The average cost of a New Jersey minimum coverage car insurance policy is $1,198 per year, or about $100 per month. As prices will differ greatly by company depending on the driver's personal details, such as their prior accidents, citations, credit history, marital status and age, we've analyzed which insurers are the most affordable in different situations.

Cheapest for minimum liability: GEICO

Cheapest for full coverage: GEICO

Cheapest for drivers with a traffic incident: NJM

Cheapest for young drivers: GEICO

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Cheapest for minimum liability

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Cheapest for full coverage

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Cheapest for drivers with a traffic incident

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Cheapest for young drivers

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Read on for our analysis of the cheapest insurers in the state, or enter your ZIP code above to compare rates. And if you're not shopping based on cost, we also rated the best companies in the state based on customer service quality.

Cheapest car insurance companies in New Jersey

The cheapest minimum coverage car insurance quotes in New Jersey are offered by:

These three auto insurers have average car insurance rates of $735 per year, or about $61 per month — which is 39% cheaper than the New Jersey average.

The auto insurance companies with the most expensive quotes in New Jersey were Palisades and Allstate. In New Jersey, these companies had an average annual quote of $2,226, or nearly double the state average.

Learn how we conducted this analysis in our methodology

Cheapest full coverage auto insurance in New Jersey

The cheapest full coverage auto insurance companies in New Jersey were GEICO, NJM and State Farm. These insurers offered quotes of $1,734 on average, or 42% less than the state average of $3,010.

Comprehensive and collision coverages are included in full coverage policies and reimburse damage to your car following most accidents, thefts, natural disasters and vandalism.

Cheap car insurance for drivers with prior incidents

In most cases, the average cost of car insurance in New Jersey increases for drivers who have one prior incident on their records. Drivers who have been in an at-fault accident or who have received a citation for speeding or a DUI will likely see higher rates than those who haven't.

We found the cheapest car insurance for drivers who:

Cheapest full coverage auto insurance in New Jersey with a prior accident

New Jersey drivers with an accident on their driving record may be able to find cheap full coverage car insurance quotes at NJM , GEICO and State Farm. Notably, NJM was the only insurer not to raise its premiums after one accident.

Cheapest car insurance for people with a speeding ticket

New Jersey drivers who have one speeding ticket on their records may be able to find the cheapest full coverage car insurance quotes with GEICO, State Farm and NJM. While NJM didn't increase its rates after one at-fault accident, it's important to note that it did raise its premiums after a speeding ticket.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI

Drivers who have been cited for a DUI might still find cheap car insurance in New Jersey from NJM, Progressive and GEICO. While State Farm is often one of the cheapest options for most drivers, the insurer's rates actually skyrocket to over $7,600 per year after a DUI.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with bad credit

The cost of car insurance in New Jersey can increase by a significant amount for drivers that have bad credit. GEICO, NJM and Progressive offer the best rates for drivers with poor credit. Still, the average surcharge among these three insurers is $711 per year.

Allstate is the only company we found that lowers its rates to attract drivers with a poor credit history. However, since the cost of Allstate is much higher than its competitors already, drivers with bad credit can still find much cheaper car insurance elsewhere.

Cheapest car insurance for married drivers

Most insurers offer a discount to married drivers. We found that married drivers in New Jersey could see the best reductions from Progressive, Allstate and Palisades — though Allstate's rates remain more expensive than the average cost in New Jersey. Two companies charged slightly higher rates to married drivers than singles: GEICO and Travelers.

Cheapest car insurance for young drivers

For minimum coverage, the average cost of car insurance for 18-year-old drivers in New Jersey is $3,304, which is $2,106 more per year on average than it is for older drivers with the same insurer. For full coverage, the average cost is $8,589 per year for young drivers — $5,579 more than it is for older drivers.

Young drivers could get the cheapest minimum coverage with GEICO, Travelers or NJM. GEICO also offers the best rates for full coverage car insurance for young drivers in New Jersey. Following GEICO are NJM and State Farm, but the average cost of these insurers is more than $4,300 per year.

If their situation allows it, young people should try to stay on their parents' policy. The cost of adding an 18-year-old driver to an existing policy is much more affordable than the cost of a standalone policy.

Cheapest car insurance for young drivers with an accident

The cheapest car insurance for young drivers with one prior accident comes from GEICO and NJM, which are the only insurers that quoted rates of less than $10,000 per year. NJM increased its rates the least after an insured driver was in an at-fault accident, by just over $500 per year.

Cheapest car insurance for young drivers with a speeding ticket

GEICO, NJM and State Farm offer the best rates for drivers with one speeding ticket on their records. These insurers are also the only ones that charge less than the average rate after a ticket. Typically, a car insurance premium increases by $575 after a ticket, but neither GEICO nor State Farm raise rates after a ticket.

Best car insurance companies in New Jersey

Customer service and reviews are an important part of evaluating the quality of a car insurance policy. The best auto insurance companies in New Jersey from our study are NJM, Travelers and GEICO, though these weren't necessarily the cheapest providers in the state.

