Arizona Auto Insurance (The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need)

You might think that Arizona is home to more tourists than it is to actual residents. The state was home to over five million registered drivers as of 2017, and it comes in at number 14 for the most populated states in the United States.

With so many drivers on the road, you need to keep your knowledge of Arizona auto insurance up-to-date in order to stay legal while on the road. Choosing the best kind of insurance for your driving style, though, isn’t easy.

There are so many providers and different types of coverage available to you that picking one can feel like an impossible challenge.

Don’t worry. You don’t have to take on that research alone. Whether it’s the mandatory liability auto insurance or the optional comprehensive and collision, we’re here to help you find the best insurance for your car.

We’ve compiled all of Arizona’s roadway information in one convenient place in order to make your life a little easier.

If you want to get started comparing Arizona auto insurance rates, you don’t have to wait. Enter your zip code into our free online tool to find affordable Arizona car insurance rates in your area.

Arizona State Coverage and Rates

Are you in the mood for dry heat? Do you love out of this world Mexican food? Are you nostalgic for the Old West? If so, then Arizona may be the perfect state for you to make a home in.

What does driving look like throughout this broad, sizzling state? Let’s take a look at the average cost of owning, maintaining, and insuring a car in Arizona.

Arizona Minimum Auto Insurance Coverage Requirements

Here’s an important question: what are the minimum state requirements for auto insurance in Arizona?

State minimum insurance will vary based on where you’re located. Minimum insurance comes in handy, though, when you’re on the road and concerned that other drivers out there may not have your best interests in mind. Insurance is especially important in Arizona, as Arizona is an “at-fault” accident state.

“At-fault” accident states require the person who is determined to be responsible for an accident to pay for any and all property and personal injury claims.

If you happen to get into an accident with someone who doesn’t have the state minimum insurance, then you could be in real trouble. We’ll touch more on at-fault payments later, though.

Arizona’s minimum liability insurance breaks down as follows:

• $15,000 — insurance required to cover the injury or death of a single person
• $30,000 — insurance to cover the injuries or deaths of more than one person
• $10,000 — insurance to cover property damage

Note again that these are the MINIMUM state requirements for Arizona auto insurance. You can always seek out alternative forms of insurance or add-ons if you want to expand on your coverage.

Forms of Financial Responsibility

If you’re on the road in Arizona, you’re required by law to carry proof of insurance, or proof of liability coverage, with you. If you happen to get pulled over on the road, you’ll need to provide an officer of the law with proof of insurance or else face more significant consequences.

Proof of insurance in Arizona includes:

• An insurance policy I.D.
• A bond worth $40,000 that has been filed with the Arizona Treasurer
• A certificate of deposit for $40,000

If you don’t have proof of insurance on you when you’re pulled over, you risk having the state of Arizona suspend your license. Generally speaking, the state can suspend your license for any of the following reasons:

• Reckless driving
• Non-payment of your premium
• The insurance was obtained through fraudulent misrepresentation
• Your driver’s license is suspended or revoked
• Permanently disabled and no certificate from a physician testifying to your ability to operate an auto
• Convicted of criminal negligence arising out of the operation of your vehicle
• Operating your vehicle while intoxicated under the influence of drugs.
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Making false statements on your driver’s license application
• The insurer is placed in rehabilitation or receivership
• A private passenger auto is used regularly and frequently for commercial purposes
• If continuation of the policy is in violation of the laws of Arizona

Arizona’s Premiums as a Percentage of Income

Your disposable personal income is the amount of money you have available to you to spend on your daily needs after you’ve paid your taxes. Your DPI comes into play when you’re budgeting for auto insurance payments.

The annual per capita disposable personal income in Arizona registered as $34,321 as of 2017.

That average means that Arizona residents generally have about $2,806 a month to spend on utilities, mortgages, groceries, and other expenses. You’ll need to save about $100 a month in order to pay for your car insurance on a monthly basis.

