The Joys and Financial Benefits of Marriage
Married couples enjoy a number of financial benefits from tax breaks for filing jointly, Social Security benefits based on their spouse’s work history, and combining policies for health insurance for potentially lower premiums.
But did you know that married people also save money on auto insurance? While your personal relationship status doesn’t impact how you drive, insurance companies see married drivers as more financially stable and less likely to file claims. In some states, insurance companies aren’t allowed to consider personal rating factors like age, marital status, and credit score. However, in those where it is a factor, married people often pay less.
In this article, we’ll explore how marital status affects car insurance rates, why insurers consider it a rating factor, and why married couples sometimes end up paying more.
Differences by State Between Being Married and Being Single
As mentioned above, not every state allows using personal rating factors to price insurance. In the following states, insurance companies are not allowed to consider marital status as a factor: Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan. For the rest of the states, there are some differences in how much or little your marriage makes.
The state where we see the largest difference is in Missouri, where there is a 15% difference on average between what married people pay for car insurance and what single people pay. Its neighbor to the south, Arkansas, also has a significant difference between single and married drivers, with single drivers paying premiums that are about 13% higher.
By contrast, in other states, the difference is nominal. In Montana, which previously was another state that considered marital status as a rating factor but changed to allowing it in 2021.[1] Here, the difference between what single and married drivers will pay is a little over 2%.
Here’s what the differences are in your state:
Interestingly, there doesn’t seem to be a correlation between where there is a higher percentage of married people and where married people get a bigger break. The states that see the largest differences between married and single people’s insurance costs have an average rate of marriage. And the states with the highest percentage of people who are married (Utah and Idaho) are just about in the middle of the pack in terms of how big the percentage difference is between single and married drivers.
However, the relationship between marriage and car insurance rates isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. Several factors can lead to higher premiums for married couples, even when insurers generally view them as lower-risk.
Reasons Married Couples May Pay More
Here are the most common reasons why car insurance premiums can rise after marriage:
1. Combining Driver Profiles and Vehicles
Car insurance pricing is highly individualized. When a couple gets married, they often combine their car insurance policies. While multi-car policies often come with discounts, adding a partner’s car and driving history to the policy can raise the overall premium.
For example:
- If one spouse has a poor driving record (accidents, DUIs or traffic violations), that history affects the combined policy.
- If the couple adds a newer or more expensive vehicle, the cost to insure it can push premiums higher.
2. Change in Location
Marriage often involves a change in address. If the couple moves to an area with higher traffic density, higher theft rates or higher accident rates, their car insurance premium can rise—even if their individual driving records remain spotless.
3. Adding Teenage Drivers
Some married couples eventually add teenage drivers to their policy. Teen drivers are statistically among the highest-risk groups on the road, and their addition can significantly increase premiums. While this isn’t directly tied to marital status, it’s often part of the life changes that come with marriage.
Widowed, Divorced, Single? The Subtle State Differences in How Insurers See Your Relationship Status
So far in this article, we’ve focused on the difference between two key groups: single and married, as that’s where we see the greatest difference. However, there are some more subtle differences when divorced people and those who have lost a spouse are added into the mix.
When we look at the difference nationally, there is only a dollar difference between the amount paid by divorced drivers and single drivers. Both are about 8% higher than the premiums paid by married drivers. Widowed drivers are somewhat in between, paying an average of 3% more than married drivers and 5% less than single or divorced ones.
The Changing Landscape: Less Reliance on Marital Status
In recent years, there has been growing scrutiny over the use of personal factors like marital status, gender, and credit scores in car insurance pricing. Consumer advocates argue that these factors don’t directly reflect driving ability or accident risk.[2]
As a result:
- In addition to the states that already disallow marital status as a rating factor, other states like California, that already outlaw other non-driving rating factors are challenging the practice.[3]
- More insurers are shifting to telematics-based pricing (using driving data such as speed, braking, and mileage), which provides a more individualized assessment of risk.
This shift means that marital status may become less significant in determining car insurance rates in the future.
Wrapping Up
While marriage has historically been associated with lower car insurance rates, it’s not a guarantee. In some cases, merging policies or changes in household circumstances can increase premiums. As the industry moves toward data-driven and behavior-based pricing, marital status is becoming less influential.
For now, the key for married couples is to shop carefully, compare policies, and focus on the factors they can control—like driving habits and coverage choices.
Methodology
In September of 2025, The Zebra conducted a comprehensive auto insurance pricing analysis using its proprietary quote engine, comprising data from insurance rating platforms and public rate filings. The Zebra examined more than 83 million rates to explore pricing trends across 34,500 U.S. ZIP codes and Washington, D.C.
Analysis used a consistent base profile for the insured driver: a 30-year-old single male driving a 2017 Honda Accord EX with a good driving history and coverage limits of $50,000 bodily injury liability per person/$100,000 bodily injury liability per accident/$50,000 property damage liability per accident, with a $500 deductible for comprehensive and collision. This was then compared to a profile with the marital status changed from single to married, divorced and widowed.
Finally, some rate data may vary slightly throughout this report based on rounding.