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The cheapest full coverage car insurance in Tennessee in 2026 is Root, at $146 a month ($1,750 a year) on average, according to Experian data from October 2026 based on policies quoted through its automotive insurance marketplace. Lemonade is next at $157 a month, and National General at $162. The statewide average for full coverage is $205 a month, so the cheapest carrier runs about $59 a month below the average. This guide lays out the cheapest carrier for every driver type, why the cheapest lists disagree, and what Tennessee drivers pay by city.
The first thing to know is that the cheapest carrier changes with the driver. Experian’s marketplace data names Root cheapest. InsuranceQuotes’ filed rate data names Progressive cheapest among the three major insurers it compared, at $123 a month, with Travelers at $117 on a wider list. ValuePenguin names Travelers cheapest at $140 a month for a 30 year old man. MoneyGeek names Travelers cheapest at $78 a month for a 40 year old with good credit. Insurify names State Farm cheapest at $74 a month. All five are measuring real prices, and all five are right for the driver they priced. The only wrong move is trusting one list without quoting for yourself.
What is the cheapest car insurance in Tennessee in 2026?
Root offers the cheapest full coverage car insurance in Tennessee at $146 a month, or $1,750 a year, per Experian data from October 2026. Lemonade averages $157 a month, National General $162, GEICO $174, and Progressive $176. For minimum liability coverage, Liberty Mutual Direct is cheapest at $63 a month, or $758 a year. The statewide average for full coverage is $205 a month ($2,463 a year), so switching from the average carrier to Root saves about $708 a year.
| Company | Full coverage per month | Full coverage per year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root | $146 | $1,750 | Experian, Oct. 2026 |
| Lemonade | $157 | $1,882 | Experian, Oct. 2026 |
| National General | $162 | $1,948 | Experian, Oct. 2026 |
| GEICO | $174 | $2,094 | Experian, Oct. 2026 |
| Progressive | $176 | $2,108 | Experian, Oct. 2026 |
| Travelers | $117 | $1,408 | InsuranceQuotes / Quadrant, Sept. 30, 2026 |
| Progressive | $123 | $1,480 | InsuranceQuotes / Quadrant, Sept. 30, 2026 |
| State Farm | $74 | Not published | Insurify, Nov. 1, 2026 |
| Travelers | $78 | Not published | MoneyGeek, 2026 |
| Travelers | $140 | Not published | ValuePenguin, 30 year old man |
| Progressive | $99 | $595 per 6 months | The Zebra, 2026 |
InsuranceQuotes’ filed rate data tells a different story from Experian’s marketplace data, and both are worth reading. On filed rates for a 40 year old with a clean record, Travelers averages $117 a month for full coverage, USAA $121, Progressive $123, Auto-Owners $141, Tennessee Farm Bureau $159, Erie $165, GEICO $169, and Allstate $267. The gap between Travelers and Allstate is $150 a month, or $1,800 a year, for the same driver and the same coverage. USAA is open only to the military community. The cheapest carrier on filed rates and the cheapest carrier on marketplace quotes differ because they price different drivers, but both lists agree that Allstate is the carrier to beat and that the spread between carriers is the largest saving available.
Why do the cheapest carrier lists disagree?
Each dataset prices a different driver. Experian’s figures come from policies actually quoted through its marketplace in October 2026, which skews toward shoppers who compare prices online. InsuranceQuotes prices a 40 year old with a clean record, 100/300/100 liability limits, and $500 deductibles, using rates filed with state regulators as of September 30, 2026. ValuePenguin prices a 30 year old man. MoneyGeek prices a 40 year old with good credit and $1,000 deductibles. Insurify prices real time quotes across a mix of ages. The Zebra prices its own user profile across Tennessee ZIP codes.
Root is a useful example of why the driver matters. Root prices on driving behavior through a telematics app, so it is cheapest for drivers who drive smoothly and little, and it is not the cheapest for everyone. State Farm is cheapest on Insurify’s quote mix at $74 a month, but it does not appear at the top of Experian’s or InsuranceQuotes’ lists. Travelers is cheapest on three of the six datasets, which makes it the most consistent pick, but even Travelers ranges from $78 to $140 a month depending on who is being priced. The lists disagree because the drivers disagree, and the only way to know your cheapest carrier is to quote your own profile with at least three of the names on these lists.
