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In Tulsa, cheap auto insurance can be tough to find. Car insurance prices in Tulsa run about $129 a year higher than the average for Oklahoma, according to NerdWallet's 2020 rates analysis.
But you may be able to avoid that extra expense if you take the time to shop around for the cheapest auto insurance.
We looked at average auto insurance rates for the Tulsa metro area from 11 of the largest insurers in Oklahoma. For every type of driver we checked, at least two companies — and sometimes as many as six — showed rates in Tulsa that were cheaper than the Oklahoma average for that driver profile.
To find those below-average rates, you'll want to compare car insurance quotes from multiple companies. We'll get you started with the five cheapest options we found for Tulsa drivers in a variety of situations.
Cheapest for good drivers in Tulsa
For a Tulsa driver with good credit and a clean driving record, these are the cheapest insurers we found, ranked by their average rates for full coverage:
- Geico: $1,018 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $1,492 per year.
- Shelter: $1,691 per year.
- Allstate: $1,693 per year.
- Progressive: $1,760 per year.
Drivers with no recent accidents or violations can get cheaper car insurance rates for having good credit. For this calculation, NerdWallet averaged rates for 40-year-old men and women with a clean driving record and good credit. In terms of driving and credit history, a large portion of drivers are closest to this profile, which carries standard "full coverage" insurance, including
comprehensive and collision, along with state-required coverage. Prices shown include a good driver discount, when available from the insurer.
Cheapest for minimum coverage in Tulsa
For bare-bones coverage, the cheapest companies and average rates in Tulsa for Oklahoma's minimum required insurance are:
- Geico: $421 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $493 per year.
- State Farm: $629 per year.
- Oklahoma Farm Bureau: $742 per year.
- Progressive: $749 per year.
We calculated these numbers by averaging rates for 40-year-old good drivers (earning them a discount if the insurer offers one) who have only the
minimum mandatory insurance in their state. Such light coverage isn't typically recommended, since it might not cover all the bills resulting from a car accident, but it's better than nothing — especially if you can't afford much more. If you're looking for the cheapest possible insurance you can get, though, you'll still want to get quotes from at least three auto insurers.
Cheapest for good drivers with poor credit
For a driver in Tulsa who has a good driving record and tarnished credit, here are the insurance companies with the cheapest average rates for full coverage:
- Geico: $1,507 per year.
- Oklahoma Farm Bureau: $1,979 per year.
- Equity: $2,149 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $2,326 per year.
- Allstate: $2,472 per year.
If you have a spotty credit history, it's important to shop around to find the cheapest auto insurance rates you can. Poor credit can have a bigger effect on car insurance premiums than even a DUI conviction or a recent at-fault crash, but prices vary by insurer. To calculate these figures, NerdWallet averaged rates for 40-year-olds with a clean driving record and associated good driver discount, if the insurer offered one. They had poor credit as reported to their insurer, and standard
"full coverage" car insurance.
Cheapest for drivers with one at-fault crash
If a Tulsa driver has caused a recent accident, these are the cheapest insurers we found, listed with their average rates for full coverage auto policies:
- Geico: $1,837 per year.
- Oklahoma Farm Bureau: $2,152 per year.
- State Farm: $2,265 per year.
- Allstate: $2,277 per year.
- Equity: $2,343 per year.
After a relatively minor crash, some auto insurers will charge a lot more than others for coverage. To get these figures, we averaged rates for 40-year-olds with typical "full coverage" insurance and one recent at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage. Your rates will remain high for three to five years
after you cause an accident or have a moving violation. If you fall into this category, be sure to shop for new insurance rates just after the three-year and five-year anniversaries of your infraction.
Cheapest insurance after a DUI in Tulsa
For a driver in Tulsa with a recent DUI, these are the cheapest insurance companies and their average rates for full coverage policies:
- Geico: $2,074 per year.
- Allstate: $2,177 per year.
- Progressive: $2,193 per year.
- Equity: $2,343 per year.
- Farmers: $2,512 per year.
A conviction for driving under the influence, or DUI, generally results in higher auto insurance premiums than before. NerdWallet analyzed rates for 40-year-old drivers and standard "full coverage"
car insurance with a recent DUI conviction to see which companies were cheapest. Rates can vary by hundreds between carriers after a DUI, and some penalize for longer than others, so it's important to shop around for the best price right after you see a price hike and each year after that.
Cheapest insurance after a ticket in Tulsa
For Tulsa drivers who've gotten a speeding ticket recently, the cheapest insurers and average rates for full coverage are:
- Geico: $1,364 per year.
- Allstate: $1,864 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $1,962 per year.
- State Farm: $2,102 per year.
- Oklahoma Farm Bureau: $2,152 per year.
Getting a speeding ticket will result in higher car insurance rates from most companies for three to five years. To see who has the cheapest rates, we calculated
average car insurance rates for 40-year-old drivers with "full coverage" insurance and a recent ticket for speeding 16 mph over the limit. Though these larger companies were the cheapest we found on average, others may be cheaper for you, so be sure to get at least three quotes before deciding on a carrier.
