in America, and was the first to use telephone numbers after Alexander Graham Bell patented the device. It costs $1,693 on average in Lowell to insure a vehicle.

For low-cost car insurance in Lowell, we recommend adding Green Mountain (Concord Insurance), GEICO, and Liberty Mutual to your list of companies to get quotes from.  Their insurance premiums averaged $1,123 a year, or 34% lower than the city average. A married couple in their late thirties can see insurance costs of about $2,228 a year for a 2008 Honda Civic and a 2005 Ford Taurus, but can see quotes that are 37% lower on average at these five companies: GEICO, Green Mountain (Concord Insurance), Liberty, Citizens (The Hanover Insurance Group), and Safeco. 

Cambridge, MA

Located just three miles from Boston’s city center, Cambridge is 12 minutes away by car on a good day without traffic on the road. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are located here, and are two of the city’s largest employers. Liability protection for vehicles can run around $1,523 a year, which makes the city 13% more expensive than the average spot in the commonwealth. Young adults fresh out of college and licensed for six years can pay about $666 a year for car insurance with low liability limits ($20,000 per person / $40,000 per accident for bodily).

Drivers looking for cheap insurance in Cambridge should include GEICO, USAA, and Liberty Mutual, which had the three lowest quotes in our comparison analysis. The mean annual premium from these companies is $1,092 – that’s a 28% discount to the city average, and $431 more in consumers’ pockets per year. USAA only covers military personnel and their families, however. Citizens (The Hanover Insurance Group) and State Farm are two additional affordable providers in the city. In aggregate, these five companies have a mean cost of $1,142, which is still 25% less than the Cambridge average.

New Bedford, MA

The fishing port of New Bedford inspired Herman Melville to write his classic, Moby Dick. It is home to the Whaling National Historical Park, as well as other notables such as Frederick Douglass’s first free home. Auto insurance in New Bedford costs on average $1,759 a year, which makes it the 13th most expensive in the commonwealth.

GEICO, Green Mountain / Concord Insurance, and Citizens / The Hanover ranked as the three cheapest car insurance providers in New Bedford. Their average cost of $1,295 was 26% cheaper than what the typical provider charged in the city. If you also factor in State Farm and USAA (military only), the top five most affordable companies charge an average $1,334 per year, which is still 24% cheaper than the typical insurer. A married couple in their late 20s can see average rates of $1,715 when buying moderate levels of protection for their two cars, and that’s assuming an at-fault accident and a recent traffic violation. The five cheapest companies for these drivers largely mirror the citywide average: GEICO, Green Mountain, State Farm, Citizens, and Esurance. Getting quotes from these providers could save the young couple $527 a year, or 31% compared to the $1,715 average figure. 

Brockton, MA

With 94,000 residents across land measuring 22 acres in size, Brockton is the most densely populated city in Plymouth County. It ranks as the most expensive city in the Bay State based on auto insurance costs. Drivers in this city pay $2,125 a year to insure their car for liability protection, which is 58% higher than the Commonwealth’s average.

To find cheap auto insurance in Brockton, we suggest getting quotes from Green Mountain / Concord Insurance, USAA (military only), GEICO, State Farm, and Liberty Mutual. In our analysis, these five companies had the lowest rates for our sample drivers of $1,484 a year, which were 30% less than the average going rate in the city. A single driver in his or her early 30s can see annual rates of $866 for low limits of 20/40/25 for bodily injury and property damage protection. They’re even lower at Green Mountain, USAA, Farm Family, State Farm, and AIG, which quoted average premiums for this demographic that were 48% lower. 

Quincy, MA

John Adams and John Quincy Adams were born here, which gave rise to Quincy’s nickname as the City of Presidents. It’s easy to get around in Quincy. A number of parkways run through the city including the U.S. Route 1, Thomas E. Burgin Parkway, and Massachusetts Route 3. The average cost of insurance here for drivers is $1,645 a year, about 22% higher than elsewhere in the Bay State.

Which companies have the best car insurance rates in Quincy? Green Mountain / Concord Insurance, GEICO, and Citizens / The Hanover had the three lowest rates in the city. While USAA actually had the second best ones, the company only insures members of the armed forces and their families. Along with State Farm, the average across the five companies is $1,193 a year, which represents savings of 28% compared to the Quincy average. A senior couple in their late 60s can see average costs of $655 in Quincy at the $100,000 level of bodily injury protection. The companies with the lowest costs for these older drivers in Quincy are Green Mountain, GEICO, USAA, Farm Family, and State Farm (average premiums of $364 for a 44% decrease vs. city average).

