Presidents Day Car Deals and How To Save On Insurance

Several car dealerships across the United States offer holiday sales around Presidents Day — which occurs on the third Monday in February each year. To go along with these Presidents Day car discounts, consider shopping around for auto insurance to find the lowest possible premiums for an insurance policy covering your new vehicle.

Keep reading to learn more about car discounts on Presidents Day, including how much money you could save and what types of car insurance you need to have in place for your new car.

On This Page

• 

  Is Presidents Day a Good Time To Buy a Car?

• 

  Do Car Dealerships Offer Presidents Day Car Discounts?

• 

  What To Consider When Buying or Leasing a Car on Presidents Day

• 

  How To Insure a New Car on Presidents Day

• 

  FAQs

Is Presidents Day a Good Time To Buy a Car?

Presidents Day can be a good time to buy a new car because dealerships often offer special promotional prices around holidays that result in three-day weekends — including Presidents Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day.^[1] In particular, the Presidents Day promotion may mark one of the first substantial sales of the year for many dealers, so it could be one of your earliest opportunities to hunt for great deals on 2026 models.

Nevertheless, it’s often easier to negotiate a better deal on a new vehicle purchase or lease toward the end of the month, when salespeople may be more inclined to offer discounts in order to meet their monthly quotas. In addition, car prices have been a bit higher in February than during later months in recent years.^[1] As a result, Presidents Day might not be the very best time of year to buy a car.

Do Car Dealerships Offer Presidents Day Car Discounts?

Several car dealerships host car sales on Presidents Day that enable you to purchase a new or used car at a discounted price — with savings of hundreds or even thousands of dollars possible, depending on the dealer and the make and model of the car you are interested in. In some cases, dealerships may continue to sell cars for less than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price past Presidents Day and through the end of February.^[2]

To get an idea of how you could secure lower monthly payments for your new vehicle this Presidents Day, see the following table for a list of financing deals available in various regions through March 2, 2026:^[3]

Keep in mind that you may not qualify for a 0% or other low-APR offer unless you have a high credit score and a low debt-to-income ratio.^[4]

What To Consider When Buying or Leasing a Car on Presidents Day

If you plan to finance or lease a new vehicle on Presidents Day, your lender or lessor will likely require you to obtain comprehensive and collision insurance. These coverage types ensure that your insurance company will pay to repair or replace your car if you are at fault for a car accident or experience a noncollision peril, such as theft or storm damage.

You aren’t required to maintain these two physical damage coverage types if you pay for your new car in full, but doing so may still be a good idea so you aren’t on the hook for the full replacement cost of an expensive car after a total loss. Conversely, you probably don’t need comprehensive insurance and collision insurance for a cheap used car if they would cost you more than 10% of the Kelley Blue Book value of the vehicle.^[5]

If you already have a car insurance policy with physical damage insurance, any new car you purchase may be automatically covered by that policy for a limited time. However, to secure permanent coverage, you need to formally add the new car to your policy by sharing its vehicle identification number with your insurance agent within 30 days of buying it.^[6]

Do I Need Insurance To Buy a New Car on Presidents Day?

Regardless of whether you finance, lease or outright purchase your new car, you are required by law to carry liability insurance in every state besides New Hampshire.^[7] Most states require both bodily injury and property damage liability insurance, though Florida doesn’t require bodily injury liability insurance for most drivers.^[8] Depending on the state you live in, you may also be required to buy other types of auto insurance, such as the following:

• Uninsured motorist coverage
• Underinsured motorist coverage
• Personal injury protection
• Medical payments coverage
• Property protection insurance

While insurance companies generally don’t offer special Presidents Day car insurance discounts, there are still plenty of ways to save money on an auto insurance policy for your new vehicle. For example, many insurers will grant you a discount if you have a clean driving record, a child who makes good grades in school, anti-theft devices, multiple insurance policies from the same carrier or multiple vehicles covered under the same car insurance policy.

How To Insure a New Car on Presidents Day

Comparing quotes from multiple insurance carriers on Presidents Day is a great way to make sure your newly purchased vehicle is covered at the lowest cost possible. Of course, it can be a slog to individually contact multiple car insurance companies in order to give them information about your new car and the type of coverage you’re looking for.

That’s where SmartFinancial comes into play. You only have to fill out a brief questionnaire online, and then we’ll connect you with agents who can help you figure out which insurance provider can offer you the best deal on the coverage you need. Get started on comparing car insurance quotes through SmartFinancial for free today!