There are lots of different factors that impact your car insurance rates. Your age, ZIP code, and driving history all affect how much you pay for car insurance, but they aren’t the only things that can change your rates.
Profession can also have an impact on your insurance rates, especially if your job qualifies you for specific car insurance discounts, or if you’re constantly on the road for work.
How does your job affect your car insurance?
In general, your job has a much smaller effect on your car insurance rates than other factors, like where you live or your driving record. But your occupation can affect your rates if you drive a lot for work — that would mean higher car insurance rates — or if you earn a professional discount through your job.
But whether your job affects your insurance rates can vary from one company to the next. And because each company makes its own decisions on how things should impact your rates, a profession that causes rates to go up at one company may not impact your rates at all with another company.
Auto insurance rates by profession
Each car insurance company decides how (or if) your occupation is going to impact your insurance rates.
Some jobs can earn you a lower rate from the beginning, like if you work from home, but most occupational discounts come from specific discounts provided by the insurance company, like military discounts or discounts for members of specific professional organizations.
Car insurance for nurses
Some car insurance companies offer car insurance discounts for nurses if you’re a part of a professional nursing organization group. Most car insurance discounts for nurses save you less than 10%, but the amount of your discount varies by company.
→ Learn more about car insurance for nurses
Car insurance for members of the military and veterans
Active military members, veterans, and their families may qualify for a military car insurance discount through various car insurance companies, and all qualify for coverage through USAA, which is an insurance company that solely insures members of the military and their families.
Car insurance companies have their own individual standards around what type of discount to offer to members of the military, so be sure to tell your insurer that you are (or were) in the military when buying a policy. USAA generally has the lowest rates for active military and veterans.
→ Learn more about car insurance for military and veterans
Car insurance for rideshare drivers
Drivers who work as rideshare drivers for a company like Uber or Lyft may pay more for car insurance, especially if they add rideshare coverage to their policy. Rideshare insurance is usually sold as an add-on to your personal insurance policy that covers you when you drive your car to make money, whether that is delivering food or driving people where they need to go.
Your personal car insurance doesn’t provide coverage while you are working unless you’ve added coverage, which means rideshare drivers who don’t have rideshare coverage could find themselves in a bad situation if they’re in a car accident while on the job.
→ Learn more about car insurance for rideshare drivers
Car insurance for people who own a food truck
Because a food truck is both a vehicle and a business, food truck owners need commercial car insurance coverage, business liability coverage, and worker’s compensation coverage. You can’t use a regular car insurance policy to insure a food truck.
Depending on what state you’re in and what kind of food truck you run, you may need even more insurance coverage, so food truck owners will pay extra to insure their mobile businesses.
→ Learn more about car insurance for food truck owners
Self-employed car insurance
Being self-employed usually doesn’t have any impact on your car insurance. However, if your job involves a lot of driving it could increase your rates, while people who work from home and don’t need their car to commute can save on car insurance since they drive fewer miles than average each year.
But if you use your car for business purposes, you may need to purchase a business or commercial policy to guarantee you are covered while driving for work. If you have questions about what type of car insurance coverage you need as a self-employed, you can work with an insurance expert to make sure you are getting the right coverage for your needs.
Which professions have the lowest car insurance rates?
People with jobs that don’t involve a lot of driving are likely to get lower insurance rates. Based on sample quotes, we found that jobs that are likely to pay less for car insurance are:
Administrative assistant
Teacher
Database coordinator
But each company sets rates differently, so you’ll want to compare quotes from multiple companies to make sure you are getting the lowest rate.
Which professions with the highest car insurance rates?
People with jobs that require a lot of driving, especially when you have to use your own vehicle, tend to pay more for car insurance. We found that jobs that are likely to pay more for car insurance are:
But this isn’t always the case, so you’ll want to compare quotes from multiple companies to make sure you are getting the best rate.
Car insurance discounts by profession
Lower rates can happen one of two ways: something changes that impacts your coverage in the underwriting process, or you can get a discount based on an external factor. People who work certain jobs are more likely to be given a discount on their car insurance. Some occupations that commonly receive professional discounts are:
Federal employees
Police
Teachers
But you may need more than just the job itself to earn a discount — some insurance companies may offer a discount to anyone who can show proof they are employed as a teacher, while other insurance companies may offer teachers a lower rate from the beginning without any need for a discount.
→ Read more about car insurance discounts
Do insurance companies want to know your occupation?
Most insurance companies use your occupation to help set your rates, and will ask for detailed information about your profession.
Other insurance companies are a lot less specific about your occupation, simply asking if you are self-employed or if you work for someone else. Either way, you’ll probably have to give at least some personal information about your job to your car insurance company.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best job for car insurance?
Jobs that correlate with lower annual mileage (like work-from-home positions) often have lower insurance rates. And some occupations are offered discounted rates (like nurses, police, and teachers) which can help people in those industries save money on car insurance.
Does your income affect car insurance?
Not usually. It's possible some insurance companies may want to use your income information when setting your rates, but the majority of insurance companies don’t ask about your income when determining how much to charge you for car insurance.
Why do insurance companies want to know your occupation?
Not every car insurance company wants to know your occupation, but the ones that do want to know your occupation for the same reason they want all of your other information — because they use it to set your rates. Your job isn’t the most important factor in setting your rates, but it is a factor for some insurers.
