How much is car insurance in North Carolina?
Car insurance in North Carolina cost an average of $1,097 a year for full coverage in 2023 (NAIC), sitting 24% below the $1,439 national average and coming to about $1,300 a year in North Carolina today (about $110 a month in August 2026 dollars). In North Carolina, the law asks for at least 50/100/50 liability, while North Carolina liability-only policies—the closest NAIC figure to minimum coverage—averaged $448 in 2023 (about $530 today).
Average car insurance cost in North Carolina: 24% below the US average
Typical North Carolina full-coverage price today
about $1,300 a year in North Carolina (about $110 a month)
North Carolina's 2023 NAIC full-coverage average ($1,097) adjusted +19% to August 2026 using the US motor-vehicle insurance price index; your North Carolina rate depends on your car, driving history, and coverage limits.
That $1,097 2023 full-coverage figure makes North Carolina the 11th least expensive of the 50 states and DC (against $1,439 nationally), with 41% going to liability ($448, 8th lowest in the US) and 59% covering physical damage to your own vehicle. NAIC also tracks North Carolina's average expenditure per insured vehicle—$925 in 2023 (8th lowest in the US, or about $1,100 today)—which sits 16% ($172) below North Carolina's full-coverage average because many North Carolina drivers drop collision or comprehensive on older cars.
How North Carolina insurance points raise your rate (SDIP, 2026)
North Carolina's Safe Driver Incentive Plan (SDIP), set by state law and published by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, assigns fixed percentage rate increases for at-fault accidents and moving violations over a three-year period.
| Points | Rate increase | Examples of convictions and at-fault crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 point | +40% | At fault auto accident that results in total damage to all property, including the insured's own, of $2,300 or less (also: all other moving violations; speeding 10 mph or less over a limit under 55 mph) |
| 2 points | +55% | At fault auto accident that results in total damage to all property, including the insured's own, in excess of $2,300 but less than $3,850 (also: illegal passing, following too closely, some speeding) |
| 3 points | +70% | At-fault accident resulting in death or total bodily injury (to all persons) of more than $1,800; OR resulting in total property damage (including damage to insured's own property) of $3,850 or more |
| 4 points | +90% | Reckless driving; hit-and-run with property damage only; passing a stopped school bus; some speeding; driving under 21 after consuming alcohol or drugs |
| 8 points | +200% | Driving during revocation or suspension; aggressive driving |
| 10 points | +260% | Highway racing; speeding to elude arrest |
| 12 points | +340% | Manslaughter or negligent homicide; driving while impaired; blood-alcohol .08 or more; hit-and-run with injury; and others |
SDIP surcharges apply to the policy's base premium for three years when points are assessed. Some minor speeding violations or a small property-damage crash with no other points may qualify for a waiver under North Carolina law. Source: North Carolina Department of Insurance, Safe Driver Incentive Plan (insurance points) (checked September 22, 2026).
North Carolina costs less to insure than Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
A typical full-coverage policy in North Carolina ($1,097 in 2023) costs less than in all four bordering states. Among North Carolina's neighbors, Tennessee had the lowest 2023 average ($1,212, moving to North Carolina is about $150 less a year) and Georgia had the highest ($1,746, moving to North Carolina is about $870 less a year).
| State | 2023 average | Moving to North Carolina from there |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $1,097 | Current state (North Carolina) |
| Georgia | $1,746 | About $870 less a year |
| South Carolina | $1,517 | About $560 less a year |
| Tennessee | $1,212 | About $150 less a year |
| Virginia | $1,238 | About $190 less a year |
| US average | $1,439 | US benchmark |
States with similar 2023 full-coverage averages: Ohio ($1,038 in 2023, about $1,230 today), South Dakota ($1,158 in 2023, about $1,370 today), New Hampshire ($1,032 in 2023, about $1,220 today), and Indiana ($1,032 in 2023, about $1,220 today).
