Average Cost of Car Insurance in Maryland: What Drivers Pay and What Drives Your Quote

A Maryland policy carrying liability, collision and comprehensive coverage averaged $1,767.57 a year in 2024, or about $147.30 a month, according to the NAIC 2024 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (opens in a new tab). Maryland's 2024 average expenditure, which estimates what consumers spent across vehicles with different coverage choices, was $1,626.11 a year, or about $135.51 a month. The average liability premium alone was $943.89 a year, about $78.66 a month. These are statewide personal auto averages, not quotes. Your own price depends on where the car is garaged, who drives it, the vehicle, your limits and deductibles, your claims and driving record, mileage and the insurer's other filed rating factors.

If you're checking a new quote or a renewal against these numbers, start by making sure you're comparing it with the right kind of average.

What the Maryland averages include

The NAIC publishes three different kinds of average, and each one answers a slightly different question.

Source: NAIC 2024 supplement (opens in a new tab). Monthly figures are annual averages divided by 12.

The liability average premium covers the liability-related coverages in the NAIC's liability category, including bodily injury, property damage, uninsured or underinsured motorist and other liability components. It's the closest statewide benchmark for a liability-only policy.

The combined average premium adds the liability, collision and comprehensive averages together. It's the closest benchmark for what people often call "full coverage," though it isn't a standard quote, because limits, deductibles, vehicles and policy features vary from one policy to the next.

The average expenditure divides total written premiums for liability, collision and comprehensive by liability written car-years. Because plenty of insured vehicles don't carry collision or comprehensive, it lands below the combined figure.

The data combine voluntary and residual-market business, include Maryland Auto Insurance policies, and leave out motorcycles, recreational vehicles, campers, trailers and all-terrain vehicles, according to the NAIC supplement.

How Maryland compares with other states

By 2024 combined average premium, Maryland ranked 10th highest among the 50 states, or 11th among the 51 jurisdictions when the District of Columbia is included, according to the NAIC 2024 supplement (opens in a new tab). State rankings come with a caution. State averages reflect accident rates, traffic density, theft, repair costs, medical and legal costs, weather, population density, underwriting expenses, the coverage people choose and each state's laws, according to the NAIC. A higher state average doesn't tell you how your own quote will compare with a driver's across the border.

Why two Maryland drivers can get very different quotes

Insurers price each driver and vehicle separately, and the Maryland Insurance Administration's auto rate guidance (opens in a new tab) lists the factors commonly used:

• Driving record and recent violations.
• Geographic area, often county or ZIP code.
• Age, gender and marital status.
• Length of time licensed.
• Prior insurance history and any lapses.
• Annual mileage.
• Vehicle age, make, model and value.
• Vehicle use, including business use.
• Claims history.
• Credit history, within Maryland's limits.
• Coverage limits and deductibles.

Driving history has a time limit. Insurers may consider accidents and violations from the preceding three years but may not raise rates based on accidents or violations more than three years old, according to the MIA. Separately, Maryland Insurance Article §27-501 (opens in a new tab) bars an insurer from canceling, refusing to underwrite or refusing to renew based wholly or partly on race, color, creed, sex or blindness, or on arbitrary, capricious or unfairly discriminatory grounds.

Why location matters so much in Maryland

Claim frequency differs from place to place, so insurers rate by territory, and counties and ZIP codes are the territories most commonly used, according to the MIA. You can see the effect yourself in the MIA's interactive auto rate guide (opens in a new tab), which shows sample annual premiums from listed insurers for a chosen driver scenario, county or city, and ZIP code. Comparing Baltimore City with Baltimore County, Montgomery County or Prince George's County there shows how much territory alone can move a sample rate.

Treat those figures as samples rather than county averages. Not every driver qualifies with every insurer, and the samples don't reflect every discount, vehicle or age bracket. When you get a real quote, ask the agency which territory, county or ZIP code is being rated.

How Maryland treats credit history

An insurer may use credit history when writing an initial policy but may not increase a renewal premium based on your credit history, according to the MIA's consumer guide to auto insurance (opens in a new tab). Insurers also may not apply a credit surcharge above 40%, use the absence of a credit history or an inability to obtain one, use the number of credit inquiries, or use credit information more than five years old. You may request one credit recheck per policy period.

If credit is part of a new quote, it's fair to ask whether the agency can show how much of the price is tied to it.

What a new or young driver does to the price

A new, inexperienced driver generally increases the premium, and adding a teen can raise the parents' rates because teenagers and young adults have higher accident risk, according to the MIA's tips for young drivers (opens in a new tab). A teen's own driving record can then affect the household policy.

Discounts can soften the increase, subject to each insurer's rules. The MIA describes discounts for good students (commonly a B average or better), defensive-driver or driver-education courses, telematics, a good driving record, safety and anti-theft devices, multiple vehicles or policies, renewal or continuous coverage, and certain memberships or employers, in its guidance on getting the most for your auto insurance dollar (opens in a new tab). Ask which ones apply and what proof the insurer needs.

Why a renewal can go up without a ticket or claim

A clean year doesn't always mean a flat renewal. General rate increases can apply to everyone with an insurer, driven by higher repair and parts costs, higher used-car values and total-loss settlements, wages, electricity and mailing costs, inflation and reserve requirements, according to the MIA (opens in a new tab).

