Tennessee Car Insurance Quotes & Rates (2026)

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For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, Tennessee car insurance averages about $187 a month ($2,238 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 20% below the national average in our data. It’s about the same as in Mississippi, higher than in Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia and lower than in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky and Missouri. Progressive has the lowest full-coverage average among the three major insurers we compared (Allstate, GEICO and Progressive), at about $123 a month.

Tennessee car insurance: key numbers

• Full coverage: about $187 a month ($2,238 a year)
• Liability only (25/50/15): about $56 a month
• Lowest-priced insurer: Progressive has the lowest full-coverage average among the three major insurers we compared, at about $123 a month
• Recent price change: −1.5% for full coverage (same insurers and ZIP codes)
• Most and least expensive counties: Shelby County (about $264 a month) and Carter County (about $148)

Where you live matters. The Memphis area costs the most in our data: Shelby County averages about $264 a month for full coverage, followed by Fayette County ($231) and Tipton County ($228). Northeast Tennessee costs the least, and Carter County, home to Elizabethton, is the least expensive of the 89 counties we price, at $148. Use these averages as a benchmark for where you live, then compare quotes for your own car and address.

_{Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across 301 Tennessee ZIP codes, compiled by Quadrant Information Services and updated as new rates are filed.}

Rates as of Aug. 31, 2026. Page reviewed Oct. 7, 2026.

What’s the Average Cost of Car Insurance in Tennessee per Month?

In Tennessee, full coverage averages about $187 a month ($2,238 a year), and liability-only coverage at 25/50/15 limits averages $56 a month ($666 a year). Those figures are for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record and use the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026.

Full coverage in Tennessee averages $2,238 a year, or about $187 a month, for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage at 25/50/15 limits averages $666 a year ($56 a month), and 50/100/50 liability with comprehensive and collision averages $2,199 ($183 a month).

• Full coverage (100/300/100, $500 deductibles): $2,238 a year ($187 a month)
• 50/100/50 with $500 deductibles: $2,199 a year ($183 a month)
• Liability only (25/50/15): $666 a year ($56 a month)
• Memphis: $3,276 a year ($273 a month) for full coverage
• Nashville: $2,302 a year ($192 a month) for full coverage
• Knoxville: $2,082 a year ($174 a month) for full coverage
• National average: $2,806 a year ($234 a month) for full coverage

How Tennessee Compares With Neighboring States

Tennessee’s average is about $16 a month above Alabama’s, $17 below Arkansas’, $21 below Georgia’s, $42 below Kentucky’s, the same as Mississippi’s, $16 below Missouri’s, $33 above North Carolina’s and $9 above Virginia’s. It’s the 17th-lowest of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in our data.

Cheapest Car Insurance in Tennessee: Companies Compared

• Lowest average among these three insurers, full coverage: Progressive, at about $123 a month ($1,480 a year).
• Next lowest: GEICO, at about $169 a month.
• Liability only (25/50/15): about $28 to $86 a month across the three insurers.
• State Farm (Nov. 2025 rates)*: about $232 a month for full coverage, from its November 2025 rates.
• Also on our list: Travelers at about $117 a month, USAA at $121, Auto-Owners at $141, Tennessee Farm Bureau at $159 and Erie at $165 (USAA sells only to military families).
• Most expensive in our data: Allstate, at about $267 a month for full coverage, $1,719 a year more than Progressive.

Progressive has the lowest full-coverage average among the three insurers in our Tennessee rate data. The published 2026 statewide Tennessee rate studies we reviewed most often rank Travelers cheapest for full coverage: four of the six put it first, apart from USAA, which sells only to military families. For liability-only coverage at 25/50/15 limits, averages run from about $28 to $86 a month; the lowest is far enough below the rest that we don’t name a cheapest insurer for that coverage level.

These are statewide averages for our benchmark driver. 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.

See What You’d Pay in Tennessee

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How Tennessee’s Major Car Insurers Compare

Here’s where each insurer in our rate data lands for our benchmark driver, and how its price has moved over the past nine months.

Are Car Insurance Rates Going Up in Tennessee?

For our benchmark driver, full coverage isn’t going up. Comparing the same insurers in the same Tennessee ZIP codes, full coverage averaged $2,273 a year nine months earlier and $2,238 in rates as of Aug. 31, 2026, a 1.5% drop. Progressive cut its Tennessee average 11.4%, while GEICO raised its average 4.3%; Allstate’s average was unchanged. State Farm’s latest rates are from November 2025, so it’s left out of this comparison. Liability-only coverage at 25/50/15 limits rose 4.6%, led by Progressive, which raised its liability-only average 10.7%.

Because insurers change their rates on their own schedules, the cheapest company for you can change from one renewal to the next.

What to Know About Tennessee Car Insurance Costs

Tennessee’s full-coverage average is the 17th-lowest of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in our data. Three things stand out in our numbers and in state law.

• Memphis. Shelby County is the most expensive county in our data, and Memphis averages $273 a month, about 46% above the state average. Nashville averages $192, Chattanooga $177 and Knoxville $174.
• Electronic insurance checks. Tennessee matches vehicle registrations against insurers’ records, and owners whose coverage can’t be confirmed face fees and a registration suspension.
• How rates are set. Insurers file their Tennessee auto rate changes through the national SERFF system, and the Department of Commerce and Insurance publishes each insurer’s monthly rate changes, so you can see whether yours raised prices before you renew.

