Summary
- State Farm is the cheapest car insurance company in Arkansas, averaging $34/month for liability-only and $71 for full coverage, per Insurify rate data current as of September 30, 2026. That ties Indiana for the lowest leading rate in any of our 30 state guides. USAA ($42 / $86, military-only) and Progressive ($43 / $90) follow.
- Arkansas averages $73/month for liability and $150 for full coverage, about $1,803 a year, roughly 26% below the national average on liability and 20% below on full coverage.
- Rates have nearly round-tripped. Full coverage peaked at $2,519 a year in November 2024 and has fallen every month since, to $1,803, a 28% drop. Over five years Arkansas is up 2%; the country is up 44%. A further 1% decline is projected through year-end.
- Arkansas requires 25/50/25 liability, makes uninsured motorist coverage and PIP optional, and runs an electronic verification system that catches a lapsed policy without a traffic stop.
- State Farm insures about a third of the passenger cars in the state, which is part of why its rate is what it is.
- Geography moves the number: Little Rock ($142/month across coverage levels) pays about 40% more than Russellville ($101). See where your own ZIP code lands before your next renewal.
Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in Arkansas
State Farm leads on both coverage levels, and its lead is comfortable: $8 a month over USAA on liability and $15 on full coverage. Progressive is the only other carrier under $50 for liability. From there the table climbs in steps, Allstate and Trexis in the fifties, GEICO and National General at $57, Auto-Owners $59, and then a long tail of regional and nonstandard carriers that charge two to three times the leader.
| Insurance company | Liability only (mo.) | Full coverage (mo.) |
|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $34 | $71 |
| USAA* | $42 | $86 |
| Progressive | $43 | $90 |
| Allstate | $54 | $106 |
| Trexis | $55 | $143 |
| GEICO | $57 | $119 |
| National General | $57 | $125 |
| Auto-Owners | $59 | $121 |
| Direct Auto | $67 | $127 |
| Root | $69 | $117 |
| Safeco | $75 | $134 |
| Shelter | $76 | $156 |
| Farmers | $78 | $159 |
| Travelers | $82 | $167 |
| The General | $87 | $226 |
| Liberty Mutual | $112 | $201 |
| Bristol West | $114 | $260 |
Source: rate data current as of September 30, 2026. *USAA is available only to military members, veterans, and their families. Actual quotes vary by driver profile.
Two notes on the table. State Farm's position isn't an accident of the panel: about a third of all passenger cars in Arkansas are insured there, and the state is thick with its agents, so its pool is the deepest and its pricing the steadiest. And Shelter, the regional carrier headquartered next door in Missouri and a familiar name across Arkansas, is one of the pricier liability quotes here; a long relationship with an agent is worth something, but it isn't worth $42 a month.
The other data sets don't line up with this one. NerdWallet's April 2026 analysis names Travelers the cheapest full-coverage carrier in Arkansas at about $1,535 a year, which in this table is one of the more expensive. Bankrate's February 2026 figures put the state's full-coverage average at $2,432 a year and name GEICO and USAA among the cheapest carriers. Different panels, different driver profiles. The practical answer is to quote State Farm, Progressive and USAA if you're eligible, add Allstate or GEICO, and let the quotes settle it.
How Much Is Car Insurance in Arkansas?
Arkansas averages $73/month for liability-only and $150/month for full coverage, about $1,803 a year, against a national average of $99 and $187.
The five-year series is the story of this guide. Arkansas's full-coverage average was $1,764 a year in September 2021, above the national $1,557 at the time. It drifted up through 2022 and 2023, then surged through 2024, from $2,031 in December 2023 to a peak of $2,519 in November 2024, nearly $130 above the national peak. Then it turned, and it hasn't stopped turning: $2,200 by June 2025, $1,946 by October, $1,887 in January 2026, and $1,803 in September 2026. That is a 28% fall from the peak, the steepest decline in any state we cover, and it leaves Arkansas within 2% of its September 2021 figure while the country sits 44% above its own. The first half of 2026 alone took 3% off. The data's analysts point to vehicle-theft rates that have trended down since 2022 and a 12% decline in crash fatalities in early 2025, and projects a further 1% decline through the rest of the year. Our September rate report has the national picture.
Why Arkansas runs well below the national average:
- A rural state. More of the population lives outside metro areas than in the typical state, which keeps crash frequency and claim costs down.
- A deep, cheap pool at the top. State Farm's third-of-the-market share and Progressive's competition hold the headline rate where few states can match it.
- Two-thirds of drivers own their cars outright, so a large share of the market buys liability-only and prices accordingly.
And why the step to full coverage is still real: at $77 a month, the gap between liability and full coverage in Arkansas is close to the national pattern, because hail, wind and flood claims don't care how cheap the liability market is.