Insurers file their rates and rate-increase requests with the MIA, which reviews them to determine whether they're excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory and whether the insurer stays financially stable, according to the MIA's file-and-use explanation (opens in a new tab). The MIA doesn't set each insurer's individual rate.

Recent increases have had several causes. Post-pandemic premium growth in Maryland came from inflation, injury-claim severity, vehicle repair and replacement costs, supply-chain disruption and more miles driven, according to the MIA's 2025 affordability workgroup report (opens in a new tab). The same report says rate filings submitted in 2025 suggested general increases had begun to ease as inflation cooled.

How to compare Maryland quotes fairly

Two quotes only tell you something if they describe the same policy. Give every insurer or producer the same vehicle description, vehicle use, license information, household drivers, coverages and limits, and compare quotes with the same limits, coverages and deductibles, according to the MIA's auto insurance shopping tips (opens in a new tab). Your current declarations page lists those details, which makes it easier to reproduce your existing coverage, and the MIA explains each field in its guide to understanding your declarations page (opens in a new tab).

Collision and comprehensive aren't required by state law, but a lender or lessor may require them on a financed or leased car, according to the NAIC (opens in a new tab). Check that requirement before dropping either coverage to lower a quote.

These questions help when you sit down with an agency:

• Are all the quotes built on identical limits, coverages and deductibles?
• Which drivers and vehicles are included, and is any vehicle rated for business use?
• Which territory, county or ZIP code is being rated?
• Which accidents or violations are affecting the price?
• Is credit history being used, and can you see the credit-related portion?
• Are the PIP choices the same in every quote?
• Which discounts apply, and what documentation is required?
• What would cause a renewal increase?

The MIA's guide to choosing an insurance producer (opens in a new tab) covers what to expect from an agent or broker. Riskado's directory lists insurance agencies across the US, state by state, including agencies by city across Maryland, so you can collect several quotes on the same terms.

What happens if your coverage lapses

Maryland requires continuous insurance on registered vehicles, and the MVA places insurance flags on a vehicle when coverage can't be verified, according to the MVA's vehicle flags page (opens in a new tab). If a policy ends, the insurer notifies the MVA, which may send an FR-19 request for proof of coverage and assess an uninsured-vehicle penalty for each day coverage can't be verified, according to the MIA's consumer guide (opens in a new tab). Registration or plate privileges can be affected too.

A lapse also shows up later as prior insurance history, which is one of the MIA's listed rating factors. When switching insurers, confirm the new policy is in force before canceling the old one, and answer any FR-19 request promptly.

Where Maryland Auto Insurance fits

Maryland Auto Insurance (opens in a new tab) exists to provide auto liability insurance to Maryland residents who can't get insurance in the private market. It serves drivers who have been denied or canceled because of lapses, credit issues or other eligibility problems, not only drivers with poor records, according to its who we serve page (opens in a new tab). It's funded by policyholder premiums, revenues and investment income rather than state general funds.

Its rating works a little differently. Maryland Auto doesn't use credit, education or occupation in premium rating, but it does consider driving record, age, sex, marital status, garaging location, vehicle type and vehicle use, according to the Maryland Auto FAQ (opens in a new tab). Its basic rates are generally in line with the rest of the Maryland market, while individual premiums vary by driver and vehicle.

How points on your record affect insurance

Points from qualifying violations can raise auto insurance rates because insurers review driving records, according to the MVA's driver's license points page (opens in a new tab). The MVA also acts on points directly: 3 to 4 points brings a warning letter, 5 to 7 requires the Driver Improvement Program, 8 to 11 brings a notice of suspension, and 12 or more brings a notice of revocation. You can order, view and print a certified or non-certified driving record through a myMVA account, which helps if a quote seems to reflect a violation you didn't expect.

Frequently asked questions

How much is car insurance per month in Maryland?

Based on the NAIC's 2024 figures, a policy with liability, collision and comprehensive averaged about $147.30 a month, and liability alone averaged about $78.66 a month. Both are statewide averages divided by 12, so your quote can land well above or below them.

Can a Maryland insurer raise my renewal because of my credit?

No. Credit history can be used for an initial policy, but a renewal premium may not be increased based on your credit history, according to the MIA consumer guide (opens in a new tab). You can also ask for one credit recheck each policy period.

How long do accidents and tickets affect Maryland rates?

Insurers may consider accidents and violations from the preceding three years. They may not raise rates based on ones older than that, according to the MIA (opens in a new tab).

Is Maryland Auto Insurance paid for by taxpayers?

No. Maryland Auto is funded by policyholder premiums, revenues and investment income and doesn't receive state general-fund money, according to Maryland Auto (opens in a new tab). Its data are included in the NAIC's statewide Maryland averages.

Turning the average into your own number

The statewide averages give you a fair starting point, but your quote reflects your address, drivers, vehicle, record and coverage choices. Pull your declarations page and driving record, list every household driver, and ask two or three licensed agencies to quote the same limits, deductibles and PIP selections. Comparing those side by side will show you far more than the state average can.