For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, Dover car insurance averages about $222 a month ($2,667 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 8% below the Delaware average of $241 a month. Progressive and State Farm are effectively tied for the lowest full-coverage average among the four major insurers we compared (Allstate, GEICO, Progressive and State Farm), at about $186 and $187 a month.
Dover, the state capital, costs less than northern Delaware for our benchmark driver: about $19 a month less than the Delaware average and about $60 a month less than Wilmington, about 40 miles north.
Both Dover ZIP codes we price are close, so where you live in the city barely moves the average: 19901 averages about $222 a month and 19904 about $223. That makes your car, your record and the insurer you pick the bigger levers when you compare Dover, DE, car insurance quotes.
Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across both Dover ZIP codes in our data, compiled by Quadrant Information Services and updated as new rates are filed.
Rates as of Aug. 31, 2026. Page reviewed Oct. 7, 2026.
How Much Does Car Insurance Cost in Dover, DE?
Car insurance in Dover, DE, costs about $222 a month ($2,667 a year) for full coverage, for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits averages $1,260 a year ($105 a month), and 50/100/50 liability with comprehensive and collision averages $2,669 ($222 a month).
- Full coverage (100/300/100, $500 deductibles): $2,667 a year ($222 a month)
- 50/100/50 with $500 deductibles: $2,669 a year ($222 a month)
- Liability only (15/30/10): $1,260 a year ($105 a month)
- Kent County: $2,677 a year ($223 a month) for full coverage
- Delaware average: $2,888 a year ($241 a month) for full coverage
- ZIP code range: $222 (19901) to $223 (19904) a month for full coverage
Allstate is far more expensive than the other insurers here: its full-coverage average of about $393 a month is 2.2 times the average of the other four. We keep it in our averages because it’s a rate the insurer filed with state regulators; without Allstate, the Dover average would be about $180 a month.
Cheap Car Insurance in Dover: Companies Compared
- Lowest averages among the four major insurers we compared, full coverage: Progressive and State Farm, effectively tied at about $186 and $187 a month.
- Next lowest: GEICO at $195.
- Military families: USAA averages about $150 a month, but only for eligible members.
- Lowest liability-only average among these four insurers (15/30/10): GEICO, at about $69 a month, then State Farm at $82. USAA, which sells only to military families, is lower still, at about $53 a month.
- Also on our list: Travelers at about $140 a month, Nationwide at $157, Farmers at $179 and Donegal at $287.
- Most expensive in our data: Allstate, at about $393 a month, $2,480 a year more than Progressive for the same driver and car.
Progressive and State Farm are effectively tied for the lowest full-coverage average among the insurers in our Dover rate data that are among insurers anyone can buy from. USAA averages even less, at $150 a month, but it sells only to military members, veterans and their families. The recent statewide Delaware rate studies we reviewed disagree on which insurer is cheapest for full coverage: of the eight, two put GEICO first, two put Travelers first and four other insurers lead one each, apart from USAA, which sells only to military families. For liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits, GEICO has the lowest average among these four insurers, at about $69 a month, followed by State Farm at $82. USAA comes in even lower, at about $53 a month, but it sells only to military families.
Full-coverage averages by insurer in Dover
Monthly, for the same driver and car. Insurers marked with an asterisk in the table below aren’t in the chart.
Rates insurers filed with state regulators, compiled by Quadrant Information Services, as of Aug. 31, 2026. Benchmark 40-year-old driver, 100/300/100 with $500 deductibles.
| Insurance Company: | Liability Only 15/30/10 (Yearly): | Liability Only 15/30/10 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA (military families) | $636 | $53 | $1,802 | $150 |
| Progressive | $1,193 | $99 | $2,234 | $186 |
| State Farm | $987 | $82 | $2,246 | $187 |
| GEICO | $829 | $69 | $2,342 | $195 |
| Allstate | $2,656 | $221 | $4,714 | $393 |
| Travelers* | $769 | $64 | $1,680 | $140 |
| Nationwide* | $1,196 | $100 | $1,882 | $157 |
| Farmers* | $980 | $82 | $2,143 | $179 |
| Donegal Insurance* | $1,352 | $113 | $3,443 | $287 |
| Dover average | $1,260 | $105 | $2,667 | $222 |
This table uses Dover ZIP codes only. See how we calculated these rates. Your own price depends on your car, driving record and coverage, so compare free car insurance quotes before you buy.
