Best Auto Insurance Rates in Montana

As in real estate, location is a major factor when it comes to how auto insurance costs are determined. This is the case in the Big Sky Country too, as our study shows. We analyzed auto insurance quotes across 35+ cities in Montana for two typical drivers as a benchmark, and compared those rates across companies and cities to figure out who had the cheapest rates.

Our comparison found that quotes could range by about $1,300 or 66% between the cheapest car insurance company and the most expensive. Missoula had the best rates for auto insurance in Montana, just under $1,000 (10% better than the state). While it's harder for Montanas to move locations, it's much easier to switch companies to save on insurance costs. Read more below, or input your zip above to begin comparison shopping for great auto insurance quotes in Montana.

Contents:

• Cheapest Auto Insurance Companies
• Best Car Insurance Rates: by City
• Cost of Car Insurance: by City
• Best Auto Insurance Companies in Montana

Cheapest Auto Insurance in Montana

Our analysis incorporated quotes from several national and regional insurance providers for two sample drivers: a single 30-year-old man, and a single 65-year old man to capture a broad range of ages. We then compared the average quotes by insurer across the entire state using our two guys as a benchmark. Here's who we found to have the least expensive auto insurance rates in Montana: 

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USAA, State Farm, GEICO, and QBE Farmers Union were the four companies with the cheapest rates for car insurance in Montana. Our single 30 year old and 65 year old male drivers saw average rates of $789 for a basic liability policy among the four carriers, which was $323 or 29% lower than the statewide average across 35+ cities. Keep in mind that USAA is a specialty insurer that only covers people with a military connection: whether they have military service, or are related to someone who has served in the armed forces. With 8 Air Force and other military installations in Montana, chances are a good number of drivers may be eligible. And consumers don't actually have to be farmers to be eligible for the QBE Farmers Union's products. California Casualty (another specialty insurer) and the other companies rank among the higher side of the statewide average of $1,113 for our two benchmark drivers.

Cheapest Car Insurance in Montana: by City

The table below shows the companies with the three cheapest rates in each Montana city. Note that USAA dominated as the company with the best rates in all of the cities we looked at, but are restricted to select clientele. If you've served in the military or are on active duty, you should be eligible, along with your relatives. To keep the list broadly applicable to the general population, we're showing the next best companies, which feature State Farm, GEICO, and Farmers Union in various orders. You do not need to be a farmer in order to purchase their insurance products. These rates are based on the mean quotes we received for our two sample single male drivers across nine companies in the state. We'll start with the five most populous cities, and resume in alphabetical order for a total of 37 locations.

Billings, MT

The largest city in Montana, Billings ranks fifth in our roundup of cities with the most affordable car insurance in the state. Lewis and Clark passed through the Billings area during their expedition and carved their names into Pompeys Pillar, which was later designated a national historic landmark. The city had colorful beginnings, with several saloons and no churches. In recent times, the city has seen development of its downtown area with the influx of companies such as GE, Wells Fargo, and First Interstate Bank establishing offices here. The average premium in Billings was $1,053 for our two sample drivers – 5% lower than the state average.  

Drivers looking for the cheapest auto insurance quotes in Billings should include State Farm, Farmers Union, and GEICO (along with USAA if they've got military connections). The first three companies quoted an average cost of $758 for an annual policy, which saved our two sample drivers 28% compared to what the typical insurer charged. Allied rounds out the top five most affordable companies, with an annual rate a few dollars shy of the citywide average. If you're a single 30-year old man with an excellent driving record in Billings, you'll get your best rates at USAA, then GEICO, and then State Farm and Farmers Union. Our sample driver got quoted an average of $771 from these four companies, which was 30% lower.

Missoula, MT

The second most populous city in Montana is also the most affordable for auto insurance, with an annual premium averaging $998. That figure beats the state mean by 10%. Missoula is home to the University of Montana. The city was founded in 1860 as a trading post and its mills provided supplies to travelers journeying further west. Lumbering and the state university served as the biggest driving forces of the economy until the 1990s, when the lumber industry contracted. Missoula is home to Montana’s oldest and most active breweries, such as the Bayern Brewery.