City spread (average monthly quote across coverage levels):
| City | Average monthly quote |
|---|---|
| Russellville | $101 |
| Conway | $113 |
| Fort Smith | $113 |
| Springdale | $116 |
| Benton | $117 |
| Fayetteville | $117 |
| Jonesboro | $119 |
| North Little Rock | $129 |
| Pine Bluff | $134 |
| Little Rock | $142 |
Source: Arkansas city rate data, current as of September 30, 2026.
The spread runs from the river-valley and Northwest Arkansas cities to the capital. Little Rock is the most expensive by a clear margin, North Little Rock and Pine Bluff next, and the Northwest Arkansas cluster, Fayetteville, Springdale, Benton, sits in the middle despite its growth. If you live in the Little Rock metro, the carrier spread is bigger than the city spread, so compare quotes for your ZIP code rather than the state average.
Arkansas Car Insurance Requirements
Arkansas requires 25/50/25 liability coverage:
| Coverage type | Arkansas minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person / per accident | $25,000 / $50,000 |
| Property damage liability, per accident | $25,000 |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist | Must be offered; optional |
| Personal injury protection | Must be offered; optional |
Arkansas is an at-fault state. Insurers must offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection, and you can decline both. A $25,000 per-person limit is low for a serious injury, and anything above your limits is yours personally. Our state minimum coverage guide covers why minimums and adequate coverage are different things.
Fault is shared, up to a line. Arkansas uses modified comparative fault: you can recover from the other driver only if you were less than 50% at fault, and your recovery is reduced by your share. Share half the blame and you recover nothing, which is one reason to keep collision and medical payments coverage rather than relying on the other side's policy. Our not-at-fault accident explainer covers how a fault finding reaches your rate.
The state checks your coverage without pulling you over. Arkansas's compulsory insurance law sets fines of up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for a second, with the vehicle's registration suspended until proof of coverage is shown. Since 2020 the state has also run an electronic verification system that detects a lapsed policy on its own; owners are billed and, if coverage isn't restored, the registration is suspended. Proof of insurance is required to register a car, and any crash that injures someone or causes more than $1,000 in property damage has to be reported to the state within 30 days. Our coverage-lapse guide covers what a gap does to your next quote.
Arkansas uses the SR-22 when a driver has to prove coverage to the state after a DUI, a suspension or an uninsured citation. SR-22 drivers pay about 58% more than clean-record drivers; State Farm is cheapest at about $52 a month. Our SR-22 explainer covers the filing, and our suspended-license guide covers reinstatement.
High-Risk Drivers in Arkansas
A speeding ticket raises Arkansas liability rates about 53% on average, and a DUI about 38%, per the same rate data as the tables above; an at-fault accident lands between them. The dollar amounts stay small because the base is small, and State Farm stays cheapest in every category:
| Driving record | State Farm (liability, mo.) | Next cheapest |
|---|---|---|
| Clean record | $34 | USAA $42, Progressive $43 |
| Speeding ticket | $44 | USAA $55, Progressive $55 |
| At-fault accident | $45 | USAA $57, Progressive $57 |
| DUI | $49 | USAA $61, Progressive $63 |
| SR-22 filing | $52 | USAA $64, Progressive $66 |
Source: Arkansas rate data by driving record, current as of September 30, 2026.
The pattern is unusual: in most states the clean-record leader loses its edge after a DUI, but in Arkansas the same three carriers hold the top three spots in every table, and the gap to the nonstandard carriers (The General $122 after a DUI, Bristol West $164) is wide. Our post-accident rate guide covers what moves after a claim, and our DUI and bad-record guide covers how long a conviction follows you.
Credit counts: drivers with bad credit pay about $50 a month at State Farm against $34 with good credit, a 47% difference at the cheapest carrier. Our credit-score guide covers the playbook.
Teens are a special case in Arkansas. The state lets 14- and 15-year-olds hold a learner's permit and sets no supervised-driving-hours requirement, among the most lenient rules in the country, yet young Arkansas drivers post a lower fatal-crash rate than the national average. State Farm is the cheapest teen option at about $65 a month for liability, Progressive is $78 and adds a teen-specific discount State Farm doesn't offer. Our teen safe-car guide covers the vehicle side. Drivers over 65 pay the least, from about $28 at State Farm.
How to Save on Car Insurance in Arkansas
- Quote State Farm first. Cheapest on both coverage levels, cheapest after a ticket, an accident or a DUI, and the carrier with the deepest pool in the state.
- Then Progressive, and USAA if anyone in your household served. Arkansas has only about 3,000 active-duty service members, but close to one in ten residents is a veteran, and USAA's $42 is the second-lowest rate in the table. Our USAA eligibility post covers who qualifies. Three quotes at the top of the table is the floor.