Cheapest car insurance in Tennessee by driver type
The cheapest carrier changes again when the driver changes. A 16 year old girl pays the most of any driver in the state, and a senior with a clean record pays among the least. The table below pulls the cheapest carrier for each driver type from the dataset that prices it.
| Driver type | Cheapest carrier | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full coverage, average driver | Root | $146 a month | Experian, Oct. 2026 |
| Minimum coverage, average driver | Liberty Mutual Direct | $63 a month | Experian, Oct. 2026 |
| Minimum coverage | Farm Bureau | $31 a month | MoneyGeek, 2026 |
| Full coverage, 40 year old good credit | Travelers | $78 a month | MoneyGeek, 2026 |
| Full coverage, 30 year old man | Travelers | $140 a month | ValuePenguin, 2026 |
| Full coverage, 40 year old clean record | Travelers | $117 a month | InsuranceQuotes / Quadrant |
| Teen driver, female age 16 | Farm Bureau | $299 a month | MoneyGeek, 2026 |
| Senior driver | Travelers | $84 a month | MoneyGeek, 2026 |
| Driver with bad credit | GEICO | $218 a month | MoneyGeek, 2026 |
| Liability only | Progressive | $28 a month | InsuranceQuotes / Quadrant |
| Liability only | Auto-Owners | $43 a month | ValuePenguin, 2026 |
Two patterns stand out. Travelers is the cheapest full coverage carrier for the average driver, the 30 year old, the 40 year old, and the senior, which makes it the first quote to get. Farm Bureau is the cheapest for the two extremes, the teen driver and the minimum coverage buyer, at $299 a month for a 16 year old girl and $31 a month for minimum liability. Tennessee Farm Bureau is a regional carrier that many comparison sites skip, so drivers who only check the national brands never see its price. Our guide to the cheapest car insurance by age shows how the same pattern plays out nationally, with teen rates running several times the adult average in every state.
Cheapest car insurance by Tennessee city
Travelers has the cheapest full coverage in 78 percent of Tennessee cities and towns, per ValuePenguin’s analysis of 278,960 quotes from nine leading carriers. Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville are all on that list. Memphis is the most expensive large city in the state for car insurance, as it is for homeowners insurance, while the smaller cities in East Tennessee run cheapest. The Zebra puts the statewide average for a six month full coverage policy at $972, or about $162 a month, with Progressive cheapest at $99 a month for full coverage and $33 a month for liability on its user profile.
City rates follow the same pattern as homeowners rates: traffic density, theft, and claim frequency set the range. Memphis has the state’s highest rates for both home and auto, and Knoxville the lowest among large cities. The gap between the two cities is smaller for car insurance than for homeowners insurance, because a car moves with its driver while a house stays in one ZIP code. Even so, a Memphis driver who switches from Allstate at $267 a month to Travelers at $117 a month saves $150 a month, $1,800 a year, which is more than any city move would save.
What coverage does Tennessee require?
Tennessee requires liability coverage of 25/50/15: $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $15,000 for property damage. That is the state minimum, and it is low. A single serious accident can produce medical bills far above $25,000, and the driver is personally responsible for everything above the limit. Most drivers buy at least 100/300/100, which is the benchmark the datasets above use.
Tennessee also requires uninsured motorist coverage, unless the driver rejects it in writing. About 20 percent of Tennessee drivers are uninsured, one of the highest rates in the country, so the uninsured motorist cover is worth keeping. The state does not require collision or comprehensive cover, but a lender will require both if the car is financed or leased. Full coverage in these tables means liability plus collision and comprehensive, which is the cover just over half of Tennessee drivers buy, per The Zebra.
A worked example: the $1,800 gap between two full coverage quotes
Take a 40 year old driver with a clean record in Nashville, buying full coverage with 100/300/100 limits and $500 deductibles. With Travelers, InsuranceQuotes puts the average at $117 a month, or $1,408 a year. With Allstate, the same driver averages $267 a month, or $3,204 a year. The difference is $150 a month, $1,800 a year, for the same driver, the same car, and the same coverage.
