25/50/25 is the way Tennessee represents liability limits. To define that it is $25,000 per person in bodily injury up to $50,000 per occurrence AND $25,000 in property damage.

Why are there Tennessee Car Insurance Requirements? Well if someone were injured in the case of an accident, who is paying?

“Who has Twenty Five Grand to pay someone’s medical bills?”

The Answer? No one. Well no one except for the insurance company that can step in to help you shoulder the expense. Speaking of expense…

CHEAPEST LIABILITY INSURANCE IN TENNESSEE

Carrier	Average Cost
Dairyland	$69
Mendota Ins. Company	$87
Geico	$89
The General	$96
Acceptance RTR	$99
National General	$100
Progressive Insurance	$102
Nationwide	$116
AssuranceAmerica	$118
GAINSCO	$121
State Auto	$121
State Farm	$121
USAA	$123
Bristol West	$127
Safeco	$129

WHO HAS THE LOWEST LIABILITY PRICE? (BY CITY)

City	Company
Portland	Liberty Mutual
Farragut	Geico
Dyersburg	Geico
Greeneville	The General
Alcoa	Progressive
Harrison	Progressive
Union City	The General
Hartsville/Trousdale County	Geico
Murfreesboro	Geico
Hendersonville	National General
Bristol	Progressive
Johnson City	Progressive
Red Bank	Progressive
Mount Juliet	Progressive
Lenoir City	Dairyland*
Crossville	The General
Fairview	Liberty Mutual
Nashville-Davidson	The General
Soddy-Daisy	Progressive
Bloomingdale	Dairyland*
Arlington	The General
Smyrna	The General
Lakeland	Liberty Mutual
Signal Mountain	Progressive
Covington	Progressive
Brentwood	Geico
Lebanon	The General
Cookeville	Dairyland*
Maryville	Progressive
Oak Ridge	Farmers
McMinnville	Dairyland*
Memphis	Progressive
East Ridge	Liberty Mutual
Winchester	Progressive
Humboldt	The General
Dickson	Progressive
Nolensville	Progressive
Paris	Progressive
Manchester	Geico
Jackson	Geico
Clarksville	The General
Kingsport	Geico
Atoka	Dairyland*
White House	Progressive
Seymour	Progressive
Lawrenceburg	Bristol West
Gallatin	Progressive
Columbia	The General
Shelbyville	Farmers
Chattanooga	Geico
Spring Hill	Progressive
Middle Valley	Geico
Collierville	Progressive
Springfield	Progressive
Athens	The General
Bartlett	Geico
Elizabethton	Progressive
Franklin	Liberty Mutual
Knoxville	Progressive
Germantown	The General
Millington	Geico
Clinton	Geico
Brownsville	Liberty Mutual
Sevierville	Progressive
Collegedale	National General
Morristown	The General

As seen in the chart above, the cost Liability Insurance in Tennessee will not set you back $50,000 for 6 months. The hope is you’ll never even need to draw on your insurance policy, but accidents happen. That’s why it is important to get covered.

“IT IS THE LAW”

TENNESSEE CAR INSURANCE LAWS

It is actually the Law to have at least liability insurance in Tennessee, at the limits discussed earlier. This is according to the Tennessee Financial Responsibility Law, or else you could face heavy fines or even losing your vehicle registration. This is verified for each and every single car.

What if your Registration is suspended due to operating the vehicle without proper insurance? How do you Reinstate it?

1. Secure Auto Insurance.
2. If Required, get an SR22 filing with you new Policy.
3. Pay all coverage failure fees.
4. Pay the County Reinstatement fee.

This violation could cost you, making your rate even higher than if you had insurance to start.

Cost of SR22 Tennessee Liability Insurance

Carrier	Low End (Average)	High End (Average)
Progressive Insurance	$110.00	$180.00
National General	$90.00	$145.00
Bristol West	$110.00	$180.00
Dairyland	$100.00	$145.00
Geico	$110.00	$180.00
The General	$110.00	$180.00
Mendota Ins. Company	$110.00	$180.00
AssuranceAmerica	$110.00	$180.00
State Auto	$90.00	$145.00
State Farm	$70.00	$120.00
Acceptance RTR	$110.00	$180.00
Nationwide	$95.00	$120.00
Liberty Mutual	$85.00	$115.00
21st Century	$110.00	$200.00
USAA	$90.00	$110.00
Allstate	$90.00	$110.00
Farmers	$105.00	$160.00
American Family	$100.00	$155.00
Safeco	$90.00	$115.00
GAINSCO	$110.00	$200.00
Travelers	$110.00	$200.00

SR22 Filings are just that, a filing from your insurance company that you have insurance. It in and of itself is not insurance. But simply a filing which costs anywhere from $15 to $25 depending on the carrier.

“Then why are the prices so high for A Policy with an SR22?” Well, it is due to the violations associated with your record.

Below are examples of these violations that can dramatically impact your rate.