Your ZIP code matters
Does Better Coverage Cost More in Dover?
Raising liability limits from 50/100/50 to 100/300/100 barely changes the average in our Dover data: with the same $500 deductibles, full coverage averages $2,667 a year and 50/100/50 averages $2,669. The full-coverage package doubles the per-person injury limit, triples the per-crash limit and doubles the property damage limit, and it raises uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to 100/300. Allstate and Progressive charge less for 100/300/100 than for 50/100/50 for our benchmark driver.
Is Car Insurance Going Up in Dover?
Not for our benchmark driver. Comparing the four insurers that are in both sets of rates, in the same Dover ZIP codes, their full-coverage average fell from $2,943 a year nine months earlier to $2,884 in rates as of Aug. 31, 2026, a 2.0% drop. State Farm cut its Dover average 7.5% and Allstate 1.8%, while Progressive raised its average 1.3%; GEICO’s average was unchanged. USAA is new in our rates over the past nine months, so it’s left out, which is why these averages differ from the Dover average above. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits fell 2.2%, led by Allstate, which cut its liability-only average 4.1%.
What Keeps Car Insurance Costs Down in Dover
Kent County averages about $223 a month for full coverage, about the same as Dover and about $51 a month less than New Castle County to the north.
Camden Wyoming, just south of the city, averages about $218 a month, and Clayton, near Smyrna, $233. Smyrna is the most expensive of the nine Kent County cities and towns we price, at $239. Prices depend on where in Delaware you live, not just on your car and driving record.
How Dover Car Insurance Compares With Other Delaware Cities
More Delaware cities and towns are in the Delaware rates by city table, and you can compare states on our car insurance rates by state page.
Smyrna, about 11 miles northwest, averages $239 a month, and Milford, about 18 miles south, $213. Middletown, farther north in New Castle County, averages $249.
What Car Insurance Is Required in Dover?
Drivers in Dover follow Delaware’s rules. Every policy must include at least:
- Liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries and $10,000 for property damage (25/50/10), or a $60,000 single limit
- Personal injury protection (PIP) of $15,000 per person and $30,000 per crash, which pays your own medical bills and lost wages whoever caused the crash
- Uninsured motorist coverage, which comes with every policy unless you reject it in writing
The liability-only prices on this page use 15/30/10 limits, below that minimum. Our Delaware requirements guide covers what PIP pays and the penalties for driving uninsured.
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Rate in Dover
- Compare Progressive and State Farm first. They have the two lowest full-coverage averages among the four major insurers we compared in Dover, about $186 and $187 a month.
- Quote several insurers. Among the four major insurers we compared in Dover, the lowest and highest averages are about $207 a month apart for the same driver and car.
- Take a defensive driving course. The Department of Insurance auto guide says completing an approved course can earn a discount on your premium.
- Compare at every renewal. Over the past nine months, State Farm has cut its Dover average 7.5% and Allstate 1.8%, while Progressive has raised its average 1.3%, so the order in our table can shift.
- Ask about discounts and check your deductible. Many insurers lower rates for a clean driving record, paying in full or insuring more than one car, so ask which car insurance discounts you qualify for. Our full-coverage prices use $500 deductibles. A higher deductible lowers your premium but means you pay more yourself after a claim; see how your deductible works.
- Price a bundle. Pairing your auto policy with a home or renters policy usually earns a multi-policy discount. See home insurance costs in Dover, then compare free home insurance quotes.
Ready to compare
How We Calculated Dover Car Insurance Rates
Insurers must file their rates and rating rules with each state’s insurance regulator. Quadrant Information Services uses those filings to calculate what each insurer would charge a specific driver, and InsuranceQuotes analyzes those prices. This page uses rates in effect on Aug. 31, 2026.
- Sample: 10 full-coverage premiums from five insurers across two Dover ZIP codes, plus the same number of liability-only and 50/100/50 premiums.
