Compare Tennessee Car Insurance Rates [2023]

As you may have already noticed, some companies charge you noticeably higher rates for higher coverage levels, but some show a fairly narrow premium gap for high vs. low levels of coverage.

Let’s look at a few examples.

Liberty Mutual charges insureds with high coverage levels approximately $400 more per year than individuals with low levels of coverage. However, a carrier like Nationwide only charges consumers with high levels of coverage about $20 more per year than insureds with low coverage levels.

In addition, State Farm charges the cheapest rates for high coverage levels of all the Tennessee car insurance companies listed.

Credit History Rates

Except for a very few states where the practice is illegal, car insurance companies can and do factor your credit history into the picture when assessing your rates. Tennessee car insurance carriers are no exception.

A recent study by Experian reported that the typical Tennessee resident has a VantageScore of 662, with 2.77 credit cards apiece and an average balance of $5,975. This Vantage Score is a bit under the nationwide highest average credit score of 675.

Check out the table below to see how top Tennessee car insurance carriers assess consumer rates based on their credit score.

If you start at the left column and work your way right, you’ll see that the worse a person’s credit history is, the higher their rates will be. Liberty Mutual has the most notable gap in rates for good vs. poor credit, as they charge insureds with poor credit roughly $4,600 more per year than individuals with good credit.

The company that seems to be the most forgiving of poor credit history is Travelers, which charges insureds with poor credit about $5,400 less than a carrier like Liberty Mutual does.

Driving Record Rates

You likely already know that your driving record is one of the most critical factors Tennessee car insurance carriers will look at when determining your rates. Whether or not you have a clean driving record correlates directly with how much of an insurance risk you pose to any given carrier.

Some companies are definitely more forgiving of a poor driving record than others, as evidenced by the data our researchers gathered above.

Getting car insurance after a DUI is always going to be harder. You’ll note that a carrier like Allstate charges insureds with one DUI almost $1,800 more annually than they do consumers with a clean record.

With a carrier like Progressive, the yearly rate difference is only roughly $200. Progressive actually charges the highest rates to drivers with one accident on their record, tacking almost $1,000 more onto insureds’ yearly premiums if they have had a single collision vs. a clean record.

The 10 Largest Car Insurance Companies in Tennessee

Number of Car Insurance Providers in Tennessee

Driving Laws in Tennessee

In addition to securing the best rates for your Tennessee car insurance coverage, another important element motorists need to be aware of is the state’s driving laws. In order to stay safe behind the wheel and keep your premiums down, you which laws govern motorists and how they apply to you.

Keep reading for the lowdown on everything from Tennessee car insurance laws to vehicle licensing laws to rules of the road and beyond.

Tennessee’s Car Insurance Laws

Car insurance laws can fluctuate widely from state to state, and Tennessee is certainly no exception. From high-risk insurance options to the statute of limitations governing personal injury actions in the event of a collision—it’s all here.

Without further ado, let’s jump right in.

High-Risk Insurance

If you have a history of auto accidents or traffic violations, insurance companies could view you as too high a risk to insure and you could find it extremely challenging or even impossible to secure high-risk car insurance coverage through the voluntary insurance market.

If this scenario applies to you, you could be eligible to secure coverage through the state’s high-risk program, known as the Tennessee Automobile Insurance Plan (TNAIP). Since its inception in 1949, TNAIP has existed to offer coverage to drivers who are unable to obtain insurance through the voluntary market.

TNAIP doesn’t provide coverage but is a state-sponsored organization that assigns high-risk motorists to carriers across Tennessee. Any carrier that wishes to write premiums in the state must agree to take on part of the high-risk driving population.

TNAIP assigns high-risk drivers to carriers based on the company’s share of the insurance market. For example, if Geico represented 10 percent of the total auto insurance market in Tennessee, they would receive 10 percent of all high-risk drivers in the TNAIP program.

Bear in mind, that you won’t be able to choose your carrier through TNAIP. Instead, the program assigns an insurer to you.

Assuming you hold a current Tennessee driver’s license and have a car registered (or soon to be registered) in The Volunteer State, you are technically eligible to apply for coverage through TNAIP.