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Average Monthly Auto Insurance Rates in Arizona (Liability, Collision, Comprehensive)

According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, car insurance rates in Arizona break down as displayed in the table above. However, you should expect auto insurance costs to rise as of 2019 and later.

Do note again that Arizona’s car insurance requirements in the state require you to have liability coverage under your belt. But what are some of the most popular coverage options in the state?

Additional Liability Insurance

Med Pay insurance (also known as Medical Payments coverage), with its loss ratio percentages displayed above, protects you from accidents with uninsured drivers. Now, it’s not going to drop down in front of your car like Superman.

It will, though, ensure that you have the funds to pay for any medical bills that result from an accident you have with an uninsured or underinsured driver. UUM (Uninsured and underinsured motorist) insurance does much the same thing.

These insurance extensions are exceptionally important to consider, as Arizona was, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III), 24th in the nation for uninsured or underinsured drivers.

Add-ons, Endorsements, and Riders

There are other ways to add to your insurance coverage, depending on your personal interests. Take a look at some of the potential add-ons below.

• Guaranteed Auto Protection (also known as GAP Insurance Coverage)
• Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP)
• Rental Reimbursement
• Emergency Roadside Assistance
• Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
• Non-Owner Car Insurance
• Modified Car Insurance Coverage
• Classic Car Insurance
• Pay-As-You-Drive or Usage-Based Insurance

Read more: Auto Insurance Companies That Cover Modified Cars

Demographic Rates in Arizona

The auto industry myths would have you believe that men are worse drivers than women and that men are subsequently charged more for their auto insurance than women.

This isn’t actually the case. Rates tend to vary more by age than they do by gender. Take a look:

Cheapest Arizona Auto Insurance Rates by ZIP Code and City

It’s also the case that your car insurance rate will vary based on where in Arizona you live, so you won’t always have the cheapest rates for the best car insurance in Arizona. Take a look at the map below of Arizona auto insurance rates by ZIP code and see for yourself where your ZIP code ranks.

Below, you will find the top 10 most and least expensive cities in Arizona. First, the top 10 most expensive.

And next, the top 10 cheapest cities.

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Arizona Auto Insurance Companies

Who has the best auto insurance rates in Arizona? Finding the right kind of car insurance in Arizona for the right price can be difficult on a good day. When you consider just how many car insurance providers are bidding for your attention, though, it becomes more than difficult — it’s downright intimidating.

You don’t have to sift through car insurance providers on your own, though. We’ve compiled data on Arizona’s biggest auto insurance providers and broken it down so you can find exactly the kind of information you need in order to make an informed decision about the company you want to work with.

Let’s take a look at some of the statistics that define Arizona’s biggest car insurance providers. Onward.

The Largest Companies Financial Rating

It’s easiest to start exploring Arizona auto insurance providers by taking a look at their financial ratings. Take a look at the table below:

As you can see, ratings in Arizona range from a standard “A” to an “A++”. The more plus signs your provider of choice has, the better their financial rating is, and the more likely it is that they’ll pay out on any claim that you issue.

Companies with Best Ratings

There’s more to a car insurance provider that financial ratings, though. What do the customer satisfaction ratings look like for Arizona’s car insurance providers?

Even though providers like Geico and Farmers are nationally-known providers, their customer service ratings aren’t as high as smaller providers’, like CSAA or The Hartford. That doesn’t mean that large providers treat their customers poorly — State Farm, after all, cracks the top three — but it’s an interesting distinction to observe.

Companies with Most Complaints in Arizona

On the other hand of customer satisfaction, there are customer complaints. Who doesn’t love a juicy bit of gossip, after all? Take a look at the companies that have wracked up the most dissatisfaction in Arizona.

Now, it’s worth noting that you can’t entirely understand a provider based on the number of complaints that have been raised against them. You can, however, develop a better understanding of how large the company is and what their response to customer service hangups looks like.

Commute Rates by Company

If you have to drive more than 25 miles on a daily basis in order to get to and from work, you may notice that your offered car insurance rate is higher than you anticipated.

