VA, DC Cost Of Car Insurance Compared With Other States

VIRGINIA — No one likes paying for car insurance. That is, until you’re rear-ended merging onto a freeway on your way to work. Then it can be your best friend. But a new report says car insurance rates are higher than they’ve ever been. And residents in some states pay more than others.

Virginia is one of the cheapest states for insurance costs, according to the 2019 “State of Auto Insurance” by The Zebra, an insurance search engine and independent source for auto insurance quotes. While the typical American is paying an annual car insurance premium of $1,470, the average Virginian pays $918. That’s good for a ranking of second cheapest in the nation. The District of Columbia was not as fortunate. Residents pay an average $1,496 for 34th cheapest in the country.

The report found that car insurance rates climbed in 40 states plus Washington, D.C., last year and fell in just 10 states. Colorado saw the single highest year-over-year rate jump at a whopping 19 percent. Meanwhile, Montanans saw the largest rate decrease at 21 percent.

Here are the 10 states that pay the highest annual auto insurance rates:

1. Michigan, $2,693
2. Louisiana, $2,339
3. Rhode Island, $2,110
4. Florida, $2,059
5. Nevada, $1,915
6. Kentucky, $1898
7. Delaware, $1,828
8. Texas, $1,827
9. California, $1,815
10. New York, $1,688

Maine pays the least in auto insurance with an average annual rate of $896, followed by Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa and Idaho.

While the variation between states can be striking, it pales in comparison to the variation between cities. The most expensive premium among major cities belongs to Detroit at a whopping $5,464 — about $3,000 more than 10th most expensive city, Los Angeles. New Orleans; Hialeah, Florida; Miami and New York round out the five most expensive cities in America for car insurance.

Drivers in those cities could save thousands a year by living in, say, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where the typical resident pays $846 a year.

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Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.