Here’s a breakdown of how we reviewed and rated the top auto insurance providers
When we at the MarketWatch Guides team rank the best car insurance companies, we consider each company’s average cost, variety of coverage, industry standing and customer experience. In this article, we’ll highlight the auto insurers that perform best across these categories in the state of Nebraska.
Key Takeaways
- We recommend Auto-Owners Insurance, USAA, Progressive, Nationwide and State Farm as the top auto insurers in the Cornhusker State.
- State Farm is the most popular auto insurer in Nebraska and the country as a whole.
- The average cost for full-coverage car insurance in Nebraska is $1,871 per year, which is considerably lower than the national average of $2,008 per year.
The listings that appear are from companies from which this website may receive compensation, which may impact how, where and in what order products appear. Not all companies, products or offers were reviewed in connection with this listing.
Best Car Insurance in Nebraska
Industry standing, coverage options, optional protections and customer experience are some of the key factors we considered when evaluating Nebraska auto insurance providers. We also applied average cost data from Quadrant Information Services to our research.
Standard Types of Nebraska Auto Insurance
We chose Auto-Owners as the best car insurance company in Nebraska. Household names USAA, Progressive, Nationwide and State Farm are also good options for Nebraska drivers.
With all of our recommended providers, you’ll get the following standard car insurance types:
- Bodily injury and property damage liability insurance
- Collision insurance
- Comprehensive insurance
- Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage
- Medical payments coverage (MedPay)
- Personal injury protection (PIP insurance)
Compare Nebraska Auto Insurance
Compare our top five picks for Nebraska auto insurance below. The ratings apply to how these companies perform collectively across the entire nation, but their ranking order is specifically owed to their customer satisfaction, costs and more in Nebraska. This is largely why our overall score for a lower-ranked provider may be higher than another’s.
| Best Car Insurance in Nebraska | Our National Score | Industry Standing | Availability | Coverage | Cost and Discounts | Customer Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Auto-Owners Insurance | 8.9 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 8.3 |
| 2. USAA | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 8.9 |
| 3. Progressive | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 9.5 | 7.8 | 8.7 |
| 4. Nationwide | 9.1 | 8.5 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 9.7 | 8.9 |
| 5. State Farm | 9.4 | 10 | 9.8 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 9.3 |
Before delving into each of the providers individually, you can check out the special comparison articles the MarketWatch Guides team has worked on below. At the moment, we don’t have any comparison reviews for Auto-Owners Insurance.
| USAA vs. | Progressive vs. | Geico vs. | State Farm vs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geico | State Farm | Progressive | Geico |
| Progressive | Nationwide | ||
| State Farm |
Nebraska Car Insurance Customer Experience
We examined a few important metrics when determining our industry standing and customer experience ratings, including:
- Customer satisfaction scores from the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study℠ and the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study℠
- AM Best financial strength ratings
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings
- Market data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
We also considered the results of our August 2022 car insurance survey to rate each insurer for customer experience. This survey featured nearly 7,000 respondents.
Best Car Insurance Companies in Nebraska
The following sections give more context to our ranking of the top auto insurers in the Cornhusker State. When shopping for auto insurance, it’s important to compare multiple providers to find the best rates and coverage for your needs.
Auto-Owners Insurance is a solid auto insurer across the board. The provider serves 26 states, so it isn’t as big a name as some of the others listed here. With its combination of affordable rates and discounts for both good students and college students who leave their cars at home, Auto-Owners earned our Best for Young Drivers award.
It won our No. 1 spot as the best car insurance for Nebraska because it has the cheapest average rates among the five providers here on the list, some unique add-on coverages and multiple counts of high customer satisfaction among many studies and surveys we’ve looked at or conducted.
Aside from the standard car insurance offerings you’d expect, Auto-Owners Insurance offers a range of optional protections, like roadside assistance that includes fuel delivery, battery jump-starting and lockout service. It also offers trip interruption benefits and accident forgiveness. And if you get in a car accident, Auto-Owners’ diminished value coverage makes up for your vehicle’s lost value.
USAA offers auto insurance to active military, veterans and their immediate family members. If you’re eligible, USAA can probably offer you some of the best rates. USAA also has a reputation for excellent customer service.
Progressive offers affordable average premiums and a broad selection of coverage options. We gave the provider our Best for Tech-Savvy Drivers award because of its innovative Name Your Price® Tool and the helpful and easy-to-use Progressive app.
Along with standard types of auto insurance, Progressive offers roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement and a policy that protects aftermarket equipment like navigation systems and custom paint. You can even get pet coverage and rideshare insurance through Progressive.
