Car insurance prices have fallen 5 months in a row. Did yours go down?
Down 5.1% from a year ago, the biggest yearly drop since 2020. Your renewal is one company’s price.
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.
Flat for over a year. Then 5 months down.
Same driver, car and coverage, January 2025 to August 2026, compared with the August 2025 price. U.S. average.
Renewing now? On average, the same coverage costs about
$100 less
a year than it did 12 months ago.
The $100 is 5.1% of $1,993, what the average household spent on car insurance in 2024. Your own renewal may have dropped more, less or not at all. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If your current price was set before May, it was set before most of the drop.
See the monthly data and sources
| Month | vs month before | vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | −0.9% | −5.1% |
| Jul 2026 | −0.3% | −4.5% |
| Jun 2026 | −2.1% | −4.1% |
| May 2026 | −1.9% | −2.0% |
| Apr 2026 | −0.3% | +0.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 0.0% | +0.8% |
| Feb 2026 | +0.6% | +0.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 0.0% | +0.5% |
| Dec 2025 | no data | +2.8% |
| Nov 2025 | no data | no data |
| Oct 2025 | no data | no data |
| Sep 2025 | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Aug 2025 | −0.2% | +4.7% |
| Jul 2025 | +0.1% | +5.3% |
| Jun 2025 | 0.0% | +6.1% |
| May 2025 | +0.3% | +7.0% |
| Apr 2025 | +0.2% | +6.4% |
| Mar 2025 | −0.6% | +7.5% |
| Feb 2025 | +0.9% | +11.1% |
| Jan 2025 | +2.2% | +11.8% |
Price data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for motor vehicle insurance (series CUUR0000SETE), U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, January 2025 to August 2026. The index prices the same driver, vehicle and coverage over time. Monthly changes are computed from the published index levels. BLS published no figures for October or November 2025, so the December 2025 monthly change is also unavailable; the chart’s dotted line only bridges the missing months.
History: the August 2026 12-month change (−5.1%) is the largest yearly decline in this index since November 2020, and the yearly declines that began in May 2026 are the first since March 2021. Same BLS series.
Dollar figure: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2024 (released December 2025), average yearly spending on vehicle insurance across all U.S. households: $1,993. 5.1% of that is $102, shown as about $100. 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.
Your renewal won’t tell you any of this
The renewal came. The number looked about like last year’s, so you paid it. What would you compare it to?
A renewal shows one company’s new price. It doesn’t show what the market did, or what other insurers would charge you. And not every insurer cut. In the first three months of 2026, 35% of rate changes were cuts, 39% were increases and 26% netted out flat.
The only way to see where your price stands is to get quotes and put them next to your renewal. Plenty of drivers already do: 47.3% of U.S. car insurance policies were shopped in the 12 months to March 2026, the most since tracking began in 2020. Making insurers compete for you is normal now.
Source: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, May 2026 (rate changes and shopping figures).
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.
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?
You can verify it: 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.
Prices fell. Why didn’t my renewal?
The 5.1% is a national average, not every insurer’s rate. Your insurer may not have cut in your state, and changes on your side, like a new car, a claim or a move, also change your price. Quotes from other insurers show whether yours is high.
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, and any policy you buy is paid to the insurer directly.
Your next renewal is coming either way
Prices are still well below last year’s. Compare 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.
Quotes come by phone or text, not on this page.