Cheapest for couples and families in Tulsa
When your policy expands to include more than one car or multiple drivers, it's a good idea to reevaluate your auto insurance. Insurers apply rates and discounts in different ways, so the companies with the lowest prices for single drivers may not be the cheapest for couples and families. Shopping for insurance quotes after any major life event, such as marriage, moving or adding a teen driver, can help you get the cheapest possible rates. Here's what we found in Tulsa when we analyzed rates for a husband and wife, insuring two vehicles, with and without a teen driver.
Cheapest for a married couple in Tulsa
For a couple in Tulsa, these are the cheapest insurers and average rates for full coverage on two vehicles, assuming the husband and wife are both 50 years old with clean driving and credit histories:
- Geico: $1,452 per year.
- Progressive: $2,101 per year.
- Allstate: $2,106 per year.
- Shelter: $2,345 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $2,431 per year.
Couples who live together can save on auto insurance by combining policies, whether they are married or not, because they can earn multi-car and multi-driver discounts. Once they tie the knot, rates can dip further, but not because of discounts — insurers see married people as less risky and so charge them lower rates. Our hypothetical 50-year-old couple's clean driving record also earns them both a good driver discount.
Cheapest for families with a teen in Tulsa
For a 50-year-old couple in Tulsa plus an 18-year-old driver, here are the cheapest companies and average rates for two vehicles with full coverage:
- Geico: $2,526 per year.
- Allstate: $3,618 per year.
- Progressive: $3,643 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $4,076 per year.
- Shelter: $4,750 per year.
Taking that same couple and adding a teen with two years' driving experience is sure to cause a big jump in rates. Since different insurers tend to see a teen's inexperience in different ways, we analyzed rates to see which companies had the
cheapest car insurance for teens. These rates are averaged for 50-year-old couples with male and female 18-year-old drivers.
Cheapest for young drivers in Tulsa
Young people often face steeper auto insurance rates than more experienced drivers, but prices can vary widely. Each insurer considers age and driving experience differently, so young drivers can still save money by shopping around and comparing quotes. To see which companies are cheapest for young drivers, we examined rates for 25-year-olds in Tulsa.
Cheapest full coverage for young good drivers
For full coverage, these are the cheapest insurance companies and average rates for a 25-year-old Tulsa driver with good credit and a clean driving record:
- Geico: $972 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $1,660 per year.
- Allstate: $1,775 per year.
- Progressive: $1,862 per year.
- State Farm: $1,942 per year.
Drivers in their 20s can have a hard time finding cheap car insurance, and that's even truer when they need full coverage. The rates above are averages for 25-year-old male and female drivers with comprehensive and collision coverages, which are often required for drivers with active auto loans or leases. These rates reflect a good driver discount, but no others. Young drivers, like all drivers, should check several quotes to find the cheapest for the coverage levels they need.
Cheapest minimum coverage for young good drivers
For Oklahoma's minimum required insurance, the cheapest companies and average rates for a young driver in Tulsa are:
- Geico: $401 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $562 per year.
- State Farm: $651 per year.
- Progressive: $756 per year.
- Allstate: $779 per year.
Since young people often have fewer assets to protect with liability insurance, they can usually get away with lower coverage limits. For an age group with relatively high insurance rates on average, that's good news, keeping rates as low as possible. For this price set, we averaged rates for 25-year-old male and female drivers who have clean driving records, good credit and bare-bones insurance coverage.
Cheapest for poor credit and minimum coverage
A 25-year-old driver in Tulsa who has poor credit and a good driving history may want to consider these companies, which returned the cheapest average rates for minimum coverage:
- Geico: $557 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $872 per year.
- Equity: $892 per year.
- Oklahoma Farm Bureau: $1,009 per year.
- Allstate: $1,053 per year.
Poor credit is common for younger folks just starting out, who may still be building their credit files. That can increase rates further, so it's extra important to shop around and compare as many insurance quotes as possible to find the cheapest you can get. For these prices, we averaged rates for 25-year-old male and female drivers with no recent accidents or violations (earning them a good driver discount), minimum coverage car insurance, and credit in the "poor" tier as reported to an insurer.
Cheapest for minimum coverage after a crash
For a young driver in Tulsa who's responsible for a recent wreck, the cheapest insurance options and average rates for minimum coverage are:
- Geico: $658 per year.
- State Farm: $839 per year.
- Equity: $970 per year.
- Allstate: $999 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $1,017 per year.
To get prices for this group, we averaged rates for 25-year-old male and female drivers with good credit and a recent at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage. Since car insurance is often pricier after a crash, and especially so for young drivers, we assumed minimum required insurance in the state to contain costs for our hypothetical driver. If you've caused a crash, no matter your age, be sure to check auto insurance quotes just after the third and fifth anniversaries of your incident, when insurers often adjust rates downward.
