Why Is My Car Insurance So High

Bibliography

Sources

Every factual claim on this site should trace to one of these. If you find one that does not, tell us and we will fix or remove it.

Michigan Legislature

  1. MCL 500.2111 — permitted and prohibited rating factors — Insurers may not set auto rates on sex, marital status, home ownership, educational level, occupation, postal zone or credit score (as defined in § 2162).

California Legislative Information

  1. Insurance Code § 1861.02 — rating factors and Good Driver Discount — Rates must be determined by, in decreasing order of importance, driving safety record, annual miles driven and years of driving experience; optional factors may follow. Good Driver Discount policies must be at least 20% below the rate otherwise charged.
  2. Vehicle Code § 16056 — minimum liability limits — Policies issued or renewed on/after 1 Jan 2025: $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident bodily injury / $15,000 property damage. From 1 Jan 2035 the limits rise by $20,000 / $40,000 / $10,000 (to 50/100/25).

National Association of Insurance Commissioners

  1. Credit-based insurance scores (insurance topic) — In most states insurers may not use a credit score as the sole reason to raise rates or decline, cancel or non-renew; many states require adverse-action notices.
  2. State chart: use of credit reports/scoring in underwriting (2025) — State-by-state statutory summary; e.g. Massachusetts (auto rates may not be based on credit), Michigan (credit score prohibited, MCL 500.2162), Maryland (credit may rate a new auto policy only).
  3. 2019–2023 Auto Insurance Database: average premium supplement (2025) — Countrywide average expenditure $1,281 in 2023 (+13.98%); combined average premium $1,438; state tables for liability, collision and comprehensive.
  4. Consumer insurance information — Plain-language guides from the body of state insurance regulators; links to every state's insurance department and complaint process.

Insurance Information Institute

  1. Background on: Insurance scoring — What credit-based insurance scores are; Arkansas regulator data showing credit lowered premium on ~57% of auto policies and raised it on ~23%.
  2. Background on: Older drivers — 2023 fatal-crash involvement per 100,000 licensed drivers: 15.44 (65–74), 16.63 (75+), 24.38 all ages; state licence-renewal rules for older drivers.
  3. Background on: Pay-as-you-drive auto insurance (telematics) — Usage-based and per-mile pricing models, what telematics programmes measure, and state limits on their use.
  4. Trends and Insights: Auto insurance rates (June 2024) (2024) — Why premiums rose 2021–2024: crash frequency and severity, repair and labour inflation, vehicle technology, attorney involvement.
  5. Facts + Statistics: Teen drivers — Crash and fatality statistics for drivers 16–19 and graduated licensing context.
  6. Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists (2024) — Insurance Research Council estimates of uninsured drivers by state (2022: e.g. Michigan 19.6%, California 17.0%, Florida 15.9%, Texas 13.8%).
  7. Facts + Statistics: Auto insurance (2025) — NAIC countrywide average auto expenditure: $1,127 (2022), $1,282 (2023); most expensive states in 2023 were Florida, Louisiana and New York.
  8. Facts + Statistics: Alcohol-impaired driving — Alcohol-impaired crash fatalities, BAC thresholds and state ignition-interlock context.
  9. Estimated percentage of uninsured motorists by state, 2017–2023 (2025) — IRC time series by state; 2023: Mississippi 28.2%, New Mexico 24.1%, D.C. 23.1%, Michigan 22.3%, Florida 20.6%, California 20.4%, Texas 14.5%; lowest Maine 5.7%.
  10. Facts + Statistics: Highway safety — Crash, injury and fatality trends used to explain why liability and injury coverages cost what they do.
  11. Drivers in fatal motor vehicle crashes by age, 2023 (2025) — Fatal-crash involvement per 100,000 licensed drivers: 42.40 (16–20), 35.34 (21–24), 28.97 (25–34), 24.18 (35–44), 21.70 (45–54), 19.45 (55–64), 15.44 (65–74), 16.63 (75+).
  12. What determines the price of an auto insurance policy? — Rating factors: driving record, mileage, location, age, gender, vehicle, credit-based insurance score, coverage choices. Notes ZIP-code rating is prohibited in California and Michigan and gender rating is prohibited in seven states.
  13. How much auto coverage do I need? — Why state minimums are a floor; choosing liability limits that protect assets; when collision and comprehensive are worth keeping.
  14. Nine ways to lower your auto insurance costs — Shop at least three quotes; raising a deductible from $200 to $500 can cut collision/comprehensive cost 15–30%, $1,000 can save 40%+; drop physical damage on cars worth under 10× the premium; bundling, low-mileage and good-student discounts.
  15. What is covered by a basic auto insurance policy? — Defines bodily injury and property damage liability, MedPay, PIP, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision, comprehensive and glass coverage.
  16. How to file an auto insurance claim — Steps after a crash: document the scene, notify the insurer promptly, understand the adjuster's role.
  17. Understanding your insurance deductibles — How deductibles apply to collision and comprehensive and how raising them lowers premium.
  18. What if I can't find auto coverage? — How the non-standard market and state assigned-risk plans insure drivers the voluntary market declines.
  19. Is it legal to drive without insurance? — Every state requires drivers to demonstrate financial responsibility; in most states insurance is the mandatory way to do so.
  20. What is gap insurance? — Gap coverage pays the difference between a car's actual cash value and the loan or lease balance after a total loss.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

  1. Teenagers — Teen crash risk, graduated driver licensing research and vehicle recommendations for young drivers.
  2. Older drivers — Crash involvement, fragility and licensing research for drivers 70+.
  3. Speed — How speed raises crash likelihood and severity; speed-limit and enforcement research.
  4. Advanced driver assistance — Effectiveness of automatic emergency braking, lane departure and other systems in reducing claims and crashes.
  5. Graduated licensing laws by state — State-by-state learner, intermediate and full-licence ages, night-driving and passenger restrictions.
  6. Vehicle ratings — Crashworthiness and crash-avoidance ratings by make and model.
  7. Fatality facts: State by state — Crash deaths and death rates per 100,000 population and per 100 million miles by state.
  8. Top Safety Pick awards — Current award winners; useful when choosing a vehicle for a new or young driver.
  9. Fatality facts: Teenagers (2024) — Fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16–19-year-olds is just over 3 times the rate for drivers 20 and older (2022 travel data); all-severity crash rate is over 4 times; risk is highest at 16–17.

Insurance Research Council

  1. Insurance Research Council — Independent, industry-funded research on uninsured motorists, claim trends and litigation.

Highway Loss Data Institute

  1. Insurance losses by make and model — Relative claim frequency and severity by vehicle under collision, property damage, comprehensive, PIP, MedPay and bodily injury coverages.

Consumer Federation of America

  1. Insurance research and advocacy — Consumer-side research on auto insurance pricing, non-driving rating factors and affordability.

Consumer Reports

  1. Car insurance — Independent testing organisation's guides to comparing policies and insurers.

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