- Keep uninsured motorist coverage even though it's optional. When the other driver has nothing, it's the only coverage that pays you, and the shared-fault rule means your own policy does more of the work here than in most states.
- Price full coverage against the car, not the habit. The step is about $77 a month in Arkansas, which is a hard trade on a paid-off car worth a few thousand dollars and an easy one on anything you'd struggle to replace after a hailstorm. Our full coverage explainer covers what's in the bundle, and our comprehensive vs. collision post covers which half hail falls under.
- Ask about telematics. State Farm and USAA both advertise up to 30% off for safe driving through their apps in Arkansas; Progressive's Snapshot is the third option. Our telematics comparison covers what the apps actually watch.
- Mind your credit and bundle. Arkansas insurers may price on credit, and a home-and-auto bundle cuts both premiums.
- If you haven't shopped since 2024, shop now. Rates have fallen 28% from the November 2024 peak, and a policy renewed on autopilot since then has missed most of it. Check the national standings, then price your own profile against the tables above.
Rate data from Insurify's Arkansas car insurance analysis, updated October 16, 2026, with table rates current as of September 30, 2026, based on real-time quotes from 500+ partner insurers and Quadrant Information Services estimates, for drivers ages 20–70 with clean records and average or better credit unless noted. Full-coverage figures reflect 50/100/50 limits with $1,000 collision and comprehensive deductibles. Monthly series September 2021–September 2026, the year-end projection, the theft and crash-fatality context, the speeding, DUI and SR-22 percentages, the driving-record, credit, teen and senior figures, the city table, the ownership shares, State Farm's market share, the teen-licensing rules and the military population figures from the same source, which cites the Arkansas Insurance Department and state agencies. Minimum limits and the optional status of uninsured motorist coverage and PIP per the Arkansas Insurance Department as cited there. Compulsory insurance fines and registration suspension per Ark. Code § 27-22-103 as summarized by Bankrate and ValuePenguin; the electronic verification system per Bankrate's account of the 2020 law. Modified comparative fault per Ark. Code § 16-64-122. Accident-reporting threshold per Insurify, citing state law. NerdWallet's April 2026 and Bankrate's February 2026 figures noted for lane comparison only. Actual quotes vary by driver profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which company has the cheapest car insurance in Arkansas?
State Farm has the lowest average rates in Arkansas: $34 per month for liability-only coverage and $71 for full coverage, per rate data current as of September 30, 2026, tied with Indiana for the lowest leading rate in any state we cover. USAA is second at $42 and $86 but sells only to military members, veterans and their families; Progressive is third at $43 and $90. Below those three the table opens up quickly: GEICO is $57 for liability, Shelter $76, Liberty Mutual $112, and Bristol West $114, more than three times State Farm.
How much is car insurance in Arkansas in 2026?
Arkansas drivers pay an average of $73 per month for liability-only coverage and $150 per month for full coverage, about $1,803 a year for full coverage, against a national average of $99 and $187. That is roughly 26% below the national figure on liability and 20% below on full coverage. Little Rock is the most expensive city at $142 a month across coverage levels; Russellville is the cheapest at $101.
Are car insurance rates going down in Arkansas?
Yes, and by more than almost anywhere. Arkansas's full-coverage average peaked at $2,519 a year in November 2024 and has fallen every month since, to $1,803 in September 2026, a 28% drop that leaves the state within 2% of where it was five years ago. The national average rose 44% over the same five years. The rate data's analysts credit falling vehicle-theft rates and fewer fatal crashes, and project a further 1% decline through the rest of 2026.
What are Arkansas's minimum car insurance requirements?
Arkansas requires 25/50/25 liability coverage: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. Insurers must offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection, but both are optional. Arkansas is an at-fault state: you can recover from the other driver only if you were less than half at fault, and your recovery is reduced by your share.
What happens if you drive without insurance in Arkansas?
Arkansas's compulsory insurance law carries a fine of up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for a second, plus suspension of the vehicle's registration until you show proof of coverage. Since 2020 the state has run an electronic verification system that flags a lapsed policy on its own, without a traffic stop, and bills the owner before the registration is suspended. Proof of insurance is also required to register a car.
How much does a ticket, accident, or DUI raise rates in Arkansas?
A speeding ticket raises Arkansas liability rates about 53% on average, and a DUI about 38%, per the same rate data as this guide's tables; drivers who need an SR-22 filing pay about 58% more than clean-record drivers. State Farm stays cheapest in every category, at about $44 a month after a ticket, $45 after an at-fault accident, $49 after a DUI and $52 with an SR-22.