For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, Salem car insurance averages about $178 a month ($2,133 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 3% above the Oregon average of $173 a month. State Farm has the lowest full-coverage average among the four major insurers we compared (GEICO, Progressive, Safeco and State Farm), at about $146 a month.
Salem is priced close to the Oregon average for our benchmark driver: about $5 a month more than the state average and about $20 a month less than in Portland.
Our data covers seven ZIP codes with a Salem mailing address, from about $165 a month in 97302 to $189 in 97317.
Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across all seven Salem 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 Is Car Insurance in Salem, OR?
Full coverage in Salem averages $2,133 a year, or about $178 a month, for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage at Oregon’s 25/50/20 minimum averages $982 a year ($82 a month), and 50/100/50 liability with comprehensive and collision averages $2,159 ($180 a month).
- Full coverage (100/300/100, $500 deductibles): $2,133 a year ($178 a month)
- 50/100/50 with $500 deductibles: $2,159 a year ($180 a month)
- Liability only (25/50/20): $982 a year ($82 a month)
- Marion County: $2,102 a year ($175 a month) for full coverage
- Oregon average: $2,070 a year ($173 a month) for full coverage
- ZIP code range: $165 (97302) to $189 (97317) a month for full coverage
Cheap Car Insurance in Salem: Companies Compared
- Lowest average among the four major insurers we compared, full coverage: State Farm, at about $146 a month ($1,746 a year).
- Next lowest: Progressive, at about $169 a month, then GEICO at $180.
- Lowest liability-only average among these four insurers (25/50/20): State Farm, at about $69 a month, then GEICO at $78.
- Also on our list: Oregon Mutual at about $124 a month, USAA at $147, Travelers at $148, Country Financial at $187 and Farmers at $238 (USAA sells only to military families).
- Most expensive among these four insurers: Safeco, at about $217 a month, $855 a year more than State Farm for the same driver and car.
State Farm has the lowest full-coverage average among the four insurers in our Salem rate data. The published 2026 statewide Oregon rate studies we reviewed don’t agree on one cheapest company for full coverage: two rank Oregon Mutual first, two rank State Farm, and one each ranks Progressive and Travelers, apart from USAA, which sells only to military families. For liability-only coverage at 25/50/20 limits, State Farm has the lowest average among these four insurers, at about $69 a month, followed by GEICO at $78.
Full-coverage averages by insurer in Salem
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: | Minimum Liability 25/50/20 (Yearly): | Minimum Liability 25/50/20 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $826 | $69 | $1,746 | $146 |
| Progressive | $1,082 | $90 | $2,029 | $169 |
| GEICO | $930 | $78 | $2,157 | $180 |
| Safeco | $1,089 | $91 | $2,601 | $217 |
| Oregon Mutual* | $772 | $64 | $1,483 | $124 |
| USAA (military families)* | $818 | $68 | $1,762 | $147 |
| Travelers* | $1,035 | $86 | $1,772 | $148 |
| Country Financial* | $958 | $80 | $2,244 | $187 |
| Farmers* | $1,694 | $141 | $2,857 | $238 |
| Salem average | $982 | $82 | $2,133 | $178 |
This table uses Salem ZIP codes only. See how we calculated these rates. Your own price depends on your car, driving record and coverage, so compare auto insurance quotes before you buy.
Salem Car Insurance Rates by ZIP Code
Across the seven Salem ZIP codes we price, full coverage for our driver ranges from about $165 a month in 97302 to $189 in 97317, a gap of $290 a year. South Salem’s 97302 is the least expensive ZIP code in our data, and 97317, on the city’s east side, is the most expensive.
Lowest-priced Salem ZIP codes
Highest-priced Salem ZIP codes
Search the table for your ZIP code. The last column shows how far each ZIP code is above or below Salem’s average.
| ZIP Code: | Minimum Liability 25/50/20 (Yearly): | Minimum Liability 25/50/20 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): | Full Coverage vs. City Average: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97301 | $1,042 | $87 | $2,221 | $185 | +4% |
| 97302 | $912 | $76 | $1,980 | $165 | -7% |
| 97303 | $978 | $82 | $2,098 | $175 | -2% |
| 97304 | $970 | $81 | $2,114 | $176 | -1% |
| 97305 | $1,043 | $87 | $2,240 | $187 | +5% |
| 97306 | $902 | $75 | $2,010 | $168 | -6% |
| 97317 | $1,024 | $85 | $2,270 | $189 | +6% |
Your ZIP code matters
Does Better Coverage Cost More in Salem?
Full coverage at 100/300/100 limits costs a little less on average than 50/100/50 in our Salem data: $2,133 a year compared with $2,159, 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. GEICO and Safeco charge less for 100/300/100 than for 50/100/50 for our benchmark driver.