Cheapest for minimum coverage after a DUI
These insurance companies showed the cheapest average rates for minimum coverage for a 25-year-old driver in Tulsa with a recent DUI:
- Geico: $757 per year.
- Progressive: $911 per year.
- Allstate: $955 per year.
- Equity: $970 per year.
- State Farm: $978 per year.
Young drivers with a recent DUI on their records will need to be diligent to find the lowest car insurance rates they can get — it's likely that many companies' rates will be quite expensive. But spending the time to shop around for quotes can help you find the lowest. For this analysis, we averaged rates for male and female 25-year-old drivers with a recent on-record DUI. They had good credit and minimum required car insurance, which helps keep rates down.
Cheapest for minimum coverage and a ticket
After a speeding ticket, these are the cheapest insurers we found for a young Tulsa driver buying minimum required coverage, listed with their average rates:
- Geico: $490 per year.
- American Farmers & Ranchers: $751 per year.
- State Farm: $762 per year.
- Allstate: $841 per year.
- Equity: $924 per year.
Getting a speeding ticket is never fun, and neither is the higher car insurance bill you may receive months later. At that point it's time to shop around for better rates, and it wouldn't hurt to repeat on your third and fifth ticket anniversaries, when insurers may adjust rates downward. We analyzed rates for 25-year-old male and female drivers with a recent speeding violation for going 16 mph over the speed limit to see prices for this group.
Cheap for military families
For Tulsa drivers with a military connection, cheap auto insurance is often available through USAA. We didn't rank USAA alongside other companies because its policies are offered only to active service members, veterans and their families. But in Tulsa, USAA was among the three cheapest options for more than three-quarters of the driver types listed above.
Recap: Cheapest auto insurance in Tulsa
- Good drivers: Geico
- Minimum coverage: Geico
- Poor credit: Geico
- After an at-fault crash: Geico
- After a DUI: Geico
- After a speeding ticket: Geico
- Married couples: Geico
- Families with a teen: Geico
- Young good drivers: Geico
- Minimum coverage for young good drivers: Geico
- Minimum coverage for young drivers with poor credit: Geico
- Minimum coverage for young drivers after a crash: Geico
- Minimum coverage for young drivers after a DUI: Geico
- Minimum coverage for young drivers after a ticket: Geico
» MORE: Best cheap car insurance in Oklahoma
Minimum required auto insurance in Tulsa
Car insurance policies in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma must include liability insurance, which helps pay for others' property repairs or injury treatment if you cause an accident.
The minimum amounts your policy must include are:
- $25,000 bodily injury liability per person.
- $50,000 bodily injury liability per incident.
- $25,000 property damage liability per incident.
While this is enough to drive legally, you may want more than the bare minimum. Check out NerdWallet's guide to minimum car insurance requirements by state for details on other coverages you can add and how their limits work.
Alternative auto insurance in Tulsa
If poor credit, a spotty driving record or other factors are preventing you from getting auto insurance on the voluntary market, you may qualify for coverage through the Oklahoma Automobile Insurance Plan.
NerdWallet can also help you find cheap auto insurance in Tulsa. Use our car insurance comparison tool to see rates from top companies.
METHODOLOGY
For our "good driver" profile, NerdWallet averaged rates from the largest insurers in the state for 40-year-old men and women in the Tulsa Metropolitan Statistical Area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. The MSA encompasses seven Oklahoma counties:
- Creek County.
- Okmulgee County.
- Osage County.
- Pawnee County.
- Rogers County.
- Tulsa County.
- Wagoner County.
The policy includes:
- $100,000 bodily injury liability per person.
- $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident.
- $50,000 property damage liability per accident.
- $100,000 uninsured motorist coverage per person.
- $300,000 uninsured motorist coverage per accident.
- Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible.
- Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible.
If required, minimum additional coverages were added. Our "young driver" had all the same characteristics, but average rates were for 25-year-old men and women. We used the same assumptions for all other driver profiles, with the following exceptions:
- For drivers with minimum coverage, we adjusted the numbers above to reflect the minimum required coverage by law in the state.
- We changed the credit tier from "good" to "poor" as reported to the insurer to see rates for drivers with poor credit.
- For drivers with one at-fault crash, we added a single at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage.
- For drivers with a ticket, we added a single speeding violation for driving 16 mph over the speed limit.
- For drivers with a DUI, we added a single drunken driving violation.
We used a 2016 Toyota Camry LE for all single drivers. Couples in our analyses were 50-year-old men and women with good credit and clean driving histories, averaged across the Tulsa MSA with the same policy outlined above. To see rates for families with a teen, we added an 18-year-old licensed two years ago, averaging rates for male and female teens. For couples and families, we added a 2016 Nissan Rogue S to create a two-car household. Rates for each vehicle assumed 12,000 annual miles driven.
These are rates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
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