Progressive also features the Snapshot® usage-based program, which tracks your driving behaviors and rewards safe driving with discounts. The company claims average savings of $231 per year for good drivers, but rates can go up for those who display risky behaviors behind the wheel.
With a discount of up to 40% for safe driving in its SmartRide® program, we gave Nationwide our Best for Usage-Based Insurance award. The well-known provider also features an array of discount opportunities and optional protections.
Nationwide complements the standard types of auto coverage with add-ons like roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, gap coverage and a vanishing deductible option that takes $100 off for each year (up to five years or $500 total) of safe driving.
We also like Nationwide’s two usage-based insurance programs. SmartRide is the company’s traditional telematics program that rewards safe driving with discounted premiums. SmartMiles® is Nationwide’s pay-per-mile option, which provides flexible monthly rates based on how often you drive.
State Farm, the nation’s largest auto insurer according to the NAIC, also takes our award for Best Customer Experience. We like the provider for its affordability, excellent industry reputation and wide selection of coverage options.
We reached out to State Farm for a comment on its BBB rating, which recently tumbled to C-. A representative responded,
“As an organization, we take pride in our customer service. State Farm absolutely values the relationships we have with our customers and we encourage anyone with questions or concerns to reach out to us. They can share any questions with their agent or visit us at StateFarm.com, or call 1-800-STATE-FARM. State Farm insures over 94 million policies for our customers and grew by over 3 million policies last year.”
Along with standard auto coverage options, State Farm also features rideshare insurance (for Uber and Lyft drivers), rental car reimbursement, emergency roadside assistance and travel expense assistance for when you’re in an accident 50 miles or more from home.
State Farm’s usage-based Drive Safe & Save™ program rewards safe drivers with up to 30% off their premiums upon policy renewal. The company’s Steer ClearⓇ program offers a different spin on the usage-based insurance model by helping drivers under 25 save money and build safe driving habits at the same time.
Nebraska Car Insurance Requirements
The state-minimum requirements for liability car insurance in Nebraska are 25/50/25. You also need 25/50 in uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. That means you need the following amounts of coverage:
- $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $25,000 property damage liability per accident
- $25,000 uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury per person
- $50,000 uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury per accident
The liability limits are designed to compensate other drivers for medical bills or vehicle damage from an accident you cause. The UM/UIM coverage limits cover your injuries if you’re a victim to an accident or a hit-and-run caused by a driver with little to no insurance.
Minimum vs. Full Coverage: How Much Insurance Should You Get in Nebraska?
Minimum coverage will cost less in insurance premiums, but these savings could immediately cancel out if you get into a car accident and have to pay for your repairs and injuries mostly out of pocket. To protect yourself and your car from the repercussions of an at-fault accident, you need a full-coverage insurance policy that includes both comprehensive and collision protection. Understanding what full coverage includes can help you make an informed decision about the right policy for your needs.
Collision coverage protects your vehicle in an accident, regardless of who’s at fault. Comprehensive coverage protects your vehicle from non-collision events, like theft, vandalism or damages from acts of nature, such as floods, fires, hail, fallen tree branches and more.
You’ll probably need full coverage if you finance or lease a car. This is how lenders protect vehicles while borrowers are still making payments. Of course, a full-coverage auto insurance policy is also significantly more expensive than state-required minimum coverage.
Average Cost of Car Insurance in Nebraska
According to 2023 data from Quadrant Information Services, Nebraska drivers with good credit and clean driving records pay about $1,871 per year or $156 per month for full-coverage car insurance. This is well below the national average cost of $2,008 per year or $167 per month.
The average cost estimates for our top five providers are below. On average, Auto-Owners Insurance is the cheapest car insurance provider in Nebraska for drivers who only want minimum coverage. However, you’ll notice that Nationwide provides the most affordable rates for full coverage on average in the Cornhusker State.
| Company | Minimum Monthly Average Estimate | Minimum Annual Average Estimate | Full Monthly Average Estimate | Full Annual Average Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-Owners Insurance | $21 | $247 | $134 | $1,609 |
| USAA | $24 | $288 | $132 | $1,583 |
| Progressive | $25 | $299 | $165 | $1,978 |
| Nationwide | $30 | $362 | $111 | $1,332 |
| State Farm | $32 | $381 | $171 | $2,054 |
What Affects Car Insurance Rates in Nebraska?
