How much is car insurance in Tennessee?
Car insurance in Tennessee cost an average of $1,212 a year for full coverage in 2023 (NAIC), sitting 16% below the $1,439 national average and coming to about $1,440 a year in Tennessee today (about $120 a month in August 2026 dollars). In Tennessee, the law asks for at least 25/50/25 liability, while Tennessee liability-only policies—the closest NAIC figure to minimum coverage—averaged $542 in 2023 (about $640 today).
Average car insurance cost in Tennessee: 16% below the US average
Typical Tennessee full-coverage price today
about $1,440 a year in Tennessee (about $120 a month)
Tennessee's 2023 NAIC full-coverage average ($1,212) adjusted +19% to August 2026 using the US motor-vehicle insurance price index; your Tennessee rate depends on your car, driving history, and coverage limits.
That $1,212 2023 full-coverage figure makes Tennessee the 18th least expensive of the 50 states and DC (against $1,439 nationally), with 45% going to liability ($542, 19th lowest in the US) and 55% covering physical damage to your own vehicle. Counting every insured car in Tennessee—both full-coverage and liability-only policies—Tennessee drivers spent $1,050 per vehicle on average in 2023 (18th lowest in the US, about $1,240 today), or 13% ($162) less than Tennessee's full-coverage combined average.
How Tennessee compares with Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and 5 more bordering states
A typical policy in Tennessee ($1,212 in 2023) costs more than in Kentucky and North Carolina and less than in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia. Among Tennessee's neighbors, North Carolina had the lowest 2023 average ($1,097, moving to Tennessee is about $150 more a year) and Georgia had the highest ($1,746, moving to Tennessee is about $710 less a year).
| State | 2023 average | Moving to Tennessee from there |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | $1,212 | Current state (Tennessee) |
| Alabama | $1,269 | About $80 less a year |
| Arkansas | $1,296 | About $110 less a year |
| Georgia | $1,746 | About $710 less a year |
| Kentucky | $1,208 | About the same |
| Mississippi | $1,395 | About $240 less a year |
| Missouri | $1,323 | About $150 less a year |
| North Carolina | $1,097 | About $150 more a year |
| Virginia | $1,238 | About the same |
| US average | $1,439 | US benchmark |
States with similar 2023 full-coverage averages: Minnesota ($1,223 in 2023, about $1,450 today), West Virginia ($1,227 in 2023, about $1,450 today), Washington ($1,235 in 2023, about $1,460 today), and Nebraska ($1,184 in 2023, about $1,400 today).
Tennessee: 25/50/25 minimums since 2022, with uninsured-motorist coverage unless rejected in writing
- Tennessee liability (per person / per crash / property)
- $25,000 / $50,000 / $25,000
- Personal injury protection (PIP) in Tennessee
- Not required
- Medical payments in Tennessee
- Not required
- No-fault system in Tennessee
- No
- Uninsured motorist in Tennessee
- Included unless you decline in writing
- Underinsured motorist in Tennessee
- Not confirmed yet
Set by 2022 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 860 (amending T.C.A. 55-12-102(12)), Tennessee's 25/50/25 minimum pays up to $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries you cause to others, plus $25,000 for others' property—the legal floor in Tennessee, not a coverage recommendation, and it excludes collision or comprehensive repairs on your own car.
Liability-only coverage in Tennessee—the closest NAIC figure to what a Tennessee minimum policy costs—averaged $542 in 2023 (about $640 in Tennessee today), the 19th lowest of the 50 states and DC. That makes liability 45% of Tennessee's full-coverage average ($1,212), while the remaining 55% goes toward collision and comprehensive coverage for your own car.
Tennessee requires at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage (or a $65,000 combined limit). Uninsured-motorist coverage is included at your liability limits unless you turn it down in writing.
What we couldn’t confirm: The official Tennessee code site (Lexis) blocked full access with a captcha, so we read only a search excerpt of the uninsured motorist law. We haven't confirmed whether Tennessee counts underinsured drivers as uninsured, so underinsured motorist coverage is blank. We also didn't read the law that requires insurance itself; that part rests on the Department of Revenue's page. We marked PIP and medical payments coverage not required because we found no law requiring them, not because a law says they're optional.
- Combined limit you can use instead
- $65,000
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist
- Uninsured motorist coverage matches your injury liability limits unless you turn it down completely in writing, or pick lower limits in writing (not below the state minimums).
- History and recent checks
- Property damage rose from $15,000 to $25,000 and the single-limit option rose to $65,000 for proof required after Dec 31, 2022 (2022 Pub. Ch. 860). Existing policies had until their first renewal after that date.
- Checked
- September 22, 2026
- Sources
- 2022 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 860 (amending T.C.A. 55-12-102(12))
If proof is required after December 31, 2022 ... not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for bodily injury ... fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) ... twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for damage to property
- Tennessee Department of Revenue - Financial Responsibility Law
$25,000 for each injury or death per accident. $50,000 for total injuries or deaths per accident. $25,000 for property damage per accident.
