For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, Cary car insurance averages about $146 a month ($1,754 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 5% below the North Carolina average of $154 a month. Progressive and State Farm are effectively tied for the lowest full-coverage average among the insurers we rank, at about $82 and $84 a month.
Cary is one of the less expensive cities in our North Carolina data: about $10 a month less than Raleigh and about $8 a month less than the state average.
Our data covers four ZIP codes with a Cary mailing address, all within a few dollars of each other.
Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across all four Cary 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. 1, 2026.
How Much Is Car Insurance in Cary, NC?
Full coverage in Cary averages $1,754 a year, or about $146 a month, for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage at 30/60/25 limits averages $630 a year ($53 a month), and 50/100/50 liability with comprehensive and collision averages $1,803 ($150 a month).
- Full coverage (100/300/100, $500 deductibles): $1,754 a year ($146 a month)
- 50/100/50 with $500 deductibles: $1,803 a year ($150 a month)
- Liability only (30/60/25): $630 a year ($53 a month)
- Wake County: $1,845 a year ($154 a month) for full coverage
- North Carolina average: $1,848 a year ($154 a month) for full coverage
- ZIP code range: $145 (27518) to $147 (27511 and 27519) a month for full coverage
Cheap Car Insurance in Cary: Companies Compared
- Lowest averages among insurers we rank, full coverage: Progressive and State Farm, effectively tied at about $82 and $84 a month.
- Next lowest: GEICO at $144, then NC Farm Bureau at $151.
- Lowest liability-only average (30/60/25): State Farm, at about $32 a month, then Progressive at $37.
- Also on our list: Erie at about $63 a month, Nationwide at $135, Farmers at $148, Penn National at $148 and Utica National at $184.
- Most expensive in our data: Allstate, at about $271 a month, $2,266 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 five insurers in our Cary rate data. Of the six published 2026 statewide North Carolina rate studies we reviewed, the one whose figures are also built from Quadrant rate data ranks Erie Insurance cheapest for full coverage. Four of the other five rank Progressive first, and only one of those five includes Erie. For liability-only coverage at 30/60/25 limits, State Farm has the lowest average among the insurers we price, at about $32 a month, followed by Progressive at $37.
Full-coverage averages by insurer in Cary
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 30/60/25 (Yearly): | Liability Only 30/60/25 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | $449 | $37 | $980 | $82 |
| State Farm | $380 | $32 | $1,009 | $84 |
| GEICO | $592 | $49 | $1,729 | $144 |
| NC Farm Bureau | $601 | $50 | $1,808 | $151 |
| Allstate | $1,126 | $94 | $3,246 | $271 |
| Erie Insurance* | $468 | $39 | $760 | $63 |
| Nationwide* | $625 | $52 | $1,617 | $135 |
| Farmers* | $808 | $67 | $1,772 | $148 |
| Penn National* | $624 | $52 | $1,775 | $148 |
| Utica National* | $1,030 | $86 | $2,212 | $184 |
| Cary average | $630 | $53 | $1,754 | $146 |
This table uses Cary ZIP codes only. See how we calculated these rates.
Cary Car Insurance Rates by ZIP Code
Across the four Cary ZIP codes we price, full coverage for our driver ranges from about $145 a month in 27518 to $147 in 27511 and 27519, a gap of $29 a year. 27511, 27513, 27518 and 27519 are priced within a few dollars a month of each other in our data.
Lowest-priced Cary ZIP code
Highest-priced Cary ZIP codes
Search the table for your ZIP code. The last column shows how far each ZIP code is above or below Cary’s average.
| ZIP Code: | Liability Only 30/60/25 (Yearly): | Liability Only 30/60/25 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): | Full Coverage vs. City Average: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27511 | $635 | $53 | $1,766 | $147 | +1% |
| 27513 | $630 | $53 | $1,755 | $146 | About average |
| 27518 | $625 | $52 | $1,737 | $145 | -1% |
| 27519 | $629 | $52 | $1,759 | $147 | +1% |
Your ZIP code matters
Does Better Coverage Cost More in Cary?
Full coverage at 100/300/100 limits costs a little less on average than 50/100/50 in our Cary data: $1,754 a year compared with $1,803, with the same $500 deductibles. 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 GEICO charge less for 100/300/100 than for 50/100/50 for our benchmark driver.
Is Car Insurance Going Up in Cary?
Not for our benchmark driver. Comparing the same insurers in the same Cary ZIP codes, full coverage averaged $1,847 a year in rates as of Nov. 30, 2025, and $1,754 as of Aug. 31, 2026, a 5.0% drop. Allstate cut its Cary average 7.5%, Progressive 4.9%, State Farm 4.7%, GEICO 2.8% and NC Farm Bureau 2.7%. Liability-only coverage at 30/60/25 limits fell 8.0%, led by State Farm, which cut its liability-only average 10.0%.
