Your Guide to the Best Auto Insurance in Colorado

From Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Denver to Vail, Colorado is known for its incredible scenery, vibrant cities, and heart-pumping outdoor activities. But this western U.S. state is also home to affordable car insurance with great coverage.

Whether you’re moving to Colorado or you’re a Coloradan looking to change up your auto insurance policy, we’ve got everything you need to know about car insurance in Colorado.

Let’s get started.

Free Car Insurance Comparison - Save up to 30%

No junk mail. No spam calls. Free quotes.

No Signup required

Types of Car Insurance in Colorado

There are a few main buckets of car insurance in Colorful Colorado, just like any other state. You can pick and choose the coverage you want, as long as you meet state minimum requirements (more on that later). The main types of car insurances include:

Collision: This covers you if you hit another vehicle or an object and helps to repair/replace it.
Comprehensive: This covers you for damage to your vehicle other than from hitting another vehicle, such as hitting an animal, weather-related damage, vandalism, and more.
Liability: This helps cover the cost of property damage and medical bills resulting from an accident you caused.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist: If you’re in an accident with someone who doesn’t have car insurance or doesn’t have enough insurance, this helps cover those costs. Note, Colorado is the 13th highest state for uninsured drivers, with over 16% of uninsured motorists, so this coverage can help protect you.
Medical Payments: This provides coverage for medical costs resulting from an accident, regardless of who is at fault.

It’s important to note that Colorado is an at-fault insurance system. This means that the insurance of the person responsible for the accident must pay out claims. While these five buckets of car insurance cover the basics, you can also add on optional coverage to your policy for even more peace of mind. These can include:

Roadside Assistance: Get coverage for jump starting your vehicle, running out of gas, getting a spare tire, and towing.
Gap: If you financed your vehicle and your vehicle is totalled, you would be on the hook for any remaining payments due on your vehicle’s financing. Gap insurance helps cover that amount.
Rental Reimbursement: If your vehicle is being repaired and you have to rent a car, this helps cover the rental costs.
Rideshare: If you’re using your vehicle to drive for Lyft or Uber, you’ll need rideshare coverage instead of just typical car insurance.

These are just some of the most popular add-ons in Colorado, but you can truly customize your policy to reflect your needs and budget. We’ll explore the minimum requirements next, so that you know what you have to have in place before adding on the coverage you want.

Minimum Requirements for Car Insurance in Colorado

Not only are you legally required to have car insurance to drive in Colorado, but you also need to have certain amounts of coverage in place before you hit the road. This helps protect both you and other drivers in case of an accident; minimum amounts of coverage help reduce the amount that you or the other driver may have to pay out of pocket. So, what are those minimum requirements? Drivers must have at least liability insurance in place, and the minimum thresholds are:

$25,000 for bodily injury to any one person in an accident
$50,000 for bodily injury to all persons in any one accident
$15,000 for property damage in any one accident

Of course, these are just the minimum legal requirements to drive in Colorado. It’s always highly recommended that you purchase more coverage to be safe (you never know when a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep will decide to cross the road in front of you!).

Free Car Insurance Comparison - Save up to 30%

No junk mail. No spam calls. Free quotes.

No Signup required

Average Car Insurance Costs in Colorado

Now that you have a sense of the car insurance coverage options available to you (and what you need to have in place), it helps to get an idea of the average costs of car insurance in Colorado.

Here’s the facts: Colorado has the highest paved road in the U.S. But that’s not all that’s on the high end; car insurance in the Centennial State is more expensive than the national average. Consumers can expect to pay on average:

$495 annually for minimum coverage
$2,019 annually for full coverage

It’s worthwhile to highlight that minimum insurance in Colorado is slightly less than the national average. Where you live will also skew these numbers. For example, Pueblo is the city with the most expensive car insurance in Colorado, while Fruitvale, Redlands, Clifton, and Fruita all have lower cost car insurance.

Of course, these are just rough numbers and your actual quote will depend on a variety of factors, including:

Your age and gender
Your driving record
Your zip code
Vehicle make and model
Credit score
Average mileage

The good news is, you have more control of your car insurance premiums than you might think. Next, we’ll jump into ways to find cheap auto insurance in Colorado.

How to Save Money on Car Insurance in Colorado

For many, car insurance is a necessary expense. But that doesn’t mean Coloradans can’t find affordable car insurance. Here are some of the best ways to save money on car insurance:

Discounts: Most insurance providers offer discounts, although eligibility varies and you may need to ask for the discounts to be applied. Some common discounts include:
- Safe drive
- Student
- Employee/membership
- Defensive driving course
- Anti-theft device
- Bundling policies
- Paperless billing
- And more

Compare Quotes: This is arguably your best bet for finding cheap auto insurance in Colorado. Because each insurance provider calculates insurance quotes differently, you’re likely to get a different quote at each company. By shopping around, you can save hundreds of dollars annually.
Maintain a Clean Record: There’s not much you can do about your past driving violations or accidents, except wait for them to drop off your record. But by not incurring any new infractions, you’ll help yourself see lowered premiums faster.
Review Your Coverage: The more coverage you have, the better. But you might be able to trim some items that aren’t as necessary; for example, it might make sense to remove collision coverage if you have an older car and it’s not worth the deductible/premiums.
Lower Your Deductible: Speaking of deductibles, you can help lower your annual car insurance costs by increasing your deductible (the amount you have to pay out of pocket before your insurance kicks in). If you decide to raise it, be sure that you can still afford to pay it should something happen.
Drive Less: Commuting three hours a day versus driving just a few times a week is going to make a difference in your auto insurance rates. Try using more alternate transportation methods, whether that’s an e-bike, the Denver RTD, or taking the ski train for your next powder run.

Everyone wants to save on car insurance, whether you’re a new driver or preparing for retirement (find more financial tips for retirement here). These actionable items can actually put money back in your pocket, so you can do more of what you love instead.

Free Car Insurance Comparison - Save up to 30%

No junk mail. No spam calls. Free quotes.

No Signup required

How to Get Car Insurance in Colorado

Getting car insurance in Colorado is easy. In most cases, you can get car insurance within the same day, if you have everything ready.

Once you’ve gathered all the relevant information (your personal info, VIN, driver’s license, previous insurance policy if applicable, etc.), you can either get a quote online or call an insurance agent. Your coverage starts as soon as you pay the first premium.

Make it easy on yourself by getting a free quote fast with ConsumerCoverage. You get affordable coverage and save time, so you can GET back to planning your next rock climbing adventure or devouring Rocky Mountain Oysters (not the seafood variety, IYKYK).

The Best Car Insurance in Colorado Is Within Reach

The best car insurance for you will depend on your budget, driving habits, and desired coverage. Some people might prioritize peace of mind, while others are looking for the cheapest auto insurance in Colorado, and that’s okay.

By exploring your coverage options and getting a quote, you can find the policy that best suits your needs—and it doesn’t have to blow your budget.

So whether you live in the Great West, the Rockies, or the Pioneering Plains, you can find the car insurance coverage you need to hit the road without looking back.

Get free quotes for car insurance in Colorado now thanks to ConsumerCoverage and gear up to save.

Free Car Insurance Comparison - Save up to 30%

No junk mail. No spam calls. Free quotes.

No Signup required

Hollay Ghadery Hollay Ghadery is a writer and editor who is passionate about financial literacy as a means to personal fulfillment. Hollay has over 18 years of experience creating content about a range of topics related to personal finance, including insurance, investing, banking, and credit cards. When Hollay isn't writing, she's spending time with her four children, two dogs, and three goats.