Some companies, as you can see in the table below, charge you more for your coverage if you’re on the road for longer than usual every day.

That said, some insurers, like Farmers, don’t differ their rates by the amount of driving you do on a daily basis. Others, like Geico, only differ your rate by $80.

Coverage Level Rates by Company

Similarly, your car insurance rate will vary based on the amount of coverage you seek out.

While you may be tempted to seek out coverage with a low annual payment, remember that Arizona is an at-fault state and that you may need additional coverage in order to keep your car and bank account safe.

Credit History Rates by Company

Your credit history reflects your ability to pay back loans that you take out. Car insurance providers want to ensure that you’re able to pay your annual fees without issue, and so they take your credit history into account when offering you an initial rate.

As you can see in the table below, Geico’s rates for drivers with a fair credit history cost four hundred dollars more than their rates for drivers with good credit history.

Driving Record Rates by Company

Likewise, your driving history will impact the rates that a car insurance provider is able to offer you.

Let’s put it this way: if you were to get pulled over for speeding in Arizona, you could potentially end up paying much more than the cost of the speeding ticket. Your car insurance rates may also be impacted.

Another example? If you have a history of DUIs or if you’ve been in an accident before, you may be facing higher car insurance rates than drivers with a clean record.

Note that Geico’s rates don’t vary based on your driving history, but that Progressive’s, for example, change significantly depending on whether you have a speeding violation, accident, or DUI on your record.

Largest Auto Insurance Companies in Arizona

Naturally, you’ll want to know all about providers’ average rates when researching Arizona auto insurance. As you can see in the table below, rates in Arizona vary pretty significantly.

Who are the largest auto insurance companies in AZ?

Number of Insurers by State

Finally, let’s take a brief moment to talk about the different types of providers in Arizona. Arizona is home to domestic and foreign providers. These terms don’t mean quite what you think, though.

Domestic providers are providers who are local to the state of Arizona. Foreign providers are providers who have outlets all across the United States. As you can see, there are significantly more foreign providers in Arizona than there are domestic providers.

This doesn’t mean that foreign providers can more readily handle your car insurance for you. The capability of a car insurance provider depends entirely on your own needs.

Arizona Laws and Legalities

Because laws change from state to state, it can be difficult to stay up to date on which legalities apply to you. That’s why we’re here to help. We’ve collected information about Arizona’s driving laws and legalities in order to help you avoid unnecessary fines and points on your driver’s license.

Arizona’s Auto Insurance Laws

Some of Arizona’s laws are state-specific while others are more general. You can learn more about the state’s process of instating some of their laws and their processing of issuing fines here. It’s a lot to digest, but we’ve done our best to break that information down for you.

High-Risk Insurance

It can be difficult to find appropriate coverage if you’re considered a high-risk driver. High-risk drivers are drivers who have an unusual number of points on their licenses or who have a troubling driver’s history. If you’re considered a high-risk driver by the state of Arizona, you’ll have to file for an SR-22 as well as for standard insurance.

Filing and receiving an SR-22 allows you to have your license reinstated after its suspension. As we’ve noted, you can have your license suspended in the state of Arizona is you

• Don’t have the state minimum liability coverage
• Have a DUI listed in your driving history

The state of Arizona does not require state insurers to provide you with coverage if you’re a high-risk driver. However, if you can’t find coverage, you can apply to be considered as part of the Arizona Automobile Insurance Plan.

Your insurance rates will be higher, but with this form of coverage, you won’t be at risk for license suspension.

Low-Cost Insurance

Unfortunately, Arizona doesn’t have a government-sponsored plan in place that makes car insurance more affordable for low-income families. If you want to try and lower your insurance rates, try exploring some of the following discounts with your provider of choice:

• Accident-Free Discount
• Affiliation Discount (this would be any discounts through your employer, school, team, etc.)
• Anti-Theft Discounts (i.e. if you have alarms, tracking systems, etc on your vehicle)
• Auto-Pay Discounts (if you were to set up automatic payments from checking – some providers refer to it as a Paper-Saving Discount)
• Good Student Discount
• Homeowner’s Discount
• Multi-car Discount
• Green/Hybrid Car Discount (if you own/lease a hybrid or electric vehicle)

Be sure you shop around in order to find the best coverage for you that is equally cost-effective.