Violation Name	Major, Minor, or Non Moving	How Long it Will Affect Your Insurance Rates
Using a Cell Phone with Driving	Minor	3 Years
Crossing over a Center Divider	Minor	3 Years
Speeding	Minor	3 Years
No Proof of insurance	Non Moving	NA*
At Fault Accident	Major	5 Years
Running a Traffic Light or Stop Sign	Minor	3 Years
Failure to Use a Seat Belt	Non Moving	NA*
Driving without a License	Major	3 Years
Failure to Stop for a Pedestrian Side walk	Minor	3 Years

Violation Name	Major, Minor, or Non Moving	How Long it Will Affect Your Insurance Rates
Failure to maintain Clear Distance (tailgating)	Minor	3 Years
Running a Traffic Light or Stop Sign	Minor	3 Years
Failure to Use Turn Signal	Minor	3 Years
Improper Lane use	Minor	3 Years
Driving without a License	Major	3 Years
Failure to Use a Seat Belt	Non Moving	NA*
Failure to Yield	Minor	3 Years
Expired Tags	Non Moving	NA*
At Fault Accident	Major	5 Years
Non-At-Fault Acccident	Minor	NA*
Parking	Non Moving	NA*
DUI	Major	10 Years
Failure to Secure Load to truck/trailer	Minor	3 Years
Reckless Driving	Major	5 Years

HOW DO VIOLATIONS IMPACT YOUR RATE?

With a violation/accident/claim on your record, it could result in a higher monthly premium. Why is that? To put it simply, an individual with a ‘record’ is riskier to insure. And the higher the risk, the higher the cost.

Essentially, using the data, the insurance company is bracing to help you shoulder another incident. And thus they require more skin in the game. BUT! As the charts above show, it is not forever. If your record is kept clean your prices will plummet. Here are the costs of different types of the cheapest liability insurance in Tennessee with differing violations.

DUI – TENNESSEE LIABILITY INSURANCE

Carrier	Average Cost
21st Century	$155
Mendota Ins. Company	$155
AssuranceAmerica	$159
Dairyland	$168
GAINSCO	$169
The General	$170
Bristol West	$178
Progressive Insurance	$182
Geico	$183
Nationwide	$186
Allstate	$187
National General	$189
Acceptance RTR	$190
State Farm	$200
Liberty Mutual	$209

CHEAPEST LIABILITY INSURANCE IN TENNESSEE WITH FULL COVERAGE AND A CLEAN DRIVING RECORD

Carrier	Average Cost
Dairyland	$125
Progressive Insurance	$128
21st Century	$133
Bristol West	$140
The General	$146
AssuranceAmerica	$148
Acceptance RTR	$149
Mendota Ins. Company	$151
GAINSCO	$158
Geico	$158
Nationwide	$162
National General	$168
Allstate	$181
Farmers	$181
State Farm	$186

The lesson here is simple, get covered! At the very least with liability insurance so that you are legal on the roads of Nashville or Memphis. Don’t risk it, because the biscuit ain’t worth it.

Another BIG take away from this discussion is that if you are looking for the cheapest liability insurance in Tennessee you are going to keep your driving record as clean as you can! In fact, give our Tennessee Liability Insurance Calculator a whirl to see what you will pay!

TRY OUR TENNESSEE LIABILITY INSURANCE CALCULATOR

Each option contributes to the rate being higher or lower

QUESTION 1: What Type of Coverage do you want? Liability Only or full Coverage? What do these mean?

Liability Only is opting for the the Tennessee car insurance requirement, though you can choose higher limits. This covers others if you hit them.

Full Coverage is adding Comprehensive and Collision to your policy. So if your vehicle is hit in an collision the insurance company will help with the cost of repairs, minus your deductible. And if your car is vandalized, experiences weather damage, or hits an animal your carrier will help you shoulder.

BONUS: When should I get full coverage?

Financed Vehicle. Are you making payments on the vehicle? Well you will be required to carry full coverage in the case of a complete loss.

Clunker Cars. If your car is worth less than the deductible to repair the car, it may be pointless to have Comp/Coll added to your policy. So if your old clunker is worth $1,500 and your deductible is $1,000 it’s bound to be totaled out in the case of an accident.

QUESTION 2: Do you have continuous insurance for the past 6 months? And why?

Financially Responsible Rating Factor. If you have current insurance the carrier views this as a ‘positive rating factor’. Meaning you are stable and financially responsible. Getting and keeping insurance saves you big.

QUESTION 3: What is the Approximate value of your vehicle?

VIN. That is why we always need the VIN for your auto, or VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER. This helps carriers to determine exactly what vehicle they are insuring as well as it’s past. Now certain cars are going to cost more than others due to the cost to repair, the likely of accidents or theft with that particular model, and the vehicles specific history.

QUESTION 4: Your Age?

STATISTICS DON’T LIE. Your age plays a big role in the rate that you end up with. Why is that?! Well, statistically speaking a young adult is three times as likely to get in an accident than their counterpart over the age of 25. Those are the facts… especially if you are a young male. Compare the rate for Tennessee Liability Insurance only MALE VS FEMALE.

Carrier	Average Cost
Dairyland	$154
Progressive Insurance	$159
Bristol West	$163
The General	$163
Geico	$165

Carrier	Average Cost
Dairyland	$131
Mendota Ins. Company	$132
National General	$139
Bristol West	$140
GAINSCO	$140

With all of this data pulled together we have a close estimate of your rate! Try it out for yourself below:

Insurance Cost Estimator

Type of CoverageLiabilityFull Coverage