Can I get car insurance in Colorado with no prior insurance, and who is cheapest? Yes. In 754 real quotes our agents ran in 2026 for Colorado drivers with no current insurance, The General had the lowest median at $86/month, then Mendota ($91), Progressive ($123), Dairyland ($134), Bristol West ($151), National General ($160), and GEICO ($165). The lapse penalty versus currently-insured drivers is shown in the table below.
Car Insurance With No Prior Insurance in Colorado: 754 Real Quotes Compared
First car · Lapsed policy · Moved from another state · Coming off a suspension
Almost half of the Colorado drivers we quoted this year had no insurance in force when they called: a first car, a policy that lapsed, a move from out of state, or a license coming back after a suspension. Every carrier prices that differently, and a few decline it outright. These are the medians from our 2026 quotes for drivers with no prior insurance, next to what the same carriers charged drivers who were already insured.
Medians of real quotes our licensed agents ran in 2026. Different drivers were quoted with different carriers, so these are population comparisons, not the same driver priced twice. Your rate will vary.
No prior insurance in Colorado: who says yes, and at what price
Minimum coverage, need it today
The General ($86/mo median, 53 quotes) and Mendota ($91/mo, 46 quotes). Both bind same-day with proof of insurance by text, which is usually the point when you have no coverage.
Full coverage or a financed car with no prior insurance
Progressive ($123/mo median across 344 no-prior-insurance quotes, the most of any carrier) and Bristol West ($151/mo). Bristol West is the one that most often accepts a long lapse on a financed vehicle.
Lapse plus a violation or SR22
Dairyland ($134/mo) and Mendota. See cheapest SR22 in Colorado if the DMV requires a filing.
Colorado median monthly premium by carrier, no prior insurance versus currently insured
Median monthly premium by driver segment, from 1,642 real quotes our agents ran for Colorado drivers from January through May 2026. Lowest median in each row is highlighted. Segments with fewer than 8 quotes for a carrier are marked “too few” rather than shown.
| Driver segment | The General | Mendota | Progressive | Dairyland | Bristol West | National General | GEICO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All quotes | $91/mo 68 quotes · avg $162 | $93/mo 55 quotes · avg $125 | $147/mo 619 quotes · avg $178 | $166/mo 89 quotes · avg $250 | $221/mo 366 quotes · avg $240 | $244/mo 248 quotes · avg $295 | $193/mo 28 quotes · avg $200 |
| Liability only | $80/mo 50 quotes · avg $96 | $89/mo 39 quotes · avg $96 | $82/mo 272 quotes · avg $100 | $117/mo 49 quotes · avg $136 | $129/mo 133 quotes · avg $148 | $120/mo 99 quotes · avg $136 | $99/mo 10 quotes · avg $114 |
| Full coverage | $272/mo 18 quotes · avg $344 | $186/mo 12 quotes · avg $238 | $219/mo 326 quotes · avg $244 | $348/mo 37 quotes · avg $325 | $264/mo 226 quotes · avg $299 | $331/mo 141 quotes · avg $411 | $232/mo 18 quotes · avg $248 |
| Clean record (no accidents, tickets, or DUI) | $88/mo 63 quotes · avg $159 | $95/mo 37 quotes · avg $107 | $145/mo 499 quotes · avg $175 | $147/mo 80 quotes · avg $233 | $221/mo 310 quotes · avg $244 | $253/mo 185 quotes · avg $309 | $232/mo 14 quotes · avg $225 |
| Accidents, tickets, or DUI on record | too few (5 quotes) | $93/mo 18 quotes · avg $162 | $172/mo 120 quotes · avg $193 | $269/mo 9 quotes · avg $399 | $209/mo 56 quotes · avg $219 | $199/mo 63 quotes · avg $253 | $179/mo 14 quotes · avg $175 |
| SR22 filing required | $73/mo 9 quotes · avg $75 | $89/mo 13 quotes · avg $93 | $99/mo 37 quotes · avg $132 | $140/mo 14 quotes · avg $158 | $298/mo 11 quotes · avg $275 | $105/mo 24 quotes · avg $131 | too few (0 quotes) |
| No prior insurance | $86/mo 53 quotes · avg $152 | $91/mo 46 quotes · avg $117 | $123/mo 344 quotes · avg $153 | $134/mo 46 quotes · avg $246 | $151/mo 130 quotes · avg $174 | $160/mo 119 quotes · avg $230 | $165/mo 16 quotes · avg $161 |
| Currently insured | $215/mo 15 quotes · avg $194 | $144/mo 9 quotes · avg $169 | $202/mo 275 quotes · avg $209 | $184/mo 43 quotes · avg $255 | $262/mo 236 quotes · avg $276 | $324/mo 129 quotes · avg $354 | $248/mo 12 quotes · avg $252 |
| Drivers under 25 | $342/mo 13 quotes · avg $397 | $142/mo 12 quotes · avg $164 | $206/mo 91 quotes · avg $239 | $289/mo 10 quotes · avg $308 | $194/mo 29 quotes · avg $232 | $266/mo 27 quotes · avg $300 | too few (4 quotes) |
| Drivers 25 to 39 | $86/mo 28 quotes · avg $117 | $89/mo 20 quotes · avg $125 | $138/mo 222 quotes · avg $170 | $163/mo 40 quotes · avg $235 | $199/mo 129 quotes · avg $221 | $244/mo 119 quotes · avg $279 | too few (6 quotes) |
| Drivers 40 to 59 | $84/mo 20 quotes · avg $104 | $89/mo 16 quotes · avg $105 | $140/mo 199 quotes · avg $166 | $127/mo 26 quotes · avg $190 | $221/mo 142 quotes · avg $243 | $258/mo 63 quotes · avg $331 | too few (7 quotes) |
| Drivers 60 and over | too few (3 quotes) | too few (1 quotes) | $141/mo 55 quotes · avg $165 | $66/mo 9 quotes · avg $114 | $236/mo 51 quotes · avg $276 | $325/mo 19 quotes · avg $402 | too few (2 quotes) |
Quotes are what carriers offered, not what every driver bought. “Clean record” means zero accidents, zero violations, and no DUI in the quote. Age bands use the primary driver’s age. How we collect quote data →
Where each carrier came out cheapest
- The General had the lowest median for: all quotes, liability only, clean record (no accidents, tickets, or dui), sr22 filing required, no prior insurance, drivers 25 to 39, drivers 40 to 59.
