Car insurance prices are down 5.1% from a year ago. Did yours go down?
Your renewal is one company’s price. Early this year, 35% of insurers’ rate changes were cuts. Get quotes and see where yours stands.
Free. No obligation to switch
Get my free quotesYou’ll answer questions on SmarterAuto, a licensed insurance agency, and add your phone number. Insurers then call or text you with quotes. No prices show on screen.
47.3%
of US car insurance policies were shopped in the 12 months to March 2026. The most since tracking began in 2020.
Source: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, May 2026.
Your renewal is one price. You’ve never seen the others.
The renewal came. The number looked about like last year’s, so you paid it. Makes sense. What would you compare it to?
But insurers kept changing their rates. Some went down. Some went up.
The same policy now costs less
Same driver, same car, same coverage, priced a year apart. National average. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The average household spent $1,993 on vehicle insurance in 2024. 5.1% of that is about $100 a year.
Flat for over a year. Then down.
What that $100 of coverage cost each month
Car insurance rose by double digits three years running, 2022 to 2024. Since May, prices have fallen every month. If your current price was set before May, it was set before the drop.
See the monthly data and sources
| Month | Cost | vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | $99.28 | +11.8% |
| Feb 2025 | $100.21 | +11.1% |
| Mar 2025 | $99.58 | +7.5% |
| Apr 2025 | $99.83 | +6.4% |
| May 2025 | $100.13 | +7.0% |
| Jun 2025 | $100.13 | +6.1% |
| Jul 2025 | $100.22 | +5.3% |
| Aug 2025 | $100.00 | +4.7% |
| Sep 2025 | $99.60 | +3.1% |
| Oct 2025 | no data | no data |
| Nov 2025 | no data | no data |
| Dec 2025 | $99.87 | +2.8% |
| Jan 2026 | $99.82 | +0.5% |
| Feb 2026 | $100.37 | +0.2% |
| Mar 2026 | $100.34 | +0.8% |
| Apr 2026 | $100.03 | +0.2% |
| May 2026 | $98.12 | −2.0% |
| Jun 2026 | $96.02 | −4.1% |
| Jul 2026 | $95.75 | −4.5% |
| Aug 2026 | $94.87 | −5.1% |
Price data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for motor vehicle insurance (series CUUR0000SETE), U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted. The index prices the same driver, vehicle and coverage over time. Shown with the August 2025 level set to $100. BLS published no figures for October or November 2025.
Household spending: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2024 (released December 2025), average annual spending on vehicle insurance across all U.S. households. The $100 is that figure times 5.1%. These are national averages. Prices vary by state, driver, vehicle and insurer, and your own price may have risen or fallen by a different amount.
Not every insurer cut. That’s why it’s worth checking.
Each insurer files its own rates, state by state, on its own schedule. In the first three months of 2026, 35% of rate changes were cuts, 39% were increases and 26% netted out flat. Same market, opposite directions.
Source: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, May 2026.
Nobody is going to tell you
Your insurer has no reason to write and say a rival filed lower rates. The other insurers don’t know you exist. The only way to see where your price stands is to get quotes and put them next to your renewal.
So make insurers compete for you.
How it works
- Tap the button. You’ll land on SmarterAuto, run by Broadpeak Insurance Services LLC, a licensed insurance agency.
- Enter your ZIP and answer questions about your car and your driving record.
- Add your phone number. Insurers in SmarterAuto’s network use your answers to price a quote and contact you with it, mostly by phone.
- Put their numbers next to your renewal, for the same coverage. Switch only if one beats it. Your current policy stays as it is until you decide.
Before you tap
- Just renewed? You can still check. If a quote beats yours, ask that insurer how switching mid-policy works where you live.
- Won’t take calls? Then skip this. Insurers need to reach you to quote you. There’s no version where they don’t.
Free · No obligation
Why it’s free
Insurers pay SmarterAuto a commission when you buy through it. SmarterAuto says that costs you nothing extra. You only pay if you buy a policy, and you pay the insurer.
Source: SmarterAuto, “How we make money”.
Is this legit?
Check it yourself. SmarterAuto is run by Broadpeak Insurance Services LLC, national producer number 20298804. Search either one on your state insurance department’s license lookup. This page is an ad, and we’re paid when you request quotes.
How many calls will I get?
We can’t give you a number. You may hear from more than one insurer, by phone, text or email. That’s how the quotes reach you. Take the calls you want. A quote doesn’t commit you to anything.
Does this change my current policy?
No. Nothing changes unless you decide to buy a different policy.
What does it cost?
Nothing. The quotes are free. You only pay if you buy a policy, and you pay the insurer.
Your next renewal is coming either way
See where your price stands before you pay it again. Answer the questions, add your number, and hear what other insurers would charge. You can stop any time before you submit your contact details.
Insurers call or text you with quotes. No prices show on screen.