- Insurer count: our Delaware averages come from five insurers, one of them USAA, which sells only to military families. With few insurers, the averages can move more when one insurer changes its prices. We publish them as calculated, without adjustment.
- Driver: a single 40-year-old driver, licensed 24 years, with good credit and no accidents or violations, driving a 2024 Toyota Camry LE they own, for personal use.
- Coverage: full coverage is 100/300/100 liability with $500 comprehensive and collision deductibles and 100/300 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. We also price 50/100/50 with the same deductibles, and liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits, with 15/30 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and no comprehensive or collision. Delaware’s minimum has been 25/50/10 since Dec. 13, 2017, so our liability-only prices use lower limits than the law requires. Every Delaware policy must also include personal injury protection of at least $15,000 per person and $30,000 per crash; the requirements section of this page explains what it pays.
- Calculation: for each insurer we take its lowest eligible price in each ZIP code and average those prices across the ZIP codes. The overall average is the mean of every insurer-and-ZIP price, including USAA. Monthly figures are annual premiums divided by 12 and rounded.
- Rankings: we name a cheapest insurer only where it’s priced in at least half the ZIP codes and its lead over the next insurer isn’t so wide that it looks like an outlier. USAA sells only to the military community, so it’s shown but not ranked. Annual prices within 3% of each other are called effectively tied.
- Rate changes: we compare the same insurer in the same ZIP codes, for the same driver and coverage, in rates as of Nov. 30, 2025, and Aug. 31, 2026. USAA is new in our rates since November 2025, so it’s left out of rate-change comparisons; the other four insurers are in both sets of rates. Rate-change percentages are calculated from the annual premiums shown; other percentages use the rounded monthly figures.
- Insurers marked *: priced from recent published Delaware rate studies, scaled to our benchmark driver. They aren’t included in our averages or rankings.
- What this isn’t: a quote. These are modeled prices for one driver profile, calculated from insurers’ rate filings. Your price depends on your ZIP code, vehicle, driving record, coverage choices and discounts.
Coverage requirements come from Delaware law and the Delaware Department of Insurance. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.
Dover Car Insurance FAQ
Car insurance in Dover, DE, costs about $222 a month ($2,667 a year) for full coverage and about $105 a month for liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits, for our benchmark driver, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. Full coverage is 8% below the Delaware average of $241 a month.
Progressive and State Farm are effectively tied for the lowest full-coverage average among insurers anyone can buy from in our Dover rate data, at about $186 and $187 a month. USAA, which sells only to military members, veterans and their families, has a lower average still ($150 a month). GEICO’s average is next, at $195. For liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits, GEICO has the lowest average among the four major insurers we compared, at about $69 a month. Rates vary by driver, so compare quotes for your own car and ZIP code.
Dover, for our benchmark driver. Dover full coverage averages about $222 a month and Wilmington about $282, a difference of about $60 a month for the same driver and car.
Dover, for our benchmark driver. Dover full coverage averages about $222 a month and Smyrna about $239, a difference of about $17 a month for the same driver and car.
In our Dover data, full coverage (100/300/100 with $500 deductibles) averages about $222 a month and liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits about $105, a difference of about $117 a month ($1,407 a year). Liability-only coverage won’t pay to repair or replace your own car after a crash, a theft or a storm. Delaware law doesn’t require full coverage, but a lender or leasing company may.
Not for our benchmark driver. Comparing the four insurers in both sets of rates (USAA is new over the past nine months), their Dover full-coverage average fell 2.0%, from about $2,943 to $2,884 a year. That’s higher than the Dover average of $2,667 because it leaves out USAA. State Farm cut its Dover average 7.5% and Allstate 1.8%, while Progressive raised its average 1.3%. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/10 limits fell 2.2%.
For our benchmark driver, full coverage in Dover averages about $222 a month. Nearby, Smyrna averages about $239, Milford about $213 and Middletown about $249. Milford is cheaper; prices depend mostly on ZIP code, so compare quotes for your own address.
- About the Author
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Michael Giusti is a senior insurance analyst, business journalist, and university professor with over 20 years of experience. He serves as department chair at Loyola University New Orleans and contributes to Insurance Thought Leadership, U.S. News, and other leading financial outlets.