Good news for the families affiliated with Fort Missoula - your military service is recognized through better rates on your car insurance. USAA ranked tops for cheap car insurance in Missoula, MT. GEICO, State Farm, QBE Farmers Union Insurance, and Allied followed closely for the best rates in Missoula. In aggregate, these companies quoted rates on average of $767 - $231 less per year compared to the Billings mean. Rates for our single 30 year old man - no accidents or tickets - in particular, were best at GEICO, which beat out USAA as the insurer with the best rates by $12 a year. Our 65 year old single veteran male's rates at USAA were slightly better than GEICO by $70 a year.

Great Falls, MT

For the best car insurance rates in Great Falls, we suggest drivers take a look at USAA, GEICO, Farmers Union, State Farm, and California Casualty. Based on our two sample drivers, rates to insure a vehicle with basic liability protection cost about $832 a year, which represented a 25% reduction versus what the typical company charged here. The cheapest auto insurer by far ($120 difference) in Great Falls was USAA, which the folks stationed over at Malstrom Air Force Base should be able to take advantage of. As a way of thanking these airmen for their service, USAA's rates were nearly $500 less than the city's average - a 43% savings. Civilian drivers in Great Falls have other low-cost options too: GEICO ranked as the next cheapest company, with average rates of $750 for our single 30 and 65 year old men's policies. For these two bachelors, rates were favorable by about 32% or $355 compared to what the typical carrier charged in Great Falls. Known as Electric City, Great Falls is located near a handful of hydroelectric dams. You can find both the 96 feet high Great Falls of Missouri along with 200 feet of the world's shortest river - Roe River - here in Great Falls. Drivers have access to nearly 400 miles of well-identified roads in the city, which has about 12,000 street signs.

Bozeman, MT

Who has the cheapest car insurance in Bozeman? USAA, State Farm, GEICO, and the Farmers Union (QBE) - those would be the short list of companies that we'd recommend drivers here start with. Among these four companies, rates for our two sample single men and their Toyota Camry were about $744 a year. At this level, rates were $323, or 30% cheaper than the citywide average a year. Of course, USAA has a limited pool of insureds that they serve, but State Farm and GEICO are two excellent options for cheap quotes in Bozeman based on our two guys. Paleontologists and dinosaur fans alike will find a number of fossils and standing skeletons at the Siebel Dinosaur Complex in Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies. It's said that the MOR's chief paleontologist Jack Horner served as the inspiration for a character in Jurassic Park.

Butte, MT

We found the best rates in Butte at USAA, GEICO, State Farm, QBE Farmers Insurance Union, and Allstate. In total, premiums to insure a vehicle with liability coverage among these cheap carriers ranged from $636 to $1,128, and averaged $862 a year. Mean rates among these top five companies were 25% cheaper compared to what the typical Butte insurer charged in the city, and just shy of $300 less in dollar amounts. Butte is Montana's 5th most populous city with 40,000 residents. Its development was accelerated by the discovery of the city's rich deposits of silver and copper, which led to Butte getting named "the richest hill on earth". 

Helena, MT

Helena is the capital city of the Big Sky State. It also happens to rank second in the state for affordable car insurance. Drivers can purchase auto insurance here for 8% less than the state mean, at $1,025. Located in Lewis and Clark County, Helena is famed for its outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing, and mountain biking. The city was founded at the height of the California gold rush, when prospectors discovered gold there.