To qualify, you must also fulfill the following criteria:

• You must confirm in your application that you have tried to secure insurance through the voluntary market during the past 60 days but were unsuccessful in doing so.
• You must complete the application thoroughly and truthfully. If a carrier has trouble validating your driver information, this could be enough for them to refuse you coverage.
• If you haven’t fulfilled a carrier premium during the 12 months prior to your application, TNAIP mandates that you pay this before moving your application forward.
• If you want insurance to cover physical car damage, you must allow your vehicle to undergo an inspection, or that part of your insurance could be denied.

If you have any issues with your initial TNAIP application, such as outstanding bills, you can reapply to the program once the matter or matters have been resolved.

However, if the insurer deems that the information you submitted on your application was not completely truthful (such as leaving out important pieces of information), it is at their discretion to deny coverage. In that case, you would have to wait another 12 months before you could apply to TNAIP again.

Your coverage through TNAIP will be very much like the insurance you would obtain through the voluntary market, with the difference being that your premiums will be higher. After an insurer is assigned to you, your policy will be in force for a period of three years following.

You can use this window of time to work on your driving record so that it is possible for you to secure coverage through the voluntary market at lower rates. You must also stay up to date with your monthly auto insurance payments.

If you do find that you are able to secure better coverage before the three year period is completely up, you have the option to notify your insurer and switch over.

Your assigned insurer would then provide a refund of the premium remaining, in addition to a 10 percent surcharge for early policy termination.

On the other hand, if the three-year period ends and you are still considered a high-risk driver, you can always re-apply to the program for coverage.

You have three different options to pay your auto insurance premiums through TNAIP, which are as follows:

• Pay 100 percent of the premium at the outset.
• Pay 30 percent of the premium at the outset when you submit your application, and the rest after 30 days.
• Pay 25 percent of the premium at the outset, then the remainder over the course of five monthly payments of equal amounts. The full premium would then be paid off after six months.

Installment plans do carry a $4 processing fee. Any insurance agent licensed to do business in the state can tell you more about TNAIP if you are interested and can assist you with applying through the electronic program EASi.

Visit TNAIP’s website or contact the Tennesee Department of Commerce for additional information.

Low-Cost Insurance

Only a few states offer sponsored low-cost insurance programs to drivers who meet certain eligibility factors for coverage. However, Tennessee doesn’t have one of these programs at this time.

Windshield Coverage

Some states require a waived deductible if you need repairs done on your car, while others make it mandatory to use only original manufacturer replacement parts.

Currently, The Volunteer State doesn’t have any laws in place unique to broken windshield car insurance, such as a preferred repair shop choice or the use of original manufacturer parts instead of aftermarket ones.

Read more: Does insurance cover broken car windows?

Automobile Insurance Fraud in Tennessee

As is the case in other states nationwide, Tennessee car insurance fraud is a very grave offense that can carry very steep penalties for offenders.

Essentially, insurance fraud is when someone tries to receive benefits or make money in the course of an insurance transaction that they would not otherwise be due, such as by lying or misrepresenting the facts of the scenario.

Both insurers and insureds can be found guilty of committing insurance fraud, but for the purposes of this guide, we will focus solely on consumer auto insurance fraud.

Tennessee laws governing insurance fraud in the state include Tennessee Code Title 56 Chapter 53 and Tennessee Code Section 39-14-133.

It is a crime to with full knowledge and intent defraud an insurer for money or some other benefit and engage in insurance transactions containing misrepresentation of facts, such as on your renewal, payment, or policy application. Knowingly supplying a false claim or documents for insurance benefits is also banned.

The penalties for insurance fraud are as follows, based on the severity of the offense at play:

• Fraudulent acts involving $500 or under for property or services acquired are categorized as a Class A Misdemeanor, punishable by under 11 months and 29 days imprisonment and fines up to $2,500.
• Fraudulent acts involving $500 to $10,000 acquired are categorized as a Class E Felony, punishable by 1-6 years imprisonment and up to $3,000 in fines.
• Fraudulent acts involving $1,000 to $10,000 acquired are categorized as a Class D Felony, punishable by 2-12 years imprisonment and up to $5,000 in fines.
• Fraudulent acts involving $10,000 to $60,000 acquired are categorized as a Class C Felony, punishable by 3-15 years imprisonment and up to $10,000 in fines.
• Fraudulent acts involving $60,000 or more acquired are categorized as a Class B Felony, punishable by 8-30 years imprisonment and up to $25,000 in fines.

