1 in 330. That's roughly the odds of a car getting stolen in Kingsport, Tennessee, in any given year — one of the higher motor vehicle theft rates of any city in the country. It sits oddly next to the other number that defines driving here: car insurance in Kingsport is cheap.
Drivers average around $91.75 a month, according to SmartFinancial's 2026 data, undercutting Tennessee's statewide average of $116.82 a month and coming in well below the national figure of $169.67. Those two facts don't cancel each other out. They just mean the average premium and the theft risk are pulling in opposite directions.
A Theft Rate That Doesn't Match the Price Tag
Analyses of FBI crime data have flagged Kingsport as carrying one of the highest motor vehicle theft rates in the nation, translating to roughly a 1-in-330 chance of a stolen car in a typical year. Overall property crime runs high here too, with a citywide crime rate that's drawn national comparisons.
The trend line is actually improving. Kingsport Police reported motor vehicle thefts down 16% over the past year and down 51% over the past four years, even as theft is still up nearly 39% over the full decade. That's a city working its way down from a genuinely bad peak, not one where the risk has disappeared.
Why Comprehensive Coverage Isn't Optional Here
Liability coverage — the state's 25/50/25 minimum — pays for damage you cause to someone else. It does nothing if your own car gets stolen out of a driveway or a parking lot. That protection only comes from comprehensive coverage, which is optional on a liability-only policy and standard on most full-coverage ones.
In a city with Kingsport's theft numbers, skipping comprehensive to save a few dollars a month is the kind of decision that looks fine right up until it doesn't. Insurify's data shows full coverage locally running around $109 a month against liability-only policies starting near $29 to $50 — a gap small enough that most Kingsport drivers are better off closing it.
The Eastman Effect on Local Traffic
Kingsport is the economic and geographic hub of the Tri-Cities region, anchored by Eastman Chemical Company, one of Tennessee's largest private employers. Eastman's global headquarters and largest manufacturing site sit along South Wilcox Drive, and shift changes there push a steady stream of traffic through the surrounding roads at predictable hours.
That kind of dense, low-speed volume tends to produce parking-lot dings and fender-benders rather than the severe collision claims that move a citywide average. It's a real factor in day-to-day driving, just not the one setting Kingsport's price — that's still the theft numbers.
What This Means for Your Policy
- Don't drop comprehensive to save a little: Kingsport's theft odds make it one of the more valuable pieces of coverage you can carry here.
- Keep UM/UIM matched to your liability limits: Tennessee's statewide uninsured-driver rate near 21% applies in Kingsport too.
- Ask about anti-theft discounts: alarm systems, tracking devices, and secured parking can offset some of the local theft-driven cost.
- Get more than one quote: the gap between liability-only and full coverage here is small enough that shopping around usually closes it further.
Not sure whether your current policy actually covers theft the way you think it does? Our minimum vs. full coverage guide breaks down what each level of coverage actually pays for.