North Carolina: 50/100/50 minimums, with mandatory uninsured-motorist coverage
- North Carolina liability (per person / per crash / property)
- $50,000 / $100,000 / $50,000
- Personal injury protection (PIP) in North Carolina
- Not required
- Medical payments in North Carolina
- Not required
- No-fault system in North Carolina
- No
- Uninsured motorist in North Carolina
- Required
- Underinsured motorist in North Carolina
- Required
Set by N.C.G.S. 20-279.21(b)(2), North Carolina's 50/100/50 minimum pays up to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash for injuries you cause to others, plus $50,000 for others' property—the legal floor in North Carolina, not a coverage recommendation, and it excludes collision or comprehensive repairs on your own car.
Liability-only coverage in North Carolina—the closest NAIC figure to what a North Carolina minimum policy costs—averaged $448 in 2023 (about $530 in North Carolina today), the 8th lowest of the 50 states and DC. That makes liability 41% of North Carolina's full-coverage average ($1,097), while the remaining 59% goes toward collision and comprehensive coverage for your own car.
Since July 1, 2025, North Carolina requires at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash for injuries, plus $50,000 for property damage. Every policy must also include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which by default match your liability limits.
What we couldn’t confirm: The 2024 law shows the old and new start dates side by side; following North Carolina's usual strike-and-insert style, we read July 1, 2025 as the start. We marked medical payments coverage not required because we found no law requiring it.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist
- Uninsured motorist coverage for injuries starts at your highest injury liability limit (up to $1 million). You can choose less, but not below $50,000/$100,000. Its property damage part starts at your property damage limit. Underinsured motorist coverage must match your uninsured coverage for injuries.
- History and recent checks
- A 2023 law raised the minimums from 30/60/25 to 50/100/50, and a 2024 law moved the start date from 1 January 2025 to 1 July 2025, for policies issued or renewed on or after that date. The same change made uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage mandatory.
- Checked
- September 22, 2026
- Sources
- N.C.G.S. 20-279.21(b)(2)
fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) because of bodily injury to or death of one person ... one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) ... fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) because of injury to or destruction of property
- N.C.G.S. 20-309(a)
No motor vehicle shall be registered in this State unless the owner at the time of registration provides proof of financial responsibility
- N.C.G.S. 20-279.21(b)(3), (b)(4), (m)
The named insured is required to purchase uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, uninsured motorist property damage coverage, and underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage.
- S.L. 2024-29 s.8(c) (amending S.L. 2023-133 s.12(i))
This section becomes effective ... July 1, 2025, and applies to policies issued or renewed on or after that date.
- N.C.G.S. 20-279.1(11)
fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) ... one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) ... fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) because of injury to or destruction of property
- N.C.G.S. 20-279.21(b)(2)
Adding a 16-year-old driver in North Carolina: about $860 more a year
Adding a 16-year-old to a North Carolina policy
about $860 more a year
About $70 a month (+66% over a typical North Carolina adult policy of $1,300), bringing the combined North Carolina family policy to roughly $1,600–$2,850 a year.
On a separate North Carolina policy of their own with the same car, a 16-year-old in North Carolina would pay about $3,730 a year (roughly $2,850–$5,300), so sharing a parent's North Carolina policy saves about $2,870 a year.
Our teen-driver multipliers come from California's published age-rating filings scaled to North Carolina's baseline. How adding a teen driver works.
Cheapest cars to add a teen with in North Carolina
In North Carolina, the 2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek come out the same, the least of the 33 cars on the site's popular lists to add a teen with: about $770 more a year on a North Carolina policy, versus about $1,290 more a year for the 2022 Tesla Model 3 at the top of North Carolina's list.
| 2022 model | Added to a North Carolina policy | Own North Carolina policy |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Subaru Forester | +$770 in North Carolina | $3,330 in North Carolina |
| 2022 Subaru Outback | +$770 in North Carolina | $3,340 in North Carolina |
| 2022 Subaru Crosstrek | +$770 in North Carolina | $3,350 in North Carolina |
| 2022 Honda CR-V | +$820 in North Carolina | $3,580 in North Carolina |
| 2022 Toyota RAV4 | +$840 in North Carolina | $3,640 in North Carolina |
The order is the same in every state, because our car data is national. What changes from state to state is the price level. See all 33 teen cars and how we rank them.
