Cheapest Car Insurance in Pennsylvania: Lowest Rates in 2026

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Updated: May 26, 2026

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Cheapest in Pennsylvania by coverage type

Cheapest by driver age

Cheapest by driving record and credit score

  • MoneyGeek analyzed 11 companies across all Pennsylvania ZIP codes.
  • The baseline profile is a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, good credit, 100/300/100 full coverage and a $1,000 deductible. Pennsylvania's mandatory $5,000 medical benefits requirement is reflected in the minimum coverage analysis.
  • Additional profiles include young drivers (ages 16 to 25 on a family policy), seniors and drivers with violations and poor credit.
  • Pennsylvania's no-fault system means minimum coverage varies depending on the tort election.
  • Rates in the young driver analysis are identical for male and female drivers, an unusual finding for this state series. Data sourced from Quadrant Information Services.

Cheapest Minimum and Full Coverage Car Insurance in Pennsylvania

Drivers looking for the cheapest minimum coverage will find two possibly unfamiliar names, Westfield and Erie Insurance. Westfield is the cheapest in Pennsylvania for minimum coverage at $20/month, followed closely by Erie at $28/month.

For full coverage, Travelers is the most affordable at $68/month. Choosing Travelers over Chubb ($116/month) for full coverage saves drivers $48 per month, or $576 per year.

Westfield Insurance
$20
$99
Erie Insurance
$28
$79
Travelers
$30
$68
Nationwide
$33
$76
Chubb
$36
$116

Cheapest Car Insurance for Teens and young Adults in Pennsylvania

On family policies, Travelers is the most affordable choice for ages 16 to 24, with rates declining from $290/month at age 16 to $134/month at age 24. Donegal (a regional Pennsylvania insurer) takes over at age 25 at $132/month. For broader age-related rate trends, see car insurance rates by age.

Donegal takes over at 25 with the state's lowest rate at $132 a month, just $2 below Travelers. Pennsylvania prices family policies the same for both genders, which is uncommon in this series and reflects the state's rating rules.

16
Travelers
$290
17
Travelers
$245
18
Travelers
$211
19
Travelers
$190
20
Travelers
$174
21
Travelers
$161
22
Travelers
$150
23
Travelers
$142
24
Travelers
$134
25
Donegal Insurance
$132

Travelers is cheapest for young adult standalone policies at $141/month, while Nationwide is cheapest for seniors at $82/month. Pennsylvania is one of the few states in the nation where teen family policy rates are identical for male and female drivers, meaning the same rate applies to both genders at every age from 16 to 24.

Cheapest Car Insurance for Seniors in Pennsylvania

The cheapest car insurance for seniors is with Nationwide at $82 a month. That's $14 above Travelers' adult rate of $68. Travelers is second at $85. Seniors choosing Nationwide instead of Travelers could save up to $204 annually, a minor amount compared to the gap from first to fifth (Westfield at $122), which is $40 a month, or $480 a year. Choosing the wrong carrier at this age could cost you hundreds of dollars a year. Re-shop throughout your senior years to capture the second-rate drop around 75 years old and each year for a cheaper provider each year after.

Nationwide
$82
Travelers
$85
Erie Insurance
$91
Allstate
$113
Westfield Insurance
$122

Cheapest Car Insurance for High-Risk Drivers in Pennsylvania

Travelers leads high-risk car insurance in Pennsylvania for speeding tickets ($82 a month), DUI ($95) and texting while driving ($68, same as its clean-record rate). Nationwide is cheapest after an at-fault accident at $76 a month (identical to its clean-record rate, meaning no surcharge) and cheapest for bad credit at $138. Nationwide ranks only fourth for clean-record full coverage but is the strongest choice when either of those risk factors applies.

Violations affect rates for three years in most cases; for DUI, the effect is longer.

Speeding Ticket
Travelers
$82
At-Fault Accident
Nationwide
$76
DUI
Travelers
$95
Texting While Driving
Travelers
$68
Bad Credit
Nationwide
$138

Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Pennsylvania by City

The cheapest provider varies across Pennsylvania's 10 most populous cities. Donegal Insurance prices are lowest in Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Pittsburgh. Travelers' prices are lowest in Bethlehem, Erie, Philadelphia, Reading, and Upper Darby. Nationwide prices lowest in Scranton. The largest rate gap is between Philadelphia ($126/month) and Bethlehem ($64/month), a $62/month difference ($744/year) for the same driver and coverage.

To compare car insurance options across providers and coverage levels, use our comparison tools.

Allentown
Donegal Insurance
$78
Bethlehem
Travelers
$64
Erie
Travelers
$72
Harrisburg
Donegal Insurance
$66
Lancaster
Donegal Insurance
$77
Philadelphia
Travelers
$126
Pittsburgh
Donegal Insurance
$75
Reading
Travelers
$66
Scranton
Nationwide
$71
Upper Darby
Travelers
$101

How to Get Cheap Reliable Car Insurance in Pennsylvania

Choosing Travelers over Farmers on full coverage saves $2,244/year for an identical policy. That price difference is wider than any other single action on this list. Compare carriers first, then apply the steps below.