Lynn, MA

Located about ten miles from Boston in Essex County is Lynn, a city of 90,000 residents. It is the site of the second largest municipal park in the nation, and the fourth most expensive city for car insurance in Massachusetts. Drivers here shell out $2,031 to cover their cars for insurance a year, 50% costlier than the average city in the Bay State.

The three companies with the most affordable auto insurance costs in Lynn are Green Mountain (Concord Insurance), GEICO, and Liberty Mutual. The mean premium is $1,300 a year, which is 36% lower than what typically gets charged in the city. If you’re an active duty or retired military personnel, or a relative of one, you should also consider quotes from USAA, which ranked with the third best overall rate. Citizens, an affiliate of The Hanover Insurance Group, round out the top five cheapest companies in Lynn. Average rates for a young married couple in Lynn run about $2,012 a year, but are $1,129 at the three cheapest companies of Green Mountain, GEICO, and State Farm (that’s $884 or 44% less).

Fall River, MA

Fall River ranks as the tenth most populous city in Massachusetts with 89,000 residents. Emeril Lagasse, a celebrity chef, and George Stephanopoulos, the Good Morning America co-host, have all lived in this city in Bristol County. It costs 30% more to insure a car here in Fall River compared to other cities in the Bay State (annual average of $1,753).

We saw the lowest quotes for car insurance in Fall River at Green Mountain / Concord Insurance, GEICO, and Liberty Mutual for the civilian driver. These providers charged an average of $1,221 a year, which was a discount of 27% compared to the city average. While USAA did rank with the third best rates, they only insure active and retired military servicemen and their relatives. 

Revere, MA

Named after the Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere, this city is also home to one of the oldest continuous public beaches. Annual premiums for auto insurance here are $2,107, or 56% above the overall state average. This ranks Revere as the 3rd most expensive out of the 170+ cities we looked at in MA.

The top three inexpensive auto insurance companies in Revere are Liberty Mutual, Green Mountain, and GEICO. We found really cheap rates at these companies on average of $1,080 – almost half of what the typical insurer was charging citywide. That equates to savings of $1,027, or 49%. 

Everett, MA

Rounding out our top five most expensive cities in Massachusetts is Everett with annual costs of $1,964. It has hosted and been the setting for shows and movies such as 2013’s Boston’s Finest and 2007’s Gone Baby Gone. 

While its 42,000 residents pay rates that are on average 46% higher than the typical Bay State driver, there is opportunity to save with some comparison shopping. We found the cheapest quotes for auto insurance in Everett at Green Mountain, GEICO, and Citizens / The Hanover. While USAA did rank with the third lowest rates, it is only applicable to military personnel and their relatives. State Farm completed the top five cheapest providers. Rates at these five companies averaged $1,432, which is 27% less expensive than the citywide average.

Chelsea, MA

With an average cost of $2,117, Chelsea is the second most expensive city for auto insurance. This is due in part to its proximity just four miles away from Central Boston, its population density (Chelsea is the second densest city), and one of the highest per capita rate of violate crime in the Commonwealth. 

Costs here may be 57% higher than the rest of the commonwealth, but getting quotes from Green Mountain / Concord Insurance, GEICO, USAA, Citizens / The Hanover, and State Farm could save drivers money on car insurance. That’s because these insurers had the five lowest rates, which averaged $1,455 a year and were 31% lower than the Chelsea average.

Westford, MA

The average cost of car insurance in Westford is $1,036 a year, 23% below the state average. This rate ranks this town of 22,000 residents as the third cheapest city in Middlesex County in our study, and the fourth cheapest statewide.

We found the best rates for car insurance in Westford to be at GEICO, USAA (military only), Plymouth Rock, AIG Property Casualty Company, and State Farm. A quote from these companies, which averaged $770 a year, can mean paying an insurance premium that’s 26% lower than what insurers are generally charging in Westford. 

Concord, MA

The town of Concord has witnessed a number of significant events, from the first shot “heard round the world” at the start of the Revolutionary War to the creation of the Concord grape. Drivers looking to insure their vehicles here can see rates on average of $1,029 a year. These rates are 24% lower than the state average, and the third cheapest in Massachusetts.