What Shapes Car Insurance Costs in Cary
Wake County averages about $154 a month for full coverage, the 44th-most expensive of the 93 North Carolina counties we price, and western Wake County costs less than Raleigh.
Apex averages about $146 a month and Morrisville $146, about the same as Cary, while Raleigh averages $156. Where you live is one of the factors North Carolina insurers use, so neighboring cities can be priced differently.
How Cary Car Insurance Compares With Other North Carolina Cities
More North Carolina cities and towns are in the North Carolina rates by city table, and you can compare states on our car insurance rates by state page.
Raleigh, about eight miles east, averages $156 a month, and Durham, about 17 miles north, $154.
What Car Insurance Is Required in Cary?
Drivers in Cary follow North Carolina’s rules. Policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, must include at least:
- Bodily injury liability of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash
- Property damage liability of $50,000 per crash
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which every North Carolina policy must include
Our North Carolina requirements guide covers the details and what happens if your coverage lapses.
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Rate in Cary
- Compare Progressive and State Farm first. They have the two lowest full-coverage averages among the insurers we rank in Cary, about $82 and $84 a month.
- Quote several insurers. Among the insurers we rank in Cary, the lowest and highest averages are about $189 a month apart for the same driver and car.
- Check your underinsured motorist limits. Since July 1, 2025, North Carolina underinsured motorist coverage is no longer reduced by the at-fault driver’s liability coverage, and you can combine limits from more than one policy, so higher limits can matter more. Our full-coverage prices include it at 100/300.
- Compare at every renewal. Since November 2025, Allstate has cut its Cary average 7.5%, Progressive 4.9%, State Farm 4.7%, GEICO 2.8% and NC Farm Bureau 2.7%, so the order in our table can shift.
- Price a bundle. Pairing your auto policy with a home or renters policy usually earns a multi-policy discount. See North Carolina home insurance rates.
Ready to compare
How We Calculated Cary 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: 20 full-coverage premiums from five insurers across four Cary ZIP codes, plus the same number of liability-only and 50/100/50 premiums.
- 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 30/60/25 limits, with 30/60 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and no comprehensive or collision. North Carolina’s minimum has been 50/100/50 since July 1, 2025, so our liability-only prices use lower limits than the law requires. Our 50/100/50 prices also include comprehensive and collision, so they aren’t liability-only prices at the new minimum. Liability-only figures for insurers marked * are scaled from published minimum-coverage prices, most of them at the 50/100/50 minimum, so they don’t match our 30/60/25 package exactly.
- 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. 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. 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. All five 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 published 2026 North Carolina 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 North Carolina law and the North Carolina Department of Insurance. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.
Cary Car Insurance FAQ
For our benchmark driver, full coverage in Cary averages about $146 a month ($1,754 a year) and liability-only coverage at 30/60/25 limits about $53 a month, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. Full coverage is 5% below the North Carolina average of $154 a month.
Progressive and State Farm are effectively tied for the lowest full-coverage average in our Cary rate data, at about $82 and $84 a month. GEICO’s average is next, at $144. For liability-only coverage at 30/60/25 limits, State Farm has the lowest average, at about $32 a month. The one published 2026 North Carolina study we reviewed whose figures are also built from Quadrant rate data ranks Erie Insurance cheapest for full coverage, while most of the others, which mostly don’t include Erie, rank Progressive first. Rates vary by driver, so compare quotes for your own car and ZIP code.
Cary, for our benchmark driver. Cary full coverage averages about $146 a month and Raleigh about $156, a difference of about $10 a month.
In our data, 27518 has the lowest full-coverage average in Cary, at about $145 a month, and 27511 and 27519 the highest, at about $147. The ZIP code table on this page lists all four.
In our Cary data, full coverage (100/300/100 with $500 deductibles) averages about $146 a month and liability-only coverage at 30/60/25 limits about $53, a difference of about $93 a month ($1,124 a year). Liability-only coverage won’t pay to repair or replace your own car after a crash, a theft or a storm.
Not for our benchmark driver. Comparing the same insurers and ZIP codes, Cary full coverage fell 5.0% between November 2025 and August 2026, from about $1,847 to $1,754 a year. Allstate cut its Cary average 7.5%, Progressive 4.9%, State Farm 4.7%, GEICO 2.8% and NC Farm Bureau 2.7%. Liability-only coverage at 30/60/25 limits fell 8.0%.
- 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.