For low-cost car insurance quotes, we suggest that Helena drivers include USAA, State Farm, and GEICO in their shortlist of cheap companies. Our sample drivers found rates among these three carriers that were a good 35% cheaper on average compared to the citywide mean - that's a good $355 back in drivers' pockets from comparing costs. USAA, as we mentioned, is a company that only insures people with a military connection or service, and their rates were the best in Helena for our two men. That's good news for personnel stationed or based at Fort William H. Harrison near Helena. If we exclude USAA, and just focus on State Farm, GEICo, and QBE Farmers Union for the general driver, rates are still attractive, averaging $738 for a basic liability policy and 28% lower than the city average. California Casualty rounds out our the top five lowest cost insurers in Helena, but is exclusively for select professions

Laurel, MT

Laurel was also founded during the gold rush when settlers began making their homes in the city in the late 1800s. In recent years, the major employers in Laurel are Cenex Harvest States oil refinery and the school district. Yellowstone National Park and the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument are two national landmarks that are just a short day trip away from Laurel. In Laurel, the average premium is $1,045 – 6% more favorable than the state average. When it comes to inexpensive auto insurance in Laurel, we would advise drivers to check out quotes from USAA, State Farm, QBE Farmers Union, GEICO, and Allied. With mean rates of $797, these five carriers were 24% more affordable compared to the city. Average rates at USAA, State Farm, and Farmers Union were even more favorable by 30% or $315.

Townsend, MT

Lewis and Clark passed through Townsend, our fourth-ranked cheapest city, during their famed trip in 1805. It was founded in the 1860s by settlers looking for gold, and is unofficially the first city established on the Missouri River. Today, the city is located in Broadwater County, and is a short 35-mile drive from the state capital of Montana. Driving in Townsend will cost motorists an average of $1,049 in auto insurance, which beats the mean by 6%. Drivers looking to save even more on their insurance costs should consider checking out how much their quotes would be from USAA, GEICO, State Farm, Farmers Union, California Casualty. These were the five companies our sample drivers got the cheapest quotes from (just note that California Casualty's rates were slightly higher than the Townsend average). Also, USAA and California Casualty are specialty insurers. In aggregate, the five companies saved our 30 and 65-year old male policyholders 23%, or $247 with a little bit of comparison shopping.

Kalispell, MT

The small city of Kalispell, meaning “flat land above the lake”, ranks as our most expensive city in the state with an average cost of $1,172 – 5% less favorable than the state mean. Kalispell's fertile soils have been the site of one of Montana's last mint farms, Passmore Farms. The city's commuters are served by a network of highways, such as U.S. Routes 2 and 93. Where do Kalispell drivers find the best rates for car insurance? Our two sample drivers looked at nine companies for quotes, and found the cheapest ones at USAA, State Farm, GEICO, Farmers Union, and Allied. Shopping for quotes saved our drivers anywhere from 23 to 41% on their car insurance costs. Getting a policy from the top three alone meant about $400 on average in savings, and from the top five overall about $300 - which isn't that much further off. 

Columbia Falls, MT

Located in the northwestern Flathead County, Columbia Falls takes the second spot in our roundup of cities with the most expensive average rates. When the city was first founded in the late 19th century, it was a site of logging and agriculture, with several mills and farms operating in the area. Today, the city has about 4,700 residents and is fairly densely populated, which contributes to higher than average premiums. Rates in Columbia Falls cost on average 5% more than the state mean. The average premium is $1,171. When it comes to low-cost insurance in Columbia Falls, we'd recommend residents take a look at quotes from State Farm, GEICO, and QBE Farmers' Union. If they're related to or were themselves involved in the military, USAA would be another excellent company to get a quote from. Allied helps to round out the cheapest handful of companies here. These five carriers' annual premiums in Columbia Falls averaged about 23% or $270 cheaper versus than what the typical insurer would charge.

Lewistown, MT

Lewistown ranks third on our list with an average cost of $1,159, which is 4% costlier than the state mean. The city is located in Fergus County, in the center of Montana, and was founded in 1882 during the gold rush. Lewistown is home to the annual Chokecherry Festival, which includes a chokecherry cooking competition, a pit spitting contest, and a 5k run. If any drivers are looking for affordable rates for their car insurance, our data suggests that USAA, State Farm, GEICO, Farmers Union, and Allstate have soem of the lower quotes. Annual premiums from these five companies ranged from $666 to $1,104 for our two single men (who had great driving records). Our drivers found that on average, rates among these five companies were a $860 a year for basic liability protection - which shaved off 26% or $298 from the Lewistown mean.

