For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, Paterson car insurance averages about $385 a month ($4,614 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That puts it 38% over New Jersey’s average of $279 a month. GEICO has the lowest full-coverage average among the five major insurers we compared (Allstate, GEICO, NJM, Progressive and State Farm), at about $250 a month.
Paterson is one of the most expensive cities in New Jersey for car insurance. Our benchmark driver pays about $106 a month more here than the state average, and only four of the 373 New Jersey cities and towns in our city table cost more.
Our data covers eight Paterson ZIP codes. In all eight Paterson ZIP codes we price, every insurer in our data charges the same price, which makes the city average the average for each ZIP code too. Paterson auto insurance quotes will still differ by insurer, by your car and by your driving record.
Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across all eight Paterson 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.
For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, full coverage in Paterson, NJ, runs about $385 a month ($4,614 a year), and liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits runs $188 a month, based on rates filed as of Aug. 31, 2026. The New Jersey average is $279 a month, which makes this 38% higher.
GEICO has the lowest full-coverage average among the five insurers in our Paterson rate data. The seven published 2026 statewide New Jersey rate studies we reviewed disagree on the cheapest insurer for full coverage: three put NJM first (one ties it with Selective), two GEICO and two Travelers. For liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits, averages run from about $91 to $321 a month; the lowest is far enough below the rest that we don’t name a cheapest insurer for that coverage level.
Full-coverage averages by insurer in Paterson
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 15/30/5 (Yearly): | Liability Only 15/30/5 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEICO | $1,096 | $91 | $2,998 | $250 |
| NJM Insurance | $1,763 | $147 | $3,660 | $305 |
| Allstate | $2,249 | $187 | $4,931 | $411 |
| Progressive | $2,321 | $193 | $5,053 | $421 |
| State Farm | $3,851 | $321 | $6,430 | $536 |
| Selective* | $1,324 | $110 | $2,936 | $245 |
| Travelers* | $2,215 | $185 | $3,535 | $295 |
| Plymouth Rock* | $1,570 | $131 | $3,859 | $322 |
| Paterson average | $2,256 | $188 | $4,614 | $385 |
This table uses Paterson ZIP codes only. See how we calculated these rates. Your own price depends on your car, driving record and coverage, so compare car insurance quotes before you buy.
Your ZIP code matters
Raising liability limits from 50/100/50 to 100/300/100 adds about $375 a year on average in our Paterson data, with the same $500 deductibles. That’s about $31 a month for double the per-person injury limit, three times the per-crash limit and double the property damage limit, and the full-coverage package also raises uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to 100/300.
Yes, for our benchmark driver. Comparing the same insurers in the same Paterson ZIP codes, full coverage averaged $4,533 a year nine months earlier and $4,614 in rates as of Aug. 31, 2026, a 1.8% increase. Paterson averages fell 5.9% at GEICO but rose 6.2% at State Farm, 3.0% at Allstate, 1.1% at Progressive and 0.5% at NJM. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits rose 9.7%, led by State Farm, which raised its liability-only average 14.3%. NJM was the only insurer to lower its liability-only average, by 3.3%.
Paterson is Passaic County’s largest city, and the county averages $3,844 a year for full coverage in our data, the third-highest in New Jersey. The city of Passaic averages about $380 a month, close to Paterson.
Suburbs cost less. Clifton averages about $344 a month, Totowa and Hawthorne $313 and Wayne $284. Among insurers, NJM’s Paterson average is about 22% above GEICO’s, a wider gap than in any of our New Jersey city guides except Newark, and Allstate and Progressive are effectively tied for third. Prices depend on where in New Jersey you live, not just on your car and driving record.
More New Jersey cities and towns are in the New Jersey rates by city table, and you can compare states on our car insurance rates by state page.
Newark, about 13 miles south, averages $409 a month, and Jersey City, about 15 miles southeast, $343. Clifton, about four miles south, averages $344. For the statewide picture, see our guide to New Jersey car insurance rates.
Drivers in Paterson follow New Jersey’s rules. A Standard policy issued or renewed since Jan. 1, 2026, must include at least:
A lower-cost Basic policy also meets the law, with $5,000 of property damage liability and $15,000 of PIP but no bodily injury liability unless you add $10,000. The liability-only prices on this page use 15/30/5 limits, below the Standard-policy minimum. Our New Jersey requirements guide covers the Basic and Special Automobile Insurance policies, the lawsuit options and the penalties for driving uninsured.
Ready to compare
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.
Coverage requirements come from New Jersey law and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.
Car insurance in Paterson, NJ, costs about $385 a month ($4,614 a year) for full coverage and $188 a month for liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits, for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, in rates filed as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 38% above the New Jersey average of $279 a month.
GEICO has the lowest full-coverage average in our Paterson rate data, at about $250 a month, followed by NJM at $305 among the five major insurers we compared. For liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits, averages run from about $91 to $321 a month. Rates vary by driver, so compare quotes for your own car and ZIP code.
Yes. In our data, Clifton averages about $344 a month for full coverage and Paterson about $385, for the same driver and car.
Not in our data. Every insurer in our data charges the same price in all eight Paterson ZIP codes we price, so the city average is also the average in each ZIP code. Comparing insurers makes a bigger difference: GEICO’s Paterson average is about $250 a month, versus $536 for State Farm.
In our Paterson data, full coverage (100/300/100 with $500 deductibles) averages about $385 a month and liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits about $188, a difference of about $197 a month ($2,358 a year). Liability-only coverage won’t pay to repair or replace your own car after a crash, a theft or a storm. New Jersey law doesn’t require full coverage, but a lender or leasing company may.
Drivers in Paterson follow New Jersey law. A Standard policy issued or renewed since Jan. 1, 2026, needs at least $35,000 per person and $70,000 per crash in bodily injury liability, $25,000 in property damage liability, personal injury protection and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. A lower-cost Basic policy, with $5,000 of property damage liability and $15,000 of PIP, also meets the law.
Yes, for our benchmark driver. Comparing the same insurers and ZIP codes, Paterson full coverage rose 1.8% over the past nine months, from about $4,533 to $4,614 a year. GEICO cut its Paterson average 5.9%, while State Farm raised its average 6.2%, Allstate 3.0%, Progressive 1.1% and NJM 0.5%. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits rose 9.7%.
For our benchmark driver, full coverage in Paterson averages about $385 a month. Nearby, Newark averages about $409, Jersey City about $343 and Elizabeth about $381. Jersey City and Elizabeth are cheaper; prices depend mostly on ZIP code, so compare quotes for your own address.