If convicted of insurance fraud, the individual may also be obligated to pay restitution back to the injured parties.

Insurance fraud is no joke. Don’t commit insurance fraud, and you can rest easy that none of these penalties will ever apply to you.

Statute of Limitations

If you get into an auto accident in the state of Tennessee and are injured as a result, you have a period of one year from the date of the collision to file a lawsuit with the courts against the at-fault driver. This one-year window is known as your statute of limitations.

You must pursue your case within that one-year period, or be forever barred from doing so. Note that the statute of limitations for bringing forward a property damage lawsuit is three years from the date of the collision.

It is also worth noting that a case’s statute of limitations is not to be confused with the period in which you should file a claim with your insurer following a collision. Most carriers want you to notify them of an accident within a few days, or at most a few weeks after the fact.

Tennessee’s Modified Comparative Fault Rule

There may be times when a driver gets into an auto accident in Tennessee, pursues a case or files suit, and is accused by other parties of having been totally or partially at fault for the wreck themselves.

Under Tennessee’s modified comparative fault rule, courts in the state can reduce or eliminate the person’s total awarded damages based on the amount of fault they bear for the collision.

Let’s look at an example.

Imagine that you are at a red light when another driver rear-ends your vehicle. When the accident occurred, one of your brake lights was on the fritz.

As a result, the court rules that you are 30 percent at fault for the collision and the other driver bears 70 percent of the blame.

Let us also suppose that your total damages are $20,000. Since you were determined to bear 30 percent of the fault for the accident, the modified comparative fault rule means that your damages would be cut by 30 percent, or $6,000. You would still be eligible to be awarded the remaining $14,000.

However, you can only be partially at fault for a collision and still collect damages if you are less 50 percent to blame. If your fault totals 50 percent or more, you will not be able to recover any damages at all.

Tennessee’s Vehicle Licensing Laws

The REAL ID Act sets certain security standards in place for the issuance of licenses and bars Federal agencies from accepting IDs for certain purposes (such as boarding a domestic flight) if they do not fulfill the REAL ID criterion.

Tennessee is currently in compliance with the REAL ID Act, which means that Federal agencies can accept IDs and a driver’s license from the state at nuclear power plants and other Federal facilities.

The Department of Homeland Security began enforcing REAL ID standards in January 2018, but any individual wishing to travel via air will require a REAL ID-compliant license or similarly accepted ID form like a passport by October 1, 2020, in order to fly domestically.

Let’s take a closer look at the key vehicle licensing laws in Tennessee.

Penalties for Driving Without Insurance

If you wish to get behind the wheel in Tennessee, you must carry and maintain at least the state-mandated minimum car insurance coverages and carry proof of insurance with you at all times.

You can provide proof of insurance in the following ways:

• Your insurance policy binder
• Your insurance card from an insurer licensed and authorized to do business in the state
• Your insurance policy declaration page
• Electronic proof of insurance

Being caught driving without insurance in The Volunteer State means you could face fines up to $300, in addition to being charged with a Class C Misdemeanor which could see you having your vehicle towed, license suspended, and registration suspended.

You may also be obliged to file an SR-22 car insurance document with Tennessee’s Department of Insurance every year for three years following the offense, which your insurer will charge you additional filing fees for.

To have your registration and/or license reinstated, you will need to fulfill a $65 restoration fee, pay $50 to the Commissioner of Safety, and potentially pass a driver’s licensing exam again.

The state of Tennesee implements an online insurance verification system to check for consumer coverage. If a driver comes back as uninsured, the Department of Revenue will submit a notice to the driver asking them to furnish proof of insurance within 15 days time.

If you can provide proof of insurance within that window, the charge will be dismissed. If you cannot, however, you will be required to pay a $25 coverage failure fee within 30 days time.

If you do not pay this fee within 30 days, you will be charged an additional $100 continued coverage failure fee, plus the revocation of your license and registration. Reinstatement necessitates you to pay a $115 fee, which is $50 to the Commissioner of Safety, and $65 in restoration fees.