Tennessee Car Insurance Rates by City

Among cities with at least three ZIP codes in our data, Memphis is the most expensive, at $273 a month for full coverage, followed by Nashville at $192 and Clarksville at $191. Johnson City is the least expensive, at about $150. Across all 209 cities and towns we price, averages run from about $273 in Memphis to $146 in Bristol.

The table lists all 209 Tennessee cities and towns in our data, using each place’s own ZIP codes, from most to least expensive. Search it for your town.

Tennessee City Car Insurance Guides

Each city guide has local prices, how the insurers compare there and, for cities where prices vary by ZIP code, a ZIP code table.

Tennessee Car Insurance Rates by County

Shelby County is the most expensive county in our data, at about $264 a month for full coverage, followed by Fayette County ($231) and Tipton County ($228). The least expensive are Carter County ($148), Sullivan County ($151) and Washington County ($154). We price 89 of Tennessee’s 95 counties.

How Much More Does Better Coverage Cost in Tennessee?

Raising liability limits from 50/100/50 to 100/300/100 adds only about $39 a year on average statewide in our data, with the same $500 deductibles. Across the three insurers, the change runs from $86 less a year (GEICO) to $180 more (Progressive). 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 charges less for 100/300/100 than for 50/100/50 for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage is far cheaper, but it has no comprehensive or collision, so it won’t pay to fix or replace your own car.

Tennessee Car Insurance Rules at a Glance

What Car Insurance Is Required in Tennessee?

Tennessee drivers must carry liability insurance, according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue. The minimum policy is:

• $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash in bodily injury liability.
• $25,000 in property damage liability.

Instead of split limits, you can carry a $65,000 single-limit policy or post a $65,000 cash deposit or bond, under Public Chapter 860. Under the comparative fault rule the Department of Commerce and Insurance describes, you can’t recover damages if you’re 50% or more at fault for a crash, and below that your recovery shrinks by your share of the blame.

Since January 2017, Tennessee has checked insurance electronically by matching vehicle registrations against insurers’ records under the James Lee Atwood Jr. Law. If the state can’t confirm your coverage, you get a notice and 30 days to respond; ignoring notices brings a $25 fee, then $100, and then a registration suspension, according to the Department of Revenue.

Starting July 1, 2027, under Public Chapter 1077, those fees rise to $500 and $1,000, with a $1,500 fee for repeat lapses, and you’ll need proof of insurance to register a vehicle for the first time.

How to Lower Your Car Insurance Rate in Tennessee

1. Quote several insurers. Among the three major insurers we compared in Tennessee, the lowest and highest averages are about $144 a month apart for the same driver and car.
2. Compare Progressive and GEICO first. They have the two lowest full-coverage averages among the three major insurers we compared in Tennessee, about $123 and $169 a month.
3. Make sure your coverage is tied to your car’s VIN. Tennessee’s insurance check matches your registration to your insurer’s records by VIN, according to the Department of Revenue, so answer any notice within 30 days.
4. Plan for higher lapse fees. From July 1, 2027, under Public Chapter 1077, the fee for a coverage lapse the state can’t confirm rises from $25 to $500, and to $1,000 if you keep ignoring notices.
5. Check your insurer’s rate changes before you renew. The Department of Commerce and Insurance publishes each insurer’s monthly auto rate changes in Tennessee.
6. Ask about uninsured motorist coverage. It pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. Our full-coverage prices include it at 100/300.
7. Compare at every renewal. Over the past nine months, Progressive has cut its statewide average 11.4%, while GEICO has raised its average 4.3%, so the order in our table can shift.
8. 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 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 car insurance deductibles work.
9. Bundle your car and home insurance. Many insurers discount both policies when you buy them together. Check Tennessee home insurance rates and our home insurance guide for Nashville, and compare homeowners insurance quotes before you shop. Renters can often bundle a renters insurance policy too.

Compare Tennessee Car Insurance Quotes

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How We Calculated Tennessee 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: 903 full-coverage premiums from three insurers across 301 Tennessee ZIP codes, plus the same number of liability-only and 50/100/50 premiums.
• Insurer count: our Tennessee averages come from three 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 25/50/15 limits, with 25/50 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and no comprehensive or collision. Tennessee’s minimum is now 25/50/25, so our liability-only prices use lower limits than the law requires.
• 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. State Farm isn’t in the August 2026 rates, so it’s left out of rate-change comparisons; the other three 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 Tennessee rate studies, scaled to our benchmark driver. They aren’t included in our averages or rankings. The State Farm row shows its November 2025 rates, so it isn’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 Tennessee law and the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.

More Tennessee Car Insurance Breakdowns

The table in this section comes from an additional InsuranceQuotes rate analysis. It uses its own driver profile and mix of insurers, so its prices differ from the averages above. Use it to compare vehicle types with each other.

Tennessee Car Insurance Rates by County and Vehicle Type

In this analysis, an SUV is the least expensive vehicle type to insure in all 95 counties, and a hybrid is the most expensive in 91 of the 95 counties. A hybrid costs about 29% more than an SUV on average.

Tennessee Car Insurance FAQ