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Windshield Coverage

If your windshield happens to crack or shatter, you’ll need to have it replaced. Sometimes, though, your insurance will be able to lower the cost of that repair.

In Arizona, you’ll need to purchase the optional “full glass,” “safety equipment,”  or “safety glass” coverage in order to have your windshield replaced when it’s cracked.

Automobile Insurance Fraud in Arizona

Auto insurance fraud has serious consequences in every state in the union. Arizona even has a Department of Insurance Fraud in place to prevent people from getting away with the practice.

That said, it’s difficult to commit car insurance fraud by accident.

There are two types of fraud that the state of Arizona considers: hard fraud and soft fraud.

• Hard fraud sees a person deliberately fake a car accident so that they can file an insurance claim
• Soft fraud sees a person pad a legitimate claim for greater compensation

Statute of Limitations

After you get in an accident, you’ll have a limited amount of time to file your claims and receive the compensation you’re owed. This time frame is referred to as a “statute of limitations.”

In Arizona, you have two years to file personal injury and property damage claims.

That may seem like a lot of time, but if you’re dealing with hospital visits and property repairs, those two years can fly. Make sure you file your claims and get the compensation you’re due.

Vehicle Licensing Laws in Arizona

We’ve already noted that you need to have proof of insurance and minimum liability coverage in order to legally drive in Arizona. Let’s take a look at some of the consequences that Arizona has in place, should you be caught driving without insurance.

Penalties for Driving Without Insurance

The first time you get caught driving without auto insurance in Arizona, you’ll face a fine as well as a license suspension. The consequences only get more severe from there. Take a look at the layout in the table below:

Remember: you can avoid all of these consequences by either signing on with Arizona’s government-sponsored insurance program or by purchase the state minimum required liability insurance.

Teen Driver Laws in Arizona

Getting your license for the first time is super exciting. That said, teenage drivers have to comply with different rules in order to keep their licenses. Take a look at the layout below for more information about what teenage drivers can and can’t do in the state of Arizona.

The good news is that these restrictions are lifted from a teen’s license after six months of driving. Alternatively, any driver 18 years old or older can drive with an unrestricted license.

License Renewal Procedures

In general, any driver younger than 65 can renew her license on a twelve-year basis. That’s 12 years that you can spend free of the lines at the DMV.

You should note, though, that you can’t mail in your license renewal or renew your license online in Arizona. While this may be subject to change, at this point in time you still have to visit the DMV in person.

Older Driver License Renewal Procedures

Drivers older than 65 will also have to deal with small restrictions on their licenses. Once a driver turns 65, she’ll have to go to the DMV every five years in order to renew her license. These drivers can’t mail in their licenses for renewal or renew their licenses online. Proof of vision is also required at every license renewal after a driver turns 65.

New Residents

If you’ve just moved to Arizona, we hope you’re ready for the heat. You may also want to take a few steps in order to ensure that your car is street legal in the Grand Canyon State.

• Register your car with your nearest DMV
• Make sure that your car insurance coverage complies with the state minimum liability requirements
• Swap out your previous plates for local ones

Rules of the Road

With licensing under your belt, you can move on to the everyday rules of the road.

Fault vs. No-Fault

You may be wondering: is Arizona a no- fault car insurance state? As we’ve already noted, Arizona is an at-fault state. This means that the person who is determined to be responsible for a car accident will have to pay all of the bills associated with that accident.

If you happen to get into an accident with an uninsured driver, you may find yourself digging into your own coffers in order to pay for an accident that you didn’t cause.

This “at-fault” status makes it especially important for you to have all the coverage you need in Arizona.

Keep Right and Move Over Laws

Usually, “keep right” laws would have you stay in the right lane of an interstate if you are driving at speeds slower than the posted speed limit. However, Arizona doesn’t have a set keep right law. Rather, the state only recommends that slower drivers stick to the right lane; there’s no consequence if you don’t.