If you get into an accident resulting in bodily injury or death to other parties involved, you could be charged with a Class A Misdemeanor carrying even steeper penalties under Tennessee’s Financial Responsibility Laws.

A conviction carries fines up to $2,500 and up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, not to mention other expenses you will have to cover if the injured party decides to take legal action.

Long story short, don’t get behind the wheel without auto insurance. Ever.

Teen Driver Laws

Here’s what you need to know about teen driver laws in Tennessee.

Teen drivers must be at least 15 years of age to obtain their learner’s permit. To move to an intermediate license, they must:

• Hold their learner’s permit for at least six months
• Complete a minimum of 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of which must be at nighttime

To graduate to the intermediate licensing stage, you must be at least 16 years old. Restrictions during the intermediate stage include:

• Unsupervised driving is not allowed between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• No more than one non-family member passenger

The nighttime and passenger restrictions can be lifted after 12 months or once the driver turns 18, whichever happens first. The teen driver must be at least 17 years old for these restrictions to be lifted.

Older Driver and General Population License Renewal Procedures

Here’s a quick overview of the license renewal procedures in your state. For both the general and older driving population, you must:

• Renew once every eight years
• Proof of adequate vision is not required
• Either mail or online renewal is permitted

In the state of Tennessee, it is also at the insurance commissioner’s discretion to issue an initial license or renewal that is in force for three to eight years, to make the transition from a five-year to an eight-year license.

New Residents

If you are considering a move or just relocated to The Volunteer State, here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need to provide to obtain your new Tennessee driver’s license.

As a new resident, you must provide:

• Your current driver’s license or other acceptable ID or certified copy of your driving record. If you provide a certified copy of your driving record, called a Motor Vehicle Record or MVR, the record must be original and have been issued a maximum of 30 days before the date of your application.
• Proof of name change if applicable, such as a marriage certificate, certified court order, or divorce decree.
• Two forms of Proof of Tennessee residency including your name and residential address. Documents must be from the past four months.
• Proof of U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residence Status, Proof of Authorized Stay, or Temporary Legal Presence in the U.S.
• Your Social Security Number or a sworn affidavit stating that you haven’t been issued one

Visit the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s New Residents page for more information.

Negligent Operator Treatment System

Reckless driving examples include:

• Driving with blatant disregard for the well-being of other people or their property
• Driving into a clearly marked flooded area

Penalties for reckless driving in Tennessee can be steep, ranging from up to six months in jail and up to $580 in fines. Two reckless driving convictions within a one-year period could lead to a full year’s suspension of your driver’s license.

Each reckless driving conviction adds six demerit points to your driving record. Gathering 12 or more points in a year’s time could lead to a six to 12-month license suspension.

Tennessee’s Rules of the Road

Check out the important rules of the road governing all drivers in Tennessee. Don’t miss these if you want to stay safe and informed when you next hit rubber to the road.

Fault vs. No-Fault

Remember, Tennessee adheres to the traditional system of assigning fault when it comes to auto accidents and any resulting damages. The at-fault driver is responsible for covering the costs of medical bills, lost income, property damage, and other damages resulting from a collision they caused.

In reality, the at-fault driver’s insurance company will cover these losses up to and until the policy limits are exhausted. At that point, the at-fault driver could be held personally liable for remaining damages yet unpaid, which is why it is always advisable to carry coverages above the state-required minimum amounts.

Keep Right and Move Over Laws

Tennessee’s “Slow Poke Law” or Keep Right Law went into effect back in 2016, barring drivers from operating their vehicle in the passing lane on a multilane divided highway with three or more lanes on each side or on an interstate except if they are passing or overtaking a car in the non-passing lane.

Violations incur a $50 fine.

Tennessee’s Move Over Law requires drivers nearing a stationary emergency vehicle, municipal vehicle, utility vehicle, tow truck or recovery vehicle, or road maintenance vehicle with flashing lights going the same direction, to lower their speed and move over to the closest lane if safe to do so.

