It’s hard to avoid all the ads from companies like The General, Progressive, and Allstate promising huge savings, so drivers just need to pick the company with the best ad, right?
It’s just not that simple, as there are a lot of unknowns like how old you are, the likelihood of vehicle theft where you live, what liability limits you need, and if you want full coverage included, that all have an effect on the price of a policy. This article will detail some of these factors and educate you enough to have a jump start in finding the best auto insurance in Missouri.
One of the more important components that help determine the amount you pay for auto insurance is your address in Kansas City. Regions with larger populations or more claims tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims benefit from having to pay less for coverage.
The information below shows the highest-priced areas in Missouri for active military to buy car insurance in. Kansas City makes the list at #4 with an annual cost of $1,283 for the average policyholder, which is about $107 each month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florissant | $1,459 |
| 2 | Saint Louis | $1,444 |
| 3 | University City | $1,408 |
| 4 | Kansas City | $1,283 |
| 5 | Raytown | $1,277 |
| 6 | Independence | $1,251 |
| 7 | Mehlville | $1,235 |
| 8 | Ballwin | $1,232 |
| 9 | Chesterfield | $1,207 |
| 10 | Wildwood | $1,201 |
| 11 | Liberty | $1,201 |
| 12 | Kirkwood | $1,187 |
| 13 | Joplin | $1,172 |
| 14 | Lee’s Summit | $1,170 |
| 15 | Wentzville | $1,145 |
| 16 | Blue Springs | $1,138 |
| 17 | Saint Joseph | $1,122 |
| 18 | Saint Charles | $1,107 |
| 19 | O’Fallon | $1,101 |
| 20 | Springfield | $1,086 |
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Premium amounts are approximated as the specific geographic location can modify auto insurance rates substantially.
The car, truck, or SUV you are seeking coverage for is one of the main factors when consumers are trying to find the best cheap auto insurance for active military. Vehicles with limited speed and performance, modern passenger safety features, or a positive history of liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than fast, unsafe models. The next table outlines car insurance premiums for a handful of the most budget-friendly automobiles to insure in Missouri.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $1,235 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,324 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $1,427 |
| Toyota Camry SE | $1,501 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $1,516 |
| Nissan Rogue S 2WD | $1,534 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,554 |
| Ford F-350 XLT Crew Cab 2WD | $1,584 |
| Ford Edge SEL 2WD | $1,606 |
| Ford Focus SES 2-Dr Coupe | $1,609 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LS Regular Cab 4WD | $1,624 |
| Hyundai Sonata Limited 4-Dr Sedan | $1,636 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $1,639 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,646 |
| Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $1,659 |
| Ford F-150 STX Regular Cab 4WD | $1,667 |
| Dodge Ram Quad Cab Laramie 2WD | $1,664 |
| Honda Civic VP 4-Dr Sedan | $1,691 |
| Ford F-250 XLT Crew Cab 2WD | $1,711 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SR 2-Dr Coupe | $1,720 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $1,723 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $1,728 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,738 |
| Compare Cheap Rates Go | |
Prices based on single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Missouri minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, safe-driver, and homeowner. Price estimates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can increase or decrease premium rates considerably.
Based upon the table data, you can expect makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda Odyssey, Chevrolet Malibu, and Toyota Camry will be the cheaper vehicles to insure for military personnel.
Shopping around for cheap insurance is confusing at best, and figuring out which insurers offer the most affordable auto insurance rates for active military may require even more shopping around.
Every car insurance company has a proprietary formula for determining prices, so first we will examine the auto insurance companies with the overall best prices in Missouri. It’s important to know that Missouri auto insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can substantially change the cost of coverage. Events such as a birthday, increasing deductibles, or getting a driving violation can trigger changes in premium that may make certain companies more expensive than competitors.
Find Cheaper Auto Insurance for Military
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $668 |
| 2 | The Hartford | $809 |
| 3 | Electric | $841 |
| 4 | Allied | $841 |
| 5 | Auto-Owners | $997 |
| 6 | Travelers | $998 |
| 7 | MO Farm Bureau | $1,063 |
| 8 | Nationwide | $1,131 |
| 9 | Farmers | $1,139 |
| 10 | Cameron Mutual | $1,166 |
| 11 | State Farm | $1,234 |
| 12 | American Family | $1,291 |
| 13 | Safe Auto | $1,363 |
| 14 | Safeco | $1,384 |
| 15 | Shelter | $1,419 |
| 16 | Progressive | $1,424 |
| 17 | GEICO | $1,434 |
| 18 | California Casualty | $1,439 |
| 19 | MetLife | $1,458 |
| 20 | Auto Club | $1,518 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
USAA offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Kansas City at around $668 per year. This is $594 less than the average rate paid by Missouri drivers of $1,262. The Hartford, Electric, Allied, and Auto-Owners also rank well as some of the best Kansas City, MO auto insurance companies.
As illustrated above, if you are currently insured with Allied and switched to USAA, you may realize a yearly price reduction of about $173. Drivers with Auto-Owners could save as much as $329 a year, and Travelers insureds might lower prices by up to $330 a year.
It’s important to note that these estimates are averages across all types of insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration an exact location for active military. So the insurer that has the lowest price for you may not even be in the top 23 companies in the list above. That emphasizes why you need to get quotes using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
How careless driving impacts auto insurance rates
In a perfect world, the ideal way to snag the most affordable auto insurance prices for military personnel is to be a cautious driver and not receive tickets or have accidents. The diagram below shows how speeding tickets and accident claims influence insurance costs for different ages of insureds. Data assumes a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
In the chart above, the average cost of car insurance per year with no accidents or violations is $1,453. Get written up for two speeding tickets and the average cost surges to $1,953, an increase of $500 each year. Now throw in two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of auto insurance for active military jumps again to an average of $3,723. That’s an increase of $2,270, or $189 per month, just for not being more responsible behind the wheel!
Price comparison of only insuring for liability
Paying a lower price for auto insurance is important to the majority of drivers, and an easy way to lower the cost of insurance for active military is to not pay for full coverage. The example below illustrates the comparison of car insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Missouri. The premiums assume no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
If we average all the age groups together, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs an additional $1,405 per year over having just liability coverage. Many of you may wonder if it’s worth it to buy full coverage. There is no clear-cut rule that is best for determining when to drop full coverage, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
The illustration below highlights how deductible selection can influence yearly insurance costs when getting quotes for cheap insurance for active military. The premium estimates are based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
In the chart above, a 30-year-old driver could lower rates by $326 a year by changing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $490 by using a $1,000 deductible. Youthful drivers, like the 20-year-old example, could lower their rates up to $734 each year by selecting a higher deductible. When insureds make the decision to increase the deductibles on their policy, it’s a good idea to have additional funds squirreled away to allow you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense. That is the one drawback of using higher deductibles.
How to find the cheapest car insurance for active military
Below you’ll find many penny-pinching ideas that can help drivers buy more affordable coverage.
- If possible, pay for small claims out-of-pocket
- On older vehicles, drop full coverage
- Do not get tickets
- Increase your policy deductibles
- Prevent price hikes by avoiding at-fault accidents
- Shop around for cheaper rates regularly
That last idea is notably important, as we emphasized in this article. Prices charged by auto insurers in Kansas City adjust frequently, so don’t be hesitant to switch carriers if you can find a cheaper rate. Being loyal to a particular company is commendable, but we do not recommend it if that inflexibility results in costing you hundreds of dollars year after year. In less than five minutes you could shop around to find cheaper auto insurance for active military.