Move Over laws are much less flexible. This law requires you to move to the side of the road if you see a particular type of vehicle coming your way. These vehicles include:

• Firefighters
• Ambulances
• Utility Workers
• Law Enforcement
• Utility Trucks
• Drivers with Hazard Lights on

Read more: Auto Insurance Companies That Cover Older Trucks

If you see flashing lights, move on over. These sorts of laws are put into place in order to make sure everyone on the road can get where they need to go as quickly and as safely as possible.

Speed Limits

You’ll also have to abide by Arizona’s posted speed limits.

As you can see in the table above, speed limits in rural areas vary from those in urban areas. Just remember that you’re not Speed Racer. You can take your time to get from one place to another. As you’ll see later, taking your time can prevent fatalities in the long run.

Seat Belt and Car Seat Laws

Every child deserves to feel safe and secure in a car. You’ll need to abide by Arizona’s car seat laws when you have a child as a passenger in your vehicle.

Arizona law dictates that all children age four or under must be in a child restraint seat if the vehicle they’re in is moving. Children between the ages of 5-7 who are 57 inches tall or shorter must also be in child restraint seats. Once a child turns 8, she may ride with a regular seat belt in place.

The first time you get caught driving with a child improperly secured in your car, you’ll face a $50 fine. This fine will increase upon repeat offenses.

Ridesharing

With the rise of Lyft and Uber, new insurance laws have been put into place in order to protect drivers who want to use their cars as part of their careers. Arizona, in response to this rise, has issued a new law dictating that all drivers working for a ridesharing company must have $250,000 in liability coverage to legally ferry customers around the state.

At this point in time, State Farm, Geico, and Mercury Insurance offer coverage to drivers who work in the rideshare industry.

If you want to take your career on wheels, then you’ll need to look into the policies that the aforementioned providers offer. Otherwise, you put yourself, your car, and your bank account at risk.

Safety Laws

We’re not out of the woods yet, though. How does Arizona treat the drivers who drive while drunk or who are distracted while they drive?

DUI Laws

A lot of people like to go out an enjoy a drink with their friends. However, drinking and driving is always dangerous. That said, a number of people still do it and put other drivers at risk. Take a look at the table below:

As you can see, Arizona takes drinking while driving seriously. The consequences for driving on the road with a blood alcohol level that exceeds .08 are severe. The table above doesn’t even cover all of them. Keep reading to learn more.

Arizona ranks at number nine on MADD’s list of the states with the worst records of drunk driving.

The message is clear: don’t drink and drive. Not only do you risk legal consequences, but you put your own life, the lives of your passengers, and the lives of other drivers at risk.

A fun Friday night is good for everyone, but it’s not worth your life on the road. Arizona is also notorious for having some of the strictest DUI consequences in the United States.

Distracted Driving Laws

While Arizona does have distracted driving laws in place, the state does not have a cellphone or hand-held device ban included in its state’s legalities. Take a look at the table below for more information on Arizona’s position regarding distracted driving.

Driving in Arizona

With the laws and legalities in Arizona out of the way, we can move on to the general safety of Arizona’s roadways. Just how safe are you while driving through the Grand Canyon State?

Vehicle Theft in Arizona

You might be surprised to learn that vehicle thieves don’t always target flashy sports cars. In Arizona, in fact, the Honda Accord and Civic are far more popular options.

Is it the brand’s reliability that attracts more thieves, or is it the cars’ simplicity? Either way, if you have a Honda, you’ll want to keep an eye on it.

Theft will also vary based on the city you’re based in, as you can see in the table below:

Road Fatalities in Arizona

What kinds of circumstances can result in a traffic fatality? Read on to learn more.

Fatalities by Weather Condition and Light Condition

You don’t just have to worry about thieves while driving through Arizona, though. The weather in the Grand Canyon State can be a little unpredictable, and you’ll want to know the odds of getting hurt before taking off on a road trip in the middle of a storm.

