Average Cost of Car Insurance in North Carolina: What Drivers Pay Per Month and What Moves Your Quote

North Carolina drivers spent an average of $925.08 per insured vehicle on car insurance in 2023, or about $77.09 a month, according to the NAIC Auto Insurance Database Report (opens in a new tab). A policy with liability, collision and comprehensive together averaged $1,096.56 a year, or about $91.38 a month. Both figures were below the national averages of $1,281.92 and $1,438.60. These are statewide averages. Your own price depends on who drives, the vehicle, where it's garaged, how it's used, the coverage and deductibles you pick and the rating factors filed for North Carolina.

What do the North Carolina averages include?

The NAIC publishes two different measures, and they answer different questions. Average expenditure is the total written premium for liability, collision and comprehensive divided by the number of insured vehicles with liability coverage. The combined average premium adds the separate liability, collision and comprehensive averages, so it describes a policy that carries all three.

The collision figure is the combined average minus the liability and comprehensive averages. The liability average comes closest to a liability-only policy, and the combined premium comes closest to what people call full coverage, which usually means liability plus collision and comprehensive. If you have a loan on your car, your lender will likely require full coverage, according to the NCDOI (opens in a new tab).

These are 2023 averages. They came before the July 1, 2025 limit increase and the rate change that took effect October 1, 2025, so a quote today reflects rules the averages don't include.

How does North Carolina compare with neighboring states?

North Carolina's 2023 averages sat below the national figures and below every neighboring state in the same NAIC report.

State averages differ for many reasons. The NAIC (opens in a new tab) points to traffic density, where people drive, accident rates, theft, repair costs, population density, medical and legal costs, liability requirements and each state's rate laws. Your own premium also turns on your driver classification, vehicle, limits, deductibles and local conditions.

Why did my North Carolina renewal go up?

Two changes in 2025 moved North Carolina prices. First, the minimum liability limits rose from 30/60/25 to 50/100/50 for policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025. Policyholders who had the old minimum limits can expect their premiums to increase at renewal, because the new limits provide more coverage, according to the NCDOI (opens in a new tab). Underinsured motorist coverage is also included in new and renewed policies from that date.

Second, the North Carolina Rate Bureau's 2025 rate filing was settled with an overall 5.0% rate level increase for private passenger cars: 9.0% for liability coverages and 0.7% for physical damage coverages. The revised rates apply to new and renewal policies effective on or after October 1, 2025, according to the Rate Bureau's June 6, 2025 circular (opens in a new tab). The same circular revised class plan factors, deductible relativities and the rules for inexperienced operators.

Those are statewide averages. Your renewal can move by more or less, depending on your limits, vehicles, drivers and records. Ask your agent which change affected your premium and by how much.

Why do quotes differ between Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington?

Where the car is garaged is one of several factors in a North Carolina premium. North Carolina law allows rates to differ by territory, and the NCDOI (opens in a new tab) lists experience, driving record, location, vehicle and use as rating factors. Two drivers with the same car can get different prices in Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh or Wilmington because the territories carry different rates, and the drivers' records and experience differ too.

The vehicle matters because collision and comprehensive pay to repair or replace it. How you use the car matters too, so describe commuting and business use accurately when you ask for a quote.

How are North Carolina car insurance rates set?

North Carolina private passenger auto rates run through the North Carolina Rate Bureau, created by G.S. 58-36-1 (opens in a new tab). The Rate Bureau files rates for liability, physical damage, medical payments and uninsured motorist coverages, and the Commissioner of Insurance reviews them. Under G.S. 58-36-10 (opens in a new tab), rates must not be excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory, and they're based on North Carolina loss and expense experience and other factors in the state.

Insurers can also apply approved deviations. G.S. 58-36-30 (opens in a new tab) lets a Rate Bureau member use an approved downward deviation for insureds 55 or older, which can be conditioned on completing an approved accident prevention course. Ask whether a deviation or discount applies to you.

How do tickets, points and new-driver status change the price?

North Carolina's Safe Driver Incentive Plan charges insurance points for moving violation convictions and at-fault accidents, and those points raise the premium. For certain convictions of four or more points on or after July 1, 2025, other than speeding convictions, the surcharge lasts five policy years instead of three, according to the NCDOI (opens in a new tab). How much a ticket costs depends on the violation, the points and the lookback rules.

