Is Auto Insurance Cheaper If You’re Married?

Last Updated on December 16, 2025

Is your car insurance cheaper if you’re married? Sometimes—yes. Many insurers charge married drivers a little less than single drivers, but the “marriage discount” isn’t guaranteed, and the savings can vary a lot based on your age, location, and driving records.

Below is what typically happens to your auto insurance rates after you get married, when rates can actually go up, and how couples can save the most.

Key Takeaways

• In many states, married drivers pay less for car insurance than single drivers, but the discount varies by insurer and location.
• Recent pricing analyses often show married drivers pay roughly single-digit percentages less on average—though savings can be bigger for younger drivers and multi-car households.
• Rates can increase after marriage if you add a higher-risk spouse, move ZIP codes, change vehicles, or upgrade coverage.
• To maximize savings, compare a combined policy vs. separate policies and shop quotes across multiple insurers.

Typically, Car Insurance Is Cheaper for Married Couples

Dozens of factors go into the price of your auto insurance policy, including your driving history, your ZIP code, and your credit score. Marital status can be another rating factor in many states, and it often works in favor of married drivers.

In many areas, married drivers pay less than single drivers (including divorced and widowed drivers). However, some states restrict which “personal” factors insurers can use, so your marital status may have little or no impact depending on where you live.

How Much Cheaper Is Auto Insurance If You’re Married?

For many couples, the savings are modest—often in the single digits percentage-wise—but it can be more noticeable for younger drivers and for households that can stack multiple discounts (like multi-car and bundling).

Recent rate analyses commonly find married drivers pay around 7% to 12% less on average than single drivers, but the difference varies by state and insurer. For a deeper dive, you can see examples of these comparisons here: The Zebra’s marital status analysis and Bankrate’s married couples rate breakdown.

Why Do Married People Often Pay Less for Car Insurance?

Insurers price policies based on risk—specifically, how likely you are to file a claim and how expensive those claims tend to be. Many companies’ historical data show that married drivers, on average, generate fewer or less costly claims than single drivers, so they may qualify for a lower rate.

It’s not that marriage magically makes someone a safer driver. It’s that insurance pricing uses big-picture trends, and marital status can be one of many data points in a company’s rating model—right alongside things like your record, where you live, and how much you drive.

When Getting Married Can Make Your Insurance More Expensive

Getting married doesn’t automatically lower your premium. In some situations, rates can stay the same—or even increase—especially if your policy changes in other ways at the same time.

• You add a higher-risk spouse (recent tickets, accidents, DUI, limited driving history, etc.).
• You move to a different ZIP code (garaging address changes can swing rates a lot).
• You combine policies and change coverage (higher limits, adding comp/collision, lowering deductibles, etc.).
• You change vehicles (some cars are simply less expensive to insure than others).
• Your mileage or commute changes (especially if one spouse starts commuting farther or stops working from home).

In other words: the “married” rate factor can help, but it’s only one piece of the premium puzzle.

Should Married Couples Combine Auto Insurance Policies?

Often, yes—combining can unlock discounts and simplify billing. But it depends on the drivers, cars, and insurer rules.

When combining usually saves money

• You’re insuring two cars (multi-vehicle discounts can be meaningful).
• You can bundle policies (auto + home/renters) for extra savings.
• Both spouses have solid driving records and similar risk profiles.

When separate policies can be cheaper

If one spouse has a significantly worse record (recent accidents, multiple tickets, DUI, etc.), combining can raise the household premium. In that case, it’s worth pricing both options—one policy versus two—and comparing the total cost.

Important: some insurers require you to list licensed household members, even if they don’t regularly drive your car. If a spouse truly never drives a vehicle, some companies allow an excluded driver option (rules vary), but you should confirm the details before choosing that route.

What About Domestic Partnerships and Other Living Arrangements?

Not legally married but living together? Some insurers offer similar pricing for long-term partners, domestic partnerships, or cohabitating couples—especially when both drivers are on the same policy and share an address.

Here are a few situations where rates may drop when you update your policy details:

• Your partner drives fewer miles than you or works from home.
• Your partner has a better driving record.
• Your partner drives a car that’s less expensive to insure.

If you’re unsure what your insurer allows, start here: Can I add my girlfriend or boyfriend to my car insurance?

→ Related Article – Do Car Insurance Companies Ask for Proof of Marriage?

Don’t Forget About Multiple Vehicle Discounts

Most car insurance companies offer multi-vehicle discounts. If you’re insuring multiple vehicles together, you can often bundle policies together to save money.

Even if marital status doesn’t change your base rate much, combining two cars under one policy (and stacking discounts like autopay, paperless billing, low mileage, safe driver, etc.) can make a real difference.

FAQs on Auto Insurance and Marriage

Final Thoughts: Is Auto Insurance Cheaper If You’re Married?

Often, yes—but not always. Your best move is to price it both ways (one combined policy vs. separate policies) and then compare companies.

Whether you’re married or single, the best way to get affordable car insurance is to compare quotes from multiple insurers. Different companies calculate risk differently, so the cheapest option for one couple may be overpriced for another.