Light, too, directly impacts the number of fatalities the state of Arizona sees in a year.

Fatalities by Road Type

Unlike some other states, the risk of a fatality is about the same on rural roadways as it is on urban roadways. Take a look at the data below for more information:

Fatalities by Person Type

Person type also impacts fatality likelihood. Here, the term “person type” refers to a person’s relationship to the car in question. Are they a passenger? A pedestrian? Depending on the means of that relationship, the likelihood that a person falls victim to an accident can vary wildly.

Fatalities by Crash Type

Not all crashes are the same, either. As you can see in the table below, different crashes have different percentages of likeliness in Arizona.

Single car crashes are among the most common all across the United States. You’ll also want to keep an eye out, though, for motorists who’ll need to be treated with some extra care. A cautious eye is a safe eye in the Grand Canyon State.

5 Year Trend For The Top 10 Counties

Location, too, can play into the likelihood that you’ll witness a vehicular fatality. In the table below, you can see the five-year trends for the top 10 counties in Arizona. Maricopa County, which is home to Phoenix, pulls ahead of the rest of the state’s counties by miles for fatalities.

You’ll also notice that, in general, the rate of fatalities across Arizona has risen over the past few years. All the more reason to ensure that you have the right kind of insurance for your car.

Fatalities Involving Speeding by County

While most of us can’t control the weather or the number of cars on the road with us, we can determine whether or not we get into a speeding-related accident. Arizona sees a reasonable amount of speeding-related fatalities over the course of a year, as you can see below:

Once again, Maricopa County takes the cake for the county with the most fatalities involving speeding.

Fatalities in Crashes Involving an Alcohol-Impaired Driver

Similarly, drinking and driving can drastically impact the fatalities a particular state sees. We’ve already touched on the consequences of drinking and driving in Arizona. The data in the table below might elaborate on why Arizona’s laws regarding the practice are so strict.

While the numbers aren’t as bad as they could be, the alcohol-impaired fatalities in Maricopa County are nothing to scoff at.

You should also note that these numbers include teenage drunk drivers who’ve been in fatal accidents.

In 2017, Arizona law enforcement arrested 211 teenagers under 18 years old who were drinking while driving.

So remember: even if you’re heading out to have a fun Friday night, drinking and driving is never worth the risk.

EMS Response Time

If you happen to get in an accident, you’ll want to call EMS as soon as possible. The good news is that in Arizona, EMS moves quickly. Accidents on rural roads have a slower response time than those on urban roads, but either way, you’ll be able to get to a hospital within less than or just over an hour.

You want quick EMS response times in the case of an accident, and it seems Arizona is able to provide you with just that.

Transportation

With the facts and figures about Arizona’s roadways and coverage out of the way, what does an average day on the road in the Grand Canyon State look like?

Car Ownership

In general, most households in Arizona are home to two cars. Those of you who have three, though — we see you, and we’re jealous!

Commute Time

Arizona has an average commute time of 23.7 minutes. This means that it ranks above the national average for commute time and that your mornings may be a little longer than you’re used to. Arizona is even home to the “super commute” — commutes that leave drivers in the car for more than 90 minutes at a time.

Commuter Transportation

We can blame some of this congestion on Arizonian’s primary mode of transportation. The vast majority of Arizona residents drive to work alone. This means that you’ll have more company on the interstate as you’re trying to get to work.

Top 5 Cities for Traffic Congestion

As you might suspect, Arizona is also a state that’s prone to congestion. Phoenix, specifically, ranked as the 15th highest city in the nation for traffic congestion in 2017.

The same city also comes in at number 96 on an international list of cities suffering from congestion.

With all of that information at hand, you now have a general idea of what driving and insuring your car is like in Arizona. We hope that you’ll be able to keep this guide close while you’re on your quest to find the best kind of car insurance coverage for you.

Your journey to cheaper, more affordable auto insurance in Arizona starts now. Begin comparing rates right away by using our free online tool.

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