New drivers pay more because inexperienced drivers have a greater crash risk, according to the NCDOI's teen driver page (opens in a new tab). For drivers first licensed on or after July 1, 2025, the inexperienced operator surcharge applies until they have eight years of experience, up from three. The surcharges in the later years are lower and decrease as experience grows.

Drivers whose policies are ceded to the North Carolina Reinsurance Facility pay Facility rates. For other-than-clean risks ceded to the Facility, the revised rates effective October 1, 2025 carried average changes of -10.0% for bodily injury, -10.1% for property damage and 0.1% for medical payments, according to the Facility's June 9, 2025 circular (opens in a new tab). Those are filed class-level changes, not a calculation of any one driver's price.

Can you pay monthly, and what happens if you miss a payment?

Installment billing may be available, but the down payment, installment charges, due dates and electronic payment terms come from the insurer and the policy. Before you accept a payment plan, ask the agency for the total installment cost, the down payment, the due dates and what happens after a missed payment.

A missed payment can end the policy. For liability, medical payments and uninsured or combined uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, the insurer must mail at least 15 days' notice before canceling for nonpayment, according to the NCDOI (opens in a new tab). Cancellation for other reasons needs at least 60 days' notice for those coverages, and other coverages need at least 10 days' notice. A canceled policy also starts the NCDMV lapse process on the registered car.

How should you compare North Carolina quotes?

Asking which company charges the least or is most recommended rarely gives a useful answer, because each price depends on the facts behind it. Compare quotes built on the same information:

• The same drivers and household members.
• The same vehicles and use.
• The same garaging address.
• The same liability limits.
• The same uninsured and underinsured motorist selections.
• The same collision and comprehensive deductibles.
• The same optional coverages.
• The same payment schedule.

Then ask each agency:

• Which limits and deductibles are included?
• Is the quote built on the 50/100/50 minimums?
• Is underinsured motorist coverage included?
• Which driver, vehicle or record detail changed the price?
• Which discounts were applied?
• Was a credit-based insurance score used?
• What are the total annual cost and the total installment cost?
• What fees apply?
• Is the policy term six months or twelve months?
• What happens after a missed payment?
• Is the quote subject to verification?

Riskado's directory lists insurance agencies across the US, including North Carolina, by city and by category, so you can ask more than one agency the same questions.

How can you check your record, an agent or a complaint?

Order your official North Carolina driving record online, by mail or in person through the NCDMV (opens in a new tab). The mail request uses the Official Driving Record Request Form, DL-DPPA-1. Checking your record before you shop lets you correct errors before they show up in a quote.

Use the North Carolina insurance license lookup (opens in a new tab) to confirm an agent's license, or call the NCDOI's Agent Services Division at 919-807-6800. If a problem isn't resolved with the agency or insurer, you can request help or file a complaint (opens in a new tab) with the NCDOI online or by mail. The NCDOI can forward the complaint to the insurer, require a response, review compliance with North Carolina requirements and require corrective action when it's appropriate. It can't act as your lawyer or decide disputed fault or the value of a claim.

Frequently asked questions

How much is car insurance per month in North Carolina?

Dividing the 2023 NAIC annual averages by 12 gives about $77.09 a month for average expenditure and about $91.38 a month for a policy with liability, collision and comprehensive. Those are averages from the NAIC (opens in a new tab), not monthly quotes. Your quote reflects your drivers, vehicle, location and coverage.

Is North Carolina car insurance expensive?

By the NAIC's 2023 figures, no. North Carolina's average expenditure of $925.08 was below the national $1,281.92 and below Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. An individual quote can still be well above the average.

What happens if I miss a car insurance payment in North Carolina?

The insurer can cancel the policy for nonpayment after mailing at least 15 days' notice for liability, medical payments and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, according to the NCDOI (opens in a new tab). A cancellation is reported to NCDMV, which can lead to lapse penalties on the registered car.

Do insurance points raise my North Carolina premium?

Yes. Moving violation convictions and at-fault accidents can add Safe Driver Incentive Plan points, which raise the premium. Certain convictions of four or more points on or after July 1, 2025 carry the surcharge for five policy years, according to the NCDOI (opens in a new tab).

Before you buy

Use the averages to judge whether a quote is in a plausible range, then get quotes on identical limits, deductibles, drivers and vehicles. Ask what changed at your last renewal, check your driving record and the agent's license, and keep each quote, the declarations page and your payment records together.