Now compare that gap with the saving from dropping to minimum coverage. With Progressive, liability only at 25/50/15 averages $28 a month, against $123 a month for full coverage, a saving of $95 a month, or $1,140 a year. The carrier switch saves more than dropping collision and comprehensive, and it keeps the cover. A driver who only shops one carrier and then drops coverage to save money is leaving the bigger saving on the table. Quote three carriers first, then decide how much coverage to buy.
How to get the cheapest rate without dropping coverage you need
Quote Travelers, Progressive, GEICO, and Root together, with the same limits and the same deductibles, so the numbers are comparable. Add Tennessee Farm Bureau to the list, because it wins for teen drivers and minimum coverage buyers and many comparison sites skip it. Root prices on driving behavior through its app, so it rewards smooth, low mileage driving and penalizes the opposite; a two week test drive in the app is free and tells you your price before you commit.
Raise the collision and comprehensive deductibles from $500 to $1,000 if you can cover the extra $500 after an accident. The saving is typically 15 to 25 percent off the collision and comprehensive portion of the premium. Bundle home and auto with the same carrier, and ask about usage based pricing if you drive under 7,500 miles a year. Keep uninsured motorist coverage, given that about one in five Tennessee drivers has no insurance at all.
Check your credit before you shop. Tennessee permits credit based insurance scoring, and a weak score can double a premium. Drivers whose credit has improved since their last renewal should ask for a re-rate. If you own a home in the state too, our guide to how much homeowners insurance costs in Tennessee shows the same carrier and location patterns on the home side, and bundling the two policies with one carrier can save on both. Drivers comparing nationally can check our cheapest car insurance companies in 2026 ranking, our cheapest car insurance in Florida guide, and our Texas car insurance guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest car insurance in Tennessee in 2026?
Root, at $146 a month ($1,750 a year) for full coverage on average, per Experian data from October 2026. Lemonade is next at $157 a month and National General at $162. On filed rate data, Travelers is cheapest at $117 a month for a 40 year old with a clean record. The winner changes with the driver, so quote several carriers.
What is the cheapest minimum car insurance in Tennessee?
Farm Bureau, at $31 a month for minimum liability coverage, per MoneyGeek. Liberty Mutual Direct is cheapest on Experian marketplace data at $63 a month. Progressive averages $28 a month for liability only at 25/50/15 on InsuranceQuotes filed rate data. The figures differ because each dataset prices a different driver.
How much is car insurance in Tennessee on average?
Full coverage averages $205 a month ($2,463 a year) on Experian marketplace data, and $187 a month ($2,238 a year) on InsuranceQuotes filed rate data for a 40 year old with a clean record. Insurify puts the average lower at $132 a month. The datasets differ in driver mix and coverage limits, so the range is $132 to $205 a month.
What is the minimum car insurance in Tennessee?
Tennessee requires liability coverage of 25/50/15: $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage. Uninsured motorist coverage is also required unless you reject it in writing. Most drivers buy more than the minimum, because $25,000 does not cover a serious accident.
Is Travelers really the cheapest car insurance in Tennessee?
On three of the six datasets used here, yes. Travelers is cheapest for full coverage on InsuranceQuotes filed rates at $117 a month, on MoneyGeek at $78 a month, and on ValuePenguin at $140 a month, and it is cheapest in 78 percent of Tennessee cities on ValuePenguin data. On Experian marketplace data, Root is cheaper at $146 a month. Quote both.
How much does credit affect car insurance in Tennessee?
A lot. MoneyGeek puts full coverage for a driver with bad credit at $218 a month with GEICO, the cheapest carrier for that profile, against $78 a month with Travelers for a driver with good credit. Tennessee permits credit based insurance scoring, and the swing can exceed $1,500 a year.
Experian publishes the Tennessee cheapest carrier figures used above in its cheapest car insurance in Tennessee guide, based on October 2026 marketplace data. InsuranceQuotes publishes its Tennessee filed rate figures in its average cost of car insurance in Tennessee page, with rates insurers filed with state regulators as of September 30, 2026, compiled by Quadrant Information Services. ValuePenguin publishes its Tennessee cheapest carrier and city analysis in its best cheap car insurance in Tennessee guide.