- Mendota had the lowest median for: full coverage, accidents, tickets, or dui on record, currently insured, drivers under 25.
- Progressive did not have the lowest median in any segment with enough quotes, but it still won individual drivers — that is why we quote it.
- Dairyland had the lowest median for: drivers 60 and over.
- Bristol West did not have the lowest median in any segment with enough quotes, but it still won individual drivers — that is why we quote it.
- National General did not have the lowest median in any segment with enough quotes, but it still won individual drivers — that is why we quote it.
- GEICO did not have the lowest median in any segment with enough quotes, but it still won individual drivers — that is why we quote it.
Compare the “No prior insurance” and “Currently insured” rows and something surprising shows up: for Progressive, National General, and Bristol West the no-prior-insurance median is lower, not higher. That is not a discount for lapsing; it is because uninsured callers are mostly buying minimum liability on older cars while insured callers are mostly shopping full coverage. The real lapse penalty is inside each coverage type, typically 10 to 25 percent, and it fades after six to twelve months of continuous coverage, which is why the cheapest carrier at month one is often not the cheapest at the first renewal. We re-shop then.
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What else separates them
The General
Lowest median for uninsured drivers, minimum limits, same-day binding and ID cards.
Mendota
Minimum-limits specialist for lapses with violations.
Progressive
Most no-prior-insurance quotes (344). Writes full coverage after a lapse and rewards continuous coverage at renewal.
Dairyland
SR22 and non-owner options, monthly pay plans.
Bristol West
Most willing to write full coverage after a long lapse.
National General
Mid-tier fallback with wide acceptance.
GEICO
Rarely the answer for a lapse through agents; small sample.
No Prior Insurance Questions
No Prior Insurance Questions
7 QuestionsCan I get car insurance in Colorado if I have never had insurance?
Yes. Every carrier on this page wrote first-time buyers this year. In our 2026 quotes the cheapest medians for drivers with no prior insurance were The General ($86/month) and Mendota ($91/month) for minimum limits, and Progressive ($123/month) overall.
How much more do I pay for a lapse in coverage?
Within the same coverage type, typically 10 to 25 percent more than a driver with continuous coverage, depending on the carrier and how long the lapse was. Most carriers stop penalizing it after six to twelve months of continuous coverage, so re-shopping at your first renewal usually recovers the difference.
Do you need my old policy information?
No. If you have no prior insurance we quote you without it. If you had a policy that lapsed, the prior carrier name and end date help us find carriers that treat short lapses more leniently.
Can I get insurance the same day and drive legally?
Yes. We bind the policy by phone or online, the carrier issues digital ID cards immediately, and if the DMV needs an SR22 it is filed electronically the same day in most cases.
I just moved to Colorado. Does my out-of-state insurance count as prior insurance?
Yes, if it is still in force or ended within the last 30 days. Bring your current declarations page and we quote you as continuously insured, which is a meaningfully better rate than a lapse.
Are these rates what I will pay?
No. They are medians of real quotes for many different Colorado drivers. Your ZIP code, vehicle, credit, coverage limits, deductible, and driving history will move your rate above or below these numbers. The table tells you which carriers to compare first.
How often do these numbers change?
We update the dataset monthly as new quotes come in, and carriers refile Colorado rates several times a year. We re-shop at every renewal at no charge.
How this comparison was built
Every number on this page comes from quotes our licensed agents ran for Colorado drivers between January and May 2026 (1,642 quotes across seven carriers), stored in our first-party quote dataset. A quote is what the carrier offered; it is not a policy sold. Medians are used so a few very high-risk quotes do not distort the picture. Different drivers were quoted with different carriers, so this is a population comparison. Segments with fewer than 8 quotes for a carrier are shown as “too few.” Full methodology: How we collect quote data.
No prior insurance? Get quotes from all seven carriers and proof of insurance today.
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Related Guides
- Same Day Car Insurance
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- Cheapest Full Coverage Car Insurance in Colorado
- Progressive vs Bristol West in Colorado
- Colorado Car Insurance Guide
Last Updated on by Shawn Christie