Where you live in the state of Nebraska has an impact on how much you pay for car insurance. Understanding how car insurance rates vary by state can help you see how Nebraska compares to other locations nationwide. Living in a densely populated urban area typically comes with higher premiums, as there are more accidents and thefts there than in rural areas.
The following factors also help determine the price of auto coverage. Before making a decision, take time to compare auto insurance rates from multiple providers to ensure you’re getting the best deal:
- Age: Drivers in their 30s, 40s and 50s pay far lower car insurance rates than teen drivers because they have more experience behind the wheel.
- Driving record: If you have a clean driving history, you’ll pay lower rates than those with speeding tickets, at-fault accidents or DUIs on their records, as they’re seen as high-risk drivers.
- Credit score: As in most states, a poor credit score can lead to higher car insurance rates in Nebraska.
- Vehicle make and model: Exotic cars with high repair costs and performance vehicles with powerful engines are more expensive to insure.
- Deductible: Choosing a higher deductible means you pay more out of pocket for covered repairs but save on insurance premiums.
Nebraska Car Insurance Cost by City
The table below shows the average cost of full-coverage car insurance for 35-year-old Nebraska drivers with good credit and clean driving records.
| City | Monthly Average | Annual Average |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | $146 | $1,750 |
| Beatrice | $132 | $1,584 |
| Bellevue | $132 | $1,588 |
| Columbus | $127 | $1,524 |
| Fremont | $127 | $1,529 |
| Gering | $150 | $1,797 |
| Grand Island | $128 | $1,535 |
| Gretna | $128 | $1,541 |
| Hastings | $127 | $1,527 |
| Kearney | $127 | $1,529 |
| La Vista | $129 | $1,545 |
| Lexington | $141 | $1,689 |
| Lincoln | $124 | $1,487 |
| Norfolk | $128 | $1,541 |
| North Platte | $147 | $1,759 |
| Omaha | $146 | $1,756 |
| Papillion | $130 | $1,564 |
| Scottsbluff | $150 | $1,799 |
| South Sioux City | $143 | $1,718 |
| York | $126 | $1,514 |
**This cost data is from 2022.
Car Insurance Discounts in Nebraska
There are a few common car insurance discounts that can help you find the cheapest coverage in the state of Nebraska. These are a few of the most popular discount opportunities you’ll find with our top-ranked car insurance companies:
- Usage-based discounts: Also known as telematics insurance, a usage-based program tracks your driving habits through a mobile app or plug-in device. Driving safely can earn up to a 40% discount upon policy renewal depending on your provider.
- Payment discounts: Setting up automatic payments or paying in full at the start of your coverage term may get you a discount.
- Bundling discounts: Packaging your auto coverage under the same provider as your life, homeowners or renters insurance typically leads to significant savings.
- Good student discounts: Full-time students who maintain at least a “B” average can save up to 25% on their premiums.
Nebraska Car Insurance: FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Nebraska Car Insurance
The average cost of a full-coverage car insurance policy in Nebraska is $156 per month. For minimum liability coverage, the average monthly cost in the Cornhusker State is $30.
State Farm is the nation’s largest auto insurer, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Progressive and Geico take the second and third spots on this list.
Nebraska drivers must carry bodily injury liability coverage and uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage — each coverage type with $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. The state also requires $25,000 in property damage liability insurance per accident.
Our Methodology: Rating Car Insurance Companies
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
- Coverage (30% of total score): Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Cost and Discounts (25% of total score): Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities are both taken into consideration.
- Industry Standing (20% of total score): Our research team considers market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
- Customer Experience (15% of total score): This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also consider the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.
- Availability (10% of total score): Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements score highest in this category.
Our credentials:
- 800+ hours researched
- 130+ companies reviewed
- 8,500+ consumers surveyed
Studies and Ratings We Cite
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Our provider reviews cite several key industry studies and ratings, including:
- J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study The annual J.D. Power U.S. Insurance Shopping Study measures customer satisfaction and purchase experience with auto insurance providers based on five categories: brand, price, distribution channel, quote process and policy offerings. The study average score is 676/1,000.
- J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study The annual J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Study rates the claims experience customers have with different providers based on eight categories: trust, fairness of settlement, time to settle a claim, people, communication, ease of resolving a claim, ease of starting a claim and digital channels. Car insurance providers are assessed at the national level. The study average score is 697/1,000.
- NAIC Complaint Index The National Association of Insurance Commissioners Complaint Index is a representation of the number of complaints auto insurance providers receive relative to the average number of complaints for the industry based on their size. A score of 1 represents the average number of complaints for the industry.
*Data accurate at time of publication.