Whitefish, MT

Located in Flathead County, Whitefish was founded when the path of the Great Northern Railway was built through the small settlement in 1904. That transportation heritage is continued today through the historic Whitefish Depot, which is the busiest station on the Amtrak Empire Builder line. Among the city's attractions are its famous ski resort, and the World Indoor Golf Championship, which Whitefish has hosted for over 16 years. At $1,155, the average cost of car insurance in the city is 4% less favorable than the state mean. Drivers in Whitefish can still save more with a bit of comparison shopping. Our sample drivers found their best rates at USAA, State Farm, GEICO, QBE / Farmers Union, and Allied. If we exclude USAA, and take a look at the three next cheapest companies, costs were $888 for a year's worth of premiums which translated into reductions of 23% and $267 versus the Whitefish mean.

Red Lodge, MT

Red Lodge rounds off our list of the most expensive cities for auto insurance with an average annual rate of $1,152 – 4% more expensive than the state average. The city is well known for its access to outdoor sports and recreation, including skiing, mountain biking, and backpacking. Every April, Red Lodge hosts the running portion of the Peaks to Prairie triathlon. While costs are higher than the state average, individual drivers don't have to pay this much. Those who are interested in low cost quotes for their car insurance should try getting quotes from one of these four companies: USAA, State Farm, GEICO, and Farmers Union. While USAA and California Casualty are also listed in the graph below, keep in mind that they have eligibility requirements. The rates for the remaining three companies still offerred our sample drivers in Red Lodge a sizeable discount, however, of about $312 or 27% on average.

Average Cost of Auto Insurance by City

There were a total of 37 cities surveyed in our auto insurance study in Montana, including the top five cities cheapest and most expensive ones highlighted above. We present below in graph form the total list of cities, ranked from cheapest to the most expensive based on the benchmark average rate for our sample drivers.

Best Auto Insurance Companies in Montana

To find Montana's best rated car insurance companies, we calculated the complaint index for the largest companies who had at least $10 million in premiums. The index compares a company’s complaints and premiums to the industry’s complaints and premiums statewide. With this metric, we can infer how satisfied consumers are based on the amount of complaints of each provider receives while accounting for its size. An index of 1 is average, so the lower the number, the better the company is compared to its competitors (the lower its percentage of complaints relative to its business). This analysis indicates that Progressive, USAA, Travelers, Farmers and State Farm ranked as the best car insurance companies in Montana.

How We Conducted the Study

We looked at rates in Montana for two sample drivers in more than 35 cities within the state: a single 30 year old male and a single 65 year old male driver. Both own their vehicles and drive a 2010 Toyota Camry back and forth from work, for the most part, about 12,000 miles a year. They also have good credit history and a great driving record with no accidents or traffic violations in the past five years.

Costs are based on basic liability protection for the 2010 Toyota Camry, and provides about twice the minimum liability required in Montana. Montana requires minimum auto insurance liability of $25,000 per person for bodily injury protection and up to $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 for property damage per accident. The state doesn’t require uninsured motorist coverage, but requires that insurance companies offered as part of liability coverage. Drivers have the option of declining this coverage in writing. We included national insurers such as GEICO, Allstate, and State Farm in our study.

Individual consumers' quotes will differ from the annual premiums above, which are for illustrative purposes. Quotes will depend on each driver's particular circumstances, desired liability limits, vehicles, and exact location.

The table below shows which cities were included in our Montana premium comparison in alphabetical order. We've also displayed the average annual premiums from our sample drivers that was used to benchmark the cities, along with their average change versus the Montana mean.

Sources:
Minimum Liability Insurance Limits in Montana: https://dojmt.gov/driving/insurance-and-verification/
Montana Census Population: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/30000.html
Image Courtesy of 42353480@N02 / Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/8WFdZ4