- T.C.A. 56-7-1201 (Lexis public access, search for the section)
(3) However, any named insured may reject in writing the uninsured motorist coverage completely or select lower limits of the coverage but not less than the minimum coverage
- 2022 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 860 (amending T.C.A. 55-12-102(12))
Adding a 16-year-old driver in Tennessee: about $950 more a year
Adding a 16-year-old to a Tennessee policy
about $950 more a year
About $80 a month (+66% over a typical Tennessee adult policy of $1,440), bringing the combined Tennessee family policy to roughly $1,800–$3,150 a year.
On a separate Tennessee policy of their own with the same car, a 16-year-old in Tennessee would pay about $4,120 a year (roughly $3,150–$5,900), so sharing a parent's Tennessee policy saves about $3,170 a year.
Our teen-driver multipliers come from California's published age-rating filings scaled to Tennessee's baseline. How adding a teen driver works.
Cheapest cars to add a teen with in Tennessee
In Tennessee, 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 $850 more a year on a Tennessee policy, versus about $1,430 more a year for the 2022 Tesla Model 3 at the top of Tennessee's list.
| 2022 model | Added to a Tennessee policy | Own Tennessee policy |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Subaru Forester | +$850 in Tennessee | $3,680 in Tennessee |
| 2022 Subaru Outback | +$850 in Tennessee | $3,690 in Tennessee |
| 2022 Subaru Crosstrek | +$850 in Tennessee | $3,700 in Tennessee |
| 2022 Honda CR-V | +$910 in Tennessee | $3,960 in Tennessee |
| 2022 Toyota RAV4 | +$930 in Tennessee | $4,020 in Tennessee |
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 Tennessee
In Tennessee, a 45-year-old with full coverage pays from about $1,500 a year for a 2024 Honda Ridgeline to about $1,690 for a 2024 GMC Sierra on these Tennessee sample models.
| Car | 45-year-old in Tennessee | Adding a teen in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 GMC Sierra | about $1,690 a year | +$1,120 a year |
| 2024 Toyota Tundra | about $1,620 a year | +$1,070 a year |
| 2024 Ford Ranger | about $1,560 a year | +$1,030 a year |
| 2024 Ford Maverick | about $1,520 a year | +$1,010 a year |
| 2024 Chevrolet Colorado | about $1,580 a year | +$1,040 a year |
| 2024 GMC Canyon | about $1,620 a year | +$1,070 a year |
| 2024 Nissan Frontier | about $1,570 a year | +$1,040 a year |
| 2024 Honda Ridgeline | about $1,500 a year | +$990 a year |
See all 121 popular cars, SUVs, pickups, and EVs.
Common questions about car insurance in Tennessee
- How much is car insurance in Tennessee?
- In Tennessee, full-coverage car insurance averaged $1,212 a year in 2023 (the 18th least expensive of the 50 states and DC per NAIC), or about $1,440 a year ($120 a month) in Tennessee as of August 2026. Tennessee liability-only coverage averaged $542 in 2023 (45% of Tennessee's full-coverage figure, or about $640 today), and Tennessee drivers spent $1,050 per insured car across all policies.
- What are the minimum car insurance limits in Tennessee?
- Under 2022 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 860 (amending T.C.A. 55-12-102(12)), Tennessee requires 25/50/25 liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage (or a $65,000 single limit). Property damage rose from $15,000 to $25,000 and the single-limit option rose to $65,000 for proof required after Dec 31, 2022 (2022 Pub. Ch. 860). Existing policies had until their first renewal after that date.
- How much does adding a 16-year-old teen driver cost in Tennessee?
- Adding a 16-year-old to a parent's full-coverage policy in Tennessee adds about $950 more a year ($80 a month), bringing the Tennessee household policy to roughly $1,800–$3,150 a year versus about $4,120 a year (roughly $3,150–$5,900) on a standalone Tennessee teen policy.
- Is Tennessee a no-fault car insurance state?
- No—Tennessee is a fault-based (tort) state where the at-fault driver's insurer pays for crash damages, and Tennessee does not require personal injury protection (PIP). For uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in Tennessee: Uninsured motorist coverage matches your injury liability limits unless you turn it down completely in writing, or pick lower limits in writing (not below the state minimums).
- How does Tennessee's car insurance cost compare with Alabama?
- Tennessee averaged $1,212 for full coverage in 2023 (NAIC) against $1,269 in Alabama (4% less than Alabama), and moving a sample policy from Alabama to Tennessee today is about $80 less a year. Other bordering states averaged $1,296 in Arkansas, $1,746 in Georgia, $1,208 in Kentucky, $1,395 in Mississippi, $1,323 in Missouri, $1,097 in North Carolina, and $1,238 in Virginia in 2023.
Sources for Tennessee
- Tennessee average premiums ($1,212 full coverage, $542 liability-only, $1,050 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).
- Tennessee minimum coverage statutes (2022 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 860 (amending T.C.A. 55-12-102(12)); Tennessee Department of Revenue - Financial Responsibility Law; T.C.A. 56-7-1201 (Lexis public access, search for the section)), checked September 22, 2026. Page updated for Tennessee. 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.