The true cost of auto insurance in 2021

Explore the true cost of auto insurance in all 50 states and the top 25 metro statistical areas (MSAs). True cost rankings are determined by the average total percentage of income spent on car insurance and not average premiums. The higher the ranking, the higher the true cost of car insurance.

A majority of Americans allocate a portion of their monthly paycheck to car insurance premiums, but what is the true cost of car insurance over time? Understanding your monthly car insurance output could impact other areas of your life. When life happens, like getting a ticket or a credit score decrease, these costs can increase thousands of dollars more.

The national average for full coverage auto insurance is $1,674 per year, but Americans can pay significantly different rates depending on their location. Each state is ranked between one and 50, and each city is ranked between one and 25. The lower the ranking, the less impact your auto insurance premiums have on your annual income, based on average percentages.

Knowing how much other drivers pay for auto insurance in your area can help you understand how your premiums stack up against the average. The factors that determine your premium are ever-changing and may increase or decrease your premium over time. States vary by degree of impact as well. Drivers in California may be surprised to learn that although they pay nearly $400 more than the national average for full coverage insurance, at $2,065 per year, events such as coverage lapses negatively impact their rates the least compared to other states. See how common life events may impact rates in your area above.

True cost rank by state

The percentage difference displayed is between each state’s average premium and the national average annual cost of full coverage car insurance, $1771. True cost rank is based on the average total percentage of income spent on car insurance, not average premiums. The higher the ranking, the higher the true cost of car insurance.

True cost rank by metro

It is beneficial to understand your full financial picture and how your life events affect your car insurance premium, and then understand where you can earn savings. When searching for auto insurance savings, determining the discounts you are eligible for is important.

Practice good driving habits

Half of the life events that impact car insurance premiums covered in this report directly relate to driving records: speeding tickets, car accidents and DUIs. Each incident can increase your auto insurance premiums significantly.

In some states, rates are more accommodating to drivers with incidents on their driving records. Idaho, Vermont and Hawaii all have average rate increases lower than $200 per year for speeding tickets and $400 per year for car accidents, but this is still a huge impact on your budget. If you live in a state where premium increases for such incidents more closely mirror the national average range of about $350 per year to $730 per year, you might consider seeking out a defensive driver course approved by your insurance company that can offset these increases.

Opting for additional coverages like accident forgiveness at the onset of your policy can also prevent rising rates due to accidents and traffic violations. Even drivers with clean records can find driving-based savings by opting for insurer-specific monitoring programs, which reward safe driving habits with additional discounts.

Choose the right vehicle

The year and model of your vehicle are huge components of your insurance premium. In general, you can expect new and luxury vehicles to be more expensive to insure due to the higher cost of repair.

A mid-range minivan such as Honda Odyssey costs $1,454 per year on average to insure with full coverage compared to a higher-end car, such as a BMW 330i, which costs $2,225 per year on average for the same level of coverage. When shopping for a vehicle, it is best to keep in mind how the vehicle you choose affects your insurance premiums. It may be helpful to get multiple quotes for different vehicles before buying to keep your overall insurance costs low.

Relocate in your metro

Where you live within your city can impact your car insurance premiums. Although moving out of state to reduce your rate is impractical, drivers looking for auto insurance savings could consider moving either to a new city or a different ZIP code within your metro area.

In Florida — where the True Cost Rank of 49 reflects the second-to-highest percentage of income going toward auto insurance — a driver could decide to offset insurance expenses by relocating from Tampa to Orlando, for an average savings of nearly $450 a year on car insurance premiums.

Include your commute costs into savings calculations if possible. If moving to a new metro also reduces how far you drive on a daily basis, many companies offer discounts for putting fewer miles on your car. These discounts could enhance your potential savings.

Improve your credit score

Having a high credit score can save you money unless you live in California, Hawaii or Massachusetts, where credit is not used to determine car insurance rates. Having good credit is especially important in metros like Detroit, Michigan, where low credit scores could result in additional premium costs of more than $5,000 a year, an 186% increase over the national average premium.

If you plan to shop for a new auto insurance policy within the next six months to a year, avoiding credit checks could help keep your credit score in a range that provides you a more favorable car insurance premium. Hard credit checks, the credit pulls that typically occur when applying for a loan or credit card, typically negatively affect your credit score for some time after the credit check occurs.

If your credit score is low, it may be beneficial to set up a monthly budget for your expenses to have greater insight into your finances. An insurance analyst for Bankrate.com, Stephen Kates, says, “The largest factor in your credit score is your payment history. Paying on time every time will make the biggest difference in your score over time. The second is credit utilization, which is the amount of credit you are using relative to the total amount you have available. If you are using more than 30% of your credit over a long period of time, your score can deteriorate. Using a credit monitoring system can help you keep tabs on your progress and catch any mistakes before they hurt your score.” While building your credit takes time, it can be worthwhile for auto insurance savings — the average full coverage premium in the U.S. for drivers with excellent credit is $1,487 a year.

Various factors go into determining your auto insurance rates, providing several areas of opportunity for you to save. Once you have found auto insurance savings, you can repurpose them to benefit other areas of your life. Bankrate’s True Cost Rank provides a way to break down the sum of your annual auto expenses and determine where adjustments might be needed to acquire additional savings. The returns may seem small at first but could have a significant impact on your long-term financial goals.