  1. 1
    Compare carriers before comparing coverage levels

    Westfield posts the lowest minimum coverage rate in Pennsylvania at $20/month. Travelers charges the least for full coverage at $68/month. These are different carriers for different coverage types. A driver who quotes only national carriers misses Westfield and Donegal entirely. Both are regional Pennsylvania insurers that do not appear on most national comparison tools. Include at least one regional carrier in every quote.

  2. 2
    Decide your tort election before your first quote

    Pennsylvania requires every driver to choose limited tort or full tort at policy purchase. Limited tort restricts your right to sue for pain and suffering unless injuries meet a serious injury threshold. Full tort preserves the full right to sue. The choice cannot be changed after an accident occurs. Make it before you need it, not after.

  3. 3
    Match coverage to your vehicle's value

    Full coverage averages $117/month in Pennsylvania. Minimum coverage averages $47/month. The gap is $70/month, or $840/year. For a vehicle worth $5,000 with a $1,000 deductible, the maximum payout from a total loss is $4,000. At $840/year in additional premium, you recover that payout in under five years of premiums without ever filing a claim. Below that threshold, minimum coverage is the financially correct choice. Lenders require full coverage on financed vehicles regardless of vehicle value.

  4. 4
    Enroll in Travelers IntelliDrive if you have a clean record

    IntelliDrive monitors 90 days of driving and can reduce your renewal rate based on braking, acceleration, and phone use. Hard braking and phone use carry the heaviest penalty weight. Avoid enrolling during periods that do not reflect your normal driving patterns. The program can raise your rate if your driving performance is poor. Confirm current terms directly with Travelers before enrolling.

  5. 5
    Bundle home and auto with the same carrier

    PA-specific bundle discount range not confirmed in this dataset. Quote home and auto together before assuming separate policies; they may be cheaper. Carriers price the bundle at enrollment, not after the fact.

  6. 6
    Take a PennDOT-approved defensive driving course

    Pennsylvania's Point System Improvement Program (PSIP) allows drivers to remove points from their record by completing a PennDOT-approved course. Call your insurer before enrolling to confirm whether a rate discount applies. Not all carriers advertise the defensive driving discount, and completing the course without confirming first may not trigger the savings. The course is available online and in person.

  7. 7
    Re-shop when violations age off

    Most Pennsylvania violations stay on your record for three years. DUI convictions remain longer. Set a calendar reminder to compare quotes when your window closes. A Travelers driver who clears a speeding ticket saves $168/year, dropping from $82/month to $68/month. But only if they re-shop. A driver who clears a DUI drops from $95/month to $68/month, saving $324/year. The rate reduction does not apply automatically at renewal.

  8. 8
    Re-shop at every birthday of young drivers

    Travelers' prices are lowest for family policies from age 16 through 24. Donegal Insurance takes over at 25 at $132/month versus Travelers' $134, a $24/year difference. It is a small gap, but it runs in only one direction. Re-shop at each birthday to confirm which carrier offers the lowest price for your specific profile that year.

  9. 9
    Re-shop when credit improves

    Pennsylvania allows credit-based insurance scoring. A rate reduction from improved credit does not apply automatically to an existing policy. Request a new quote 45 days before your renewal date after any meaningful credit improvement.

What Does Pennsylvania's Minimum Coverage Actually Protect You From?

Pennsylvania is a choice no-fault state. At policy purchase, drivers choose between limited tort and full tort. Limited tort restricts your right to sue for pain and suffering unless injuries meet a serious injury threshold. Full tort preserves the full right to sue. Drivers who choose limited tort to save on premiums give up a legal right that cannot be reinstated after an accident occurs. The decision should be made before policy purchase, not after a claim.

Pennsylvania's 15/30/5 minimum puts $5,000 of property damage coverage between you and an at-fault accident. The average new car in Pennsylvania costs $35,000. An at-fault accident that totals it leaves you with $30,000 in personal liability at the state minimum. The statewide average for full coverage is $117/month versus $47/month for minimum, a $840/year gap. For Travelers, that gap is $38/month: $30 minimum versus $68 full coverage. The carrier switch from Chubb to Travelers on full coverage saves $48/month, more than the full-to-minimum savings at Travelers.

To evaluate your specific needs, see how much car insurance do I need and the car insurance calculator for Pennsylvania.

Image showing Pennsylvania state minimum car insurance liability requirements compared to other states in the US.

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, Licensed P&C Insurance Expert, MoneyGeek

Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident insurance expert. He has spent nearly a decade analyzing the market, first at LendingTree and now at MoneyGeek, where he has produced original research on hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

He covers economics and insurance at MoneyGeek, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR, among other outlets.

Like all MoneyGeek analysts, he draws on independent cost and consumer experience data. No insurance company partnership influences his recommendations.

Fitzpatrick earned his degrees from Johns Hopkins University (M.A. Economics and International Relations) and Boston College (B.A.). He began his career in financial risk management at State Street. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

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