What popular cars cost to insure in North Carolina
In North Carolina, a 45-year-old with full coverage pays from about $1,370 a year for a 2024 Jeep Wrangler to about $2,050 for a 2024 Tesla Model Y on these North Carolina sample models.
| Car | 45-year-old in North Carolina | Adding a teen in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Chevrolet Equinox | about $1,380 a year | +$910 a year |
| 2024 Ford Escape | about $1,470 a year | +$970 a year |
| 2024 Nissan Rogue | about $1,440 a year | +$950 a year |
| 2024 Toyota Highlander | about $1,410 a year | +$930 a year |
| 2024 Tesla Model Y | about $2,050 a year | +$1,350 a year |
| 2024 Ford F-150 | about $1,520 a year | +$1,000 a year |
| 2024 Toyota Tacoma | about $1,410 a year | +$930 a year |
| 2024 Jeep Wrangler | about $1,370 a year | +$900 a year |
See all 121 popular cars, SUVs, pickups, and EVs.
Common questions about car insurance in North Carolina
- How much is car insurance in North Carolina?
- In North Carolina, full-coverage car insurance averaged $1,097 a year in 2023 (the 11th least expensive of the 50 states and DC per NAIC), or about $1,300 a year ($110 a month) in North Carolina as of August 2026. North Carolina liability-only coverage averaged $448 in 2023 (41% of North Carolina's full-coverage figure, or about $530 today), and North Carolina drivers spent $925 per insured car across all policies.
- What are the minimum car insurance limits in North Carolina?
- Under N.C.G.S. 20-279.21(b)(2), North Carolina requires 50/100/50 liability: $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $50,000 for property damage. A 2023 law raised the minimums from 30/60/25 to 50/100/50, and a 2024 law moved the start date from 1 January 2025 to 1 July 2025, for policies issued or renewed on or after that date. The same change made uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage mandatory.
- How much does adding a 16-year-old teen driver cost in North Carolina?
- Adding a 16-year-old to a parent's full-coverage policy in North Carolina adds about $860 more a year ($70 a month), bringing the North Carolina household policy to roughly $1,600–$2,850 a year versus about $3,730 a year (roughly $2,850–$5,300) on a standalone North Carolina teen policy.
- Is North Carolina a no-fault car insurance state?
- No—North Carolina is a fault-based (tort) state where the at-fault driver's insurer pays for crash damages, and North Carolina does not require personal injury protection (PIP). For uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in North Carolina: Uninsured motorist coverage for injuries starts at your highest injury liability limit (up to $1 million). You can choose less, but not below $50,000/$100,000. Its property damage part starts at your property damage limit. Underinsured motorist coverage must match your uninsured coverage for injuries.
- How much do North Carolina SDIP insurance points increase your rate?
- Under North Carolina's Safe Driver Incentive Plan (SDIP), 1 point raises the base rate by 40%, 2 points by 55%, 3 points by 70%, 4 points by 90%, 8 points by 200%, 10 points by 260%, and 12 points by 340% for three years.
Sources for North Carolina
- North Carolina average premiums ($1,097 full coverage, $448 liability-only, $925 average expenditure): National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report (2023 data, trended to today with the BLS CPI motor-vehicle insurance series).
- North Carolina SDIP surcharge schedule: North Carolina Department of Insurance, Safe Driver Incentive Plan (insurance points) (checked September 22, 2026).
- North Carolina minimum coverage statutes (N.C.G.S. 20-279.21(b)(2); N.C.G.S. 20-309(a); N.C.G.S. 20-279.21(b)(3), (b)(4), (m); S.L. 2024-29 s.8(c) (amending S.L. 2023-133 s.12(i)); N.C.G.S. 20-279.1(11)), checked September 22, 2026. Page updated for North Carolina. See methodology and all sources.
This is an estimate to help you plan, not a quote. We don't sell insurance, and nothing you type is sent to us. Only an insurer can give you a real price.