Best Car Insurance Rates in Vermont

Where drivers live and park their cars in Vermont, and the company they insure with highly influences the rates they see. We got auto insurance quotes for one sample driver here as a benchmark, and compared costs in 34 cities in the state. The study found that the average premium for our profiled driver was $1,161 per year. The most expensive company cost 2x more the cheapest car insurer on average, which goes to show that comparison shopping is necessary if Vermont drivers are looking for great rates from insurers near them. To start the search, enter your zip in the box above for a list of local car insurance companies.

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Cheapest Auto Insurance in Vermont

To determine which companies have the most affordable auto insurance quotes in Vermont, we used our sample driver, a 30 year old single man, as a benchmark. The sample driver owned a Toyota Camry and has a good driving history and credit score, so your actual quotes will vary.

Out of that data, we discovered that GEICO, Co-Operative Insurance, Concord, Unitrin, and Nationwide were the cheapest companies, and ranked with the lowest car insurance rates in Vermont. Compared to the state mean of $1,161 for our profiled driver, these five companies quoted rates that were on average 23% less.

Most Expensive Car Insurance Companies in Vermont

For our single male driver, the auto insurance companies with the highest quotes in Vermont were Union Mutual, MetLife, and State Farm. These companies cover many states, but in Vermont, they had an average annual quote of $1,538, a difference of 32% vs the state average! That's an average of $377 more a year. In Vermont, the most expensive company cost a bit more than double the premium of the cheapest insurer in our study. That is why it is important to research different local and national insurers before purchasing a policy. Take a look below for a list of insurers near you and our benchmarked drivers’ quotes.

Cheapest Car Insurance in Vermont: by City

Below is a table of some of the largest cities in Vermont, and who our profiled driver found to have the best car insurance quotes. Just bear in mind that these quotes and their cheapest rankings are based on our thirty year old single male driver who owns a Toyota Camry. Your actual rates will differ based on factors such as past driving history, your vehicle, and the amount of liability coverage you need. They largely mirror the top three overall in the state, with a few fluctuations at the local level.

Cities with the Cheapest Car Insurance in Vermont

Almost all of our most affordable cities are located in the same county. Situated in the northwestern portion of the state, Chittenden County is home to nearly a quarter of Vermont’s total population. The average annual cost of insurance among our top five is $1,100, about 5% lower than the state mean.

South Burlington, VT

South Burlington takes the top spot on our list with an average annual rate of $1,093. The city is comprised of several suburban neighborhoods and a commercial district. South Burlington is located in Chittenden County, and is home to the Magic Hat Brewing Company, a large craft brewery.

Stowe, VT

Stowe is the second most affordable city in Vermont for car insurance, according to our data. With annual average premiums of $1,097, Stowe misses the top spot by only a few dollars. Unlike the other top cities, Stowe is located in Lamoille County, Vermont. It is the second largest city in the state and is home to many unique events, including a balloon festival and arts and crafts showcases.

Essex Junction, VT

Like all the cities that have come before it, Essex Junction is located in Chittenden County. Essex Junction is home to IBM’s Data Processing Division facility. As of 2011, the plant employs over 5,000 people. The city hosts the Champlain Valley Fair, which includes agricultural exhibits, commercial exhibits, local foods, and nightly concerts. The average cost of auto insurance in Essex Junction is $1,098 annually.

Burlington, VT

The largest city in Vermont takes the fourth spot in our roundup of cheap car insurance. On average, drivers can get insurance for $1,103 annually. After incorporating as a city in the 19th century, Burlington became a bustling lumber and manufacturing hub. Forbes magazine ranked the city as one of America’s best “downtowns.” Burlington is probably most famously the birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. It is also home to the University of Vermont.

Montpelier, VT

Montpelier rounds out the top five most affordable cities for auto insurance in Vermont. The capital of Vermont and home to its state government, Montpelier has annual premiums of $1,110, which is 4% lower than the state average.

Cities with the Most Expensive Car Insurance in Vermont

All of our most expensive cities have relatively low population densities and are scattered throughout the state. We found that the average annual rate for our sample driver in these five cities is $1,183.

Newport, VT

Newport was the most expensive city for auto insurance in Vermont with an average annual rate of $1,196, which is 3% more than the state average. Newport was settled in 1793 and eventually became a lumber town. The city is home to several historic buildings, including the Goodrich Memorial Library and the county courthouse, which were built in 1899 and 1886 respectively.

Northfield, Fair Haven, & Bellows Falls, VT

Northfield, Fair Haven and Bellows Falls tied as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th most expensive spots on our most expensive cities for car insurance list, quoting an average annual premium of $1,183. Located in Washington County, Northfield was named after a town of the same name in Massachusetts. Fair Haven is known for its late 19th century architectural styling and history as a mill town. The Green Mountain Railroad is located in Bellows Falls, Vermont, which also hosts a variety of festivals.

Springfield, VT

With annual average rates of $1,182, Springfield was the fifth most most expensive city in Vermont. Springfield began as a mill town located near the Black River falls.

Average Cost of Car Insurance in Vermont

It costs on average $1,161 for our sample driver to insure a vehicle with basic liability insurance in Vermont, and there are some fluctuations depending on where a driver garages their car and lives. Below, we show our readers the average cost by city for our benchmark drivers among the 34 cities included in our premium comparison. Cities are ranked from those with the cheapest auto insurance rates to the most expensive per year.

Minimum Auto Insurance Requirements in Vermont

Vermonters need to have a minimum amount of car insurance in order to drive. The values we list above are for full coverage, but by getting the following limits you would be able to dramatically reduce the cost of your policy:

Best Car Insurance Companies in Vermont

A complaint ratio measures how many complaints each company receives per $1 million of premiums they receive, and is an indication to us of how good a carrier is. So, to find the best auto insurance companies in Vermont, we looked at the complaint ratios for the 10 biggest companies in the state, which represent over 70% of the market. The lower the ratio, the less complaints a company had compared to its premium, meaning that customers were less likely to complain. By this metric, we found that the best auto insurance companies in Vermont were GEICO, Progressive, and Concord General Mutual.

How We Conducted the Study

We looked at rates in Vermont for one sample driver in 34 cities. We used a single 30 year old male who owns a 2011 Toyota Camry’s and has good credit and driving records with no accidents or violations in the past five years for our sample. He primarily uses his car to commute to and from work, which amounts to, on average, 12,000 miles a year.

Costs are based on basic liability protection for the 2011 Toyota Camry, and provides about twice the minimum liability required in Vermont. Vermont requires minimum auto insurance liability of $25,000 per person for bodily injury protection and up to $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 for property damage per accident. The state also requires $50,000 per person and up to $100,000 per crash for uninsured motorists. We included national insurers such as GEICO and State Farm as well as regional companies in our study.

For readers' reference, we include below all of the cities surveyed in our premium comparison. Cities are organized alphabetically, and are presented with their annual average costs for car insurance and percentage change versus the Vermont average.

Sources: Minimum Financial Responsibility in Vermont Vermont Census Data