Is Car Insurance Going Up in Salem?
Yes, for our benchmark driver. Comparing the same insurers in the same Salem ZIP codes, full coverage averaged $2,060 a year nine months earlier and $2,133 in rates as of Aug. 31, 2026, a 3.5% increase. Safeco cut its Salem average 7.1% and State Farm 2.6%, while Progressive raised its average 36.2%; GEICO’s average was unchanged. Liability-only coverage at 25/50/20 limits rose 8.1%, led by Progressive, which raised its liability-only average 49.2%.
What Shapes Car Insurance Costs in Salem
Marion County averages about $175 a month for full coverage, the seventh-most expensive of the 30 Oregon counties we price. Polk County, across the Willamette River, averages $168.
Nearby Marion County towns range from about $157 a month in Jefferson and $158 in Stayton to $191 in Woodburn. Oregon insurers price by location as well as by driver and car, so your ZIP code can move your price.
How Salem Car Insurance Compares With Other Oregon Cities
More Oregon cities and towns are in the Oregon rates by city table, and you can compare states on our car insurance rates by state page.
Portland, about 45 miles north, averages $198 a month, and Eugene, about 60 miles south, $144.
What Car Insurance Is Required in Salem?
Drivers in Salem follow Oregon’s rules. Every policy must include at least:
- Bodily injury liability of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash
- Property damage liability of $20,000 per crash
- Personal injury protection of $15,000 per person
- Uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash
Our Oregon requirements guide covers the details and the penalties for driving uninsured.
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Rate in Salem
- Compare State Farm and Progressive first. They have the two lowest full-coverage averages among the four major insurers we compared in Salem, about $146 and $169 a month.
- Quote several insurers. Among the four major insurers we compared in Salem, the lowest and highest averages are about $71 a month apart for the same driver and car.
- Know what PIP covers. Every Oregon policy includes at least $15,000 of personal injury protection, which pays reasonable and necessary medical expenses incurred within two years of a crash, up to your PIP limit.
- Compare at every renewal. Over the past nine months, Safeco has cut its Salem average 7.1% and State Farm 2.6%, while Progressive has raised its average 36.2%, 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 auto 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 deductibles affect your rate.
- Insure your car and home together. A multi-policy discount is a common way to save, so check average home insurance rates in Oregon, and compare home insurance quotes alongside your car quotes. Renting? A renters insurance policy can qualify too.
Ready to compare
How We Calculated Salem 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: 28 full-coverage premiums from four insurers across seven Salem ZIP codes, plus the same number of liability-only and 50/100/50 premiums.
- Insurer count: our Oregon averages come from four insurers, fewer than in most states, so they 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 Oregon’s 25/50/20 minimum, with 25/50 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and no comprehensive or collision. The rate data doesn’t list a personal injury protection amount, so we don’t state one for these prices.
- 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. Rate-change percentages are calculated from the annual premiums shown; other percentages use the rounded monthly figures.
- Insurers marked *: priced from published 2026 Oregon 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 Oregon law and the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.
Salem Car Insurance FAQ
For our benchmark driver, full coverage in Salem averages about $178 a month ($2,133 a year) and liability-only coverage about $82 a month, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. Full coverage is 3% above the Oregon average of $173 a month.
State Farm has the lowest full-coverage average in our Salem rate data, at about $146 a month, followed by Progressive at $169. For liability-only coverage, State Farm has the lowest average among the four major insurers we compared, at about $69 a month. The published 2026 statewide Oregon rate studies we reviewed don’t agree on one cheapest company: Oregon Mutual and State Farm each top two of them. Rates vary by driver, so compare quotes for your own car and ZIP code.
Salem, for our benchmark driver. Salem full coverage averages about $178 a month and Portland about $198, a difference of about $20 a month for the same driver and car.
In our data, 97302 has the lowest full-coverage average in Salem, at about $165 a month, and 97317 the highest, at about $189. The ZIP code table on this page lists all seven.
In our Salem data, full coverage (100/300/100 with $500 deductibles) averages about $178 a month and liability-only coverage at 25/50/20 limits about $82, a difference of about $96 a month ($1,151 a year). Liability-only coverage won’t pay to repair or replace your own car after a crash, a theft or a storm. Oregon law doesn’t require full coverage, but a lender or leasing company may.
Yes, for our benchmark driver. Comparing the same insurers and ZIP codes, Salem full coverage rose 3.5% over the past nine months, from about $2,060 to $2,133 a year. Safeco cut its Salem average 7.1% and State Farm 2.6%, while Progressive raised its average 36.2%. Liability-only coverage at 25/50/20 limits rose 8.1%.
For our benchmark driver, full coverage in Salem averages about $178 a month. Nearby, Portland averages about $198 and Eugene about $144. Eugene 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.