Speed Limits

The maximum posted speed limits in the state of Tennessee are as follows:

• 70 mph on rural and urban interstates
• 70 mph on other limited-access roads
• 65 mph on other roads

Seat Belt and Carseat Laws

Tennessee’s seat belt laws seat belt laws cover passengers 16 years and up in the front seat. Failure to wear a seat belt could incur fines of up to $30 for first-time offenders.

Read more: Do seat belt laws impact my car insurance?

Children younger than one year or who weigh 20 pounds or less must be secured in a rear-facing child safety restraint. Children between the ages of one and three years old who weigh over 20 pounds or more may be secured in a forward-facing child restraint.

Children between the ages of four and eight who are less than 4’9 in height may be secured in a booster seat. An adult belt is permissible for children between the ages of 9-15, as well as any child 12 or younger who is taller than 4’9.

The maximum base fine for first-time violations is $50. It is also important to note that Tennessee law states a preference for the rear seat.

Children 8 years of age and under who are less than 4’9 tall must be secured in the rear seat if available and the rear seat is advised for children between 9 and 12.

Tennessee law also imposes restrictions on who may ride in the cargo bed areas of pickup trucks. Situations where these restrictions do not apply include:

• Individuals 12 years of age and older
• Individuals between the ages of six and 11 if the vehicle is being used off the interstate or state highways
• A parade provided the vehicle is operating under 20 mph
• Agricultural activities
• On county or city roads unless banned by local laws

Ridesharing

Rideshare providers like Lyft and Uber require all their drivers to carry auto insurance policies that meet at least the minimum state standards for coverage.

Drivers rarely carry their own commercial coverage, instead being covered under the rideshare service’s commercial policy to protect both passengers and drivers. However, drivers can purchase rideshare car insurance.

Automation on the Road

Tennessee has currently authorized the deployment of autonomous vehicles. The operator does not need to be licensed or in the vehicle but must maintain liability insurance of at least $5,000,000.

Tennessee’s Safety Laws

Here’s what you need to know about Tennessee’s major safety laws to protect you whenever you’re behind the wheel.

DUI Laws

Here are some figures for DUI laws in Tennessee and how they affect your insurance

Marijuana-Impaired Driving Laws

Tennessee doesn’t currently have a marijuana-specific drugged driving law in force.

Distracted Driving Laws

As of July 1, 2019, a hand-held device ban while behind the wheel will go into effect for all drivers. Young drivers with a learner’s permit or intermediate license are barred from any cell phone usage. There is also a texting ban in force for all drivers.

Fascinating Facts Every Tennessee Driver Needs to Know

Before we send you on your way, it’s crucial to know how safe the roads in your state are for motorists.

From vehicle theft rates to traffic fatalities, let’s dig deeper.

Vehicle Theft in Tennessee

According to the FBI’s 2016 Crime in the United States report, there were 1,728 motor vehicle thefts in the Nashville metro area alone that year. The table below reveals the top 10 stolen vehicles in the state of Tennessee as of 2016, along with the most popular model year stolen for each manufacturer listed.

Risky/Harmful Driving Behavior

The following tables reveal the latest driving statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) illustrating the top road dangers for drivers in the state of Tennessee.

Rather than scaring you, let these statistics serve as a reminder of the importance of safe, cognizant driving while educating you regarding potential risky behaviors you could encounter from other motorists on the road.

Traffic Fatalities by Weather Condition and Light Condition

Fatalities by County

2017 Traffic Fatalities

Fatalities by Person Type

Fatalities by Crash Type

Five-Year Trend for the Top 10 Counties

Fatalities Involving Speeding by County

Fatalities in Crashes Involving an Alcohol-Impaired Driver by County

Teen Drinking and Driving

EMS Response Time

Transportation

Did you know that the typical Tennessean has an average commute time of 23.9 minutes? This travel time is actually a bit under the national median of 25.5 minutes.

Data USA‘s 2017 study revealed that just 2.04 percent of workers in the state have commutes categorized as “super commutes” exceeding 90 minutes in length.

Commute Time

Car Ownership

Commuter Transportation

The Top Two Cities in Tennessee for Traffic Congestion

The table above indicates the top two cities in Tennessee for traffic congestion according to INRIX’s Global Traffic Scorecard. Not surprisingly, Tennessee’s two largest cities in terms of population made it to the top of the list.

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