Drivers in Concord searching for the lowest rates should consider getting quotes from GEICO, USAA (military only), AIG Property Casualty Company, and Plymouth Rock. That’s because these companies ranked with the five lowest annual premiums, averaging $786 a year. This amount is $242 or 24% cheaper than what the average insurer charges in Concord.

Sudbury, MA

Second on our list of the cheapest cities for car insurance is Sudbury, MA, which was recently named the safest town in Massachusetts to live in by GetLocalMA due to its low crime rate. Annual premiums here are just a few dollars more expensive than Nantucket, the cheapest city, at $1,026. At this level, rates are about 24% lower than the commonwealth average.

Looking to save even more on car insurance in Sudbury? We’d recommend looking into quotes at GEICO, AIG Property Casualty, and State Farm, which had the three lowest rates for civilian drivers. The annual premium came out to $774 on average from these three companies, which was 25% lower than the citywide mean.

Nantucket, MA

Coming in at 1st place as the Best City for Auto Insurance in Massachusetts is Nantucket, a nationally designated historic seaport town located about forty miles off the coast of Massachusetts. This town of 10,200 had the lowest rates in our study of $1,015, which was 25% less than the state average.

For the cheapest of the cheapest, we recommend that general drivers request quotes from GEICO, Liberty Mutual, and AIG Property Casualty Company. Doing so could knock off 27% from the citywide average with an average annual premium of $744 a year. Drivers enlisted or previously affiliated with the military should throw USAA – which actually had the third lowest rates – into the mix. State Farm ranked with the fifth lowest rates in Nantucket.

Pepperell, MA

The town of Pepperell rounds out our list of the five best cities in Massachusetts for auto insurance. The 11,500 residents here pay on average annual premiums of $1,039 to cover their automobiles, which is 23% lower than the state average.

In Pepperell, GEICO, USAA (military only), AIG Property Casualty Company, Ameriprise, and Liberty Mutual were the five cheapest companies for auto insurance. They had a rate on average of $797, which shaves $243 off the citywide average for savings of 23%. 

Best Auto Insurance Companies in Massachusetts

The five best companies for auto insurance in Massachusetts are Arbella, State Farm, Preferred Mutual, Vermont Mutual, and Travelers. We answered this question based on a measure of customer satisfaction called the complaint index. The complaint index measures a company's share of complaints received compared to its share of the market. For example, the Arbella Insurance Company writes about 9% of the private passenger automobile premiums in Massachusetts, but got a smaller share (5%) of complaints filed with the Division of Insurance. This results in a complaint index of 0.6, which is better than average (1.0). 

Commerce Insurance Company, Liberty Mutual, and Safety Insurance are the three largest auto insurance companies in Massachusetts based on insurance premiums underwritten. Of these three, Commerce and Safety had better than average customer satisfaction, while Liberty Mutual hovered just around the average. 

Here are the complaint index numbers for the biggest insurers in Massachusetts (lower complaint index number is better; 1 is average): 

Average Cost of Car Insurance in MA: by City

It costs on average $1,350 per year for car insurance in Massachusetts. This graph belows shows how the costs vary across the 170+ places that we looked at. We've highlighted the cheapest three in green, and the most expensive in red. The cheapest cities in the Bay State tend to have several factors in common. They're located within the Metrowest and Merrimack Valley region in Middlesex and Norfolk counties. These locations are generally home to smaller populations (less than 30,000) and have lower population density. The most expensive cities in Massachusetts tend to be larger and more densely populated cities with higher than average crime rates. For the most part, they’re clustered near the Boston metro area and enveloped between the I-95 / Yankee Division Highway, and the shore. Here they are, from Abington to Yarmouth:

Methodology

We analyzed data from the Division of Insurance in Massachusetts for 179 cities that covered a breadth of locations ranging from just above 10,000 people in size to Boston's 600,000 residents. Included in the study were sample annual premiums from 35 companies, from ACE to Vermont Mutual. Seven kinds of driver situations were represented, including single adults of various years of driving experience, three married couples, and a married couple with a teenaged driver. Rates were pulled for policies covering the minimum liability limits per Massachusetts law up to 100/300/100 for married couples.