The list above includes the top companies in the Garden State ranked by their Complaint Index, which was sourced from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The Complaint Index measures how many complaints a company gets compared to the average insurer in the state. An index of 1.0 is average, while one that's less than 1.0 signifies fewer than the average number of complaints.

Jump ahead to learn about:

New Jersey auto insurance coverage requirements

Auto insurance is required in New Jersey. Below, we break down the minimum requirements for each policy type, as well as other key information about New Jersey car insurance regulations:

Required coverages and limits in New Jersey

Of note, New Jersey drivers have the option of choosing between two types of policies: standard or basic. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is available under a standard policy but not a basic policy. Additionally, some basic policies do not include comprehensive and collision insurance, though availability differs by insurers.

The minimum coverage limits in the table above apply to both standard and basic auto insurance policies.

With minimum coverage, drivers can reduce the cost of their policies. However, full coverage auto insurance may be more appropriate for some drivers.

We recommend New Jersey drivers consider higher liability limits as well as comprehensive and collision coverage. Minimum coverage plans may not be enough to fully cover the cost of damage in an expensive accident.

Limited vs. unlimited right to sue for noneconomic losses

There's a unique feature to New Jersey's car insurance regulations that gives you the choice of a limited or unlimited right to sue for noneconomic losses.

What are noneconomic losses?

Noneconomic losses are typically referred to as "pain and suffering" losses that are more subjective in nature (e.g., loss of companionship/pleasure in life). This is different from suing for quantifiable damages, such as income loss from missing work or medical payments to cover your hospital bills.

What's the difference between limited and unlimited right to sue?

A limited right to sue means you agree beforehand not to sue for pain and suffering. You can only sue for pain and suffering if your injury results in body part loss, major disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, a loss of a fetus, permanent injury to a body part or organ such that it can't heal normally, and death.

You can still sue for economic losses, but you have to pick between a limited right to sue or an unlimited right to sue for noneconomic losses.

Cheap car insurance in New Jersey, by city

Your best car insurance quotes in New Jersey differ depending on where you live. Typically, however, the cheapest auto insurers in New Jersey cities for a full coverage policy are GEICO, NJM and State Farm.

Your actual rates will differ based on factors such as past driving history, your vehicle, discount eligibility and the amount of liability coverage you need.

Cheapest car insurance companies in New Jersey, by city

Below is a list of cheap car insurance companies in New Jersey's largest cities with their annual quotes for a full coverage policy.

When looking for your best rate, we recommend that New Jersey drivers compare at least three quotes online from multiple insurance companies. To help you find good auto rates in New Jersey, we identified the cheapest insurers for a full coverage policy in the state's largest cities.

Cost of car insurance in New Jersey's five most populous cities

Cheap car insurance in Newark, New Jersey

A year's worth of full coverage car insurance in Newark was the most expensive in the state of New Jersey. For cheap auto insurance quotes in Newark, we recommend GEICO, NJM and State Farm, which quoted $2,650 per year on average.

Cheap car insurance in Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City's rates were substantially more expensive than the New Jersey average. However, drivers should still compare quotes, as a premium with the most expensive insurer was five times the cost of a premium with the cheapest insurer, GEICO.

Cheap car insurance in Paterson, New Jersey

Car insurance costs in Paterson were significantly higher than the New Jersey state average, though motorists can still benefit from comparing rates from several companies. The cheapest insurer in our analysis, GEICO, was $6,496 more affordable than the most expensive insurer in the city.

Cheap car insurance in Elizabeth, New Jersey

Choosing a policy from the cheapest auto insurer in Elizabeth, GEICO, could save you more than $6,800 annually relative to the most expensive provider.

Cheap car insurance in Lakewood, New Jersey

Though the average cost of car insurance in Lakewood is only 9% more expensive than the statewide mean, we still recommend that drivers compare quotes. The cheapest insurer in Lakewood is $4,254 more affordable than the most expensive.

Average cost of car insurance in New Jersey, by city

The cheapest cities in New Jersey for full coverage are:

The most expensive New Jersey cities for full coverage are:

Where you live is a major factor in determining auto insurance rates. The following table of is ordered from the least to most expensive cities for car insurance, on average.

Methodology

We collected auto insurance quotes for New Jersey cities from seven auto insurance companies.

Our sample driver was a 30-year-old man who drives a 2015 Honda Civic EX. He had no credit history, which makes him comparable to drivers with below-average credit, according to our data source, Quadrant Information Services.

Unless otherwise noted, our sample driver held full coverage car insurance with the following limits:

For a minimum coverage policy, our sample driver had coverage equivalent to the minimum legal requirements in New Jersey.

Average premiums are for illustrative purposes, as individual quotes will differ based on driving history, ZIP code, vehicle type, coverage limits and other factors.

ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only — your own quotes may be different.