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Home » Auto Insurance

Introduction to Auto Insurance

Understanding auto insurance for many people can be very confusing. With all the different options the agents can offer you it's tough sometimes to choose what is best. Different policies give you different advantages so you will need to know exactly what coverage you need. By knowing the type of coverage your looking for you and your agent can make a sound decision. Here are some simple tips to help you get the most from your auto insurance and, save some money as well. Learn about the basics of auto insurance from the video, or continue readin below:

Video Series: Auto Insurance 101

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AVERAGE EXPENDITURES FOR AUTO INSURANCE BY STATE, 2006-2007

There are many different factors that effect your insurance rates during the underwriting process. Each company has certain criteria they look at to determine how much to charge an individual or company or an individual group. These guidelines vary a lot between companies so the same driver could get two totally different conclusions and evaluations. Your driving record also will effect the underwriting of your policy as well. This means it will be very beneficial if you keep your driving record as clean as possible. Your credit report in recent years has also been a determining factor in the price of your policy.

Auto insurance rates vary from company to company and shopping around in today's market is easy then it has ever been before. With competition in the insurance arena growing the consumer has become the real winner. Free online auto insurance quotes are everywhere which means you do not even have to leave your home to see what is available. As the competition for auto insurance increases prices will be even more competitive and many times you can get some very good rates.

Make sure you have enough coverage for your needs. Every state has minimum coverage that you must have on your vehicle, but sometimes that is not enough. This is why paying for a little extra coverage is a very good idea. Auto insurance varies state by state so make sure you have exactly what type of coverage you need. Raising your deductible is another way to lower the costs of your premiums. The higher, the deductible the cheaper rate auto insurance companies will offer you. Following some of the tips will help you get a better grasp on auto insurance and how to save some money on it.

Expenditures are affected by the coverages purchased as well as other factors. In states where the economy is healthy, people are more likely to purchase new cars. Since new car owners are more likely to purchase physical damage coverages, these states will have a higher average expenditure. The NAIC notes that urban population, traffic density and per capita income have a significant impact on premiums. The latest report shows that high premium states tend also to be highly urban, with higher wage and price levels and greater traffic density. Tort liability and other auto laws, labor costs, liability coverage requirements, theft rates and other factors can also affect auto insurance prices.

  2007 2006  
State Liability Collision Compre-hensive Average expenditure Rank (1) Average Expenditure Rank Average
expenditures
percent change
2006-2007
Alabama  $364 $317 $136 $684 30 $684 35 0.0%
Alaska  569 381 155 923 12 955 11 -3.3
Arizona  490 303 213 873 14 913 14 -4.4
Arkansas  372 279 154 660 36 684 34 -3.5
California (2) 465 372 112 800 20 836 17 -4.3
Colorado  429 264 167 738 24 785 23 -5.9
Connecticut  603 334 124 964 10 981 10 -1.8
Delaware  693 296 110 1,012 7 1,024 8 -1.2
D.C. 583 440 266 1,140 1 1,164 1 -2.0
Florida  719 289 116 1,043 5 1,069 5 -2.5
Georgia  421 367 168 782 21 788 22 -0.8
Hawaii  524 314 117 837 16 853 15 -1.9
Idaho  332 228 118 564 47 577 48 -2.2
Illinois  402 290 113 723 26 740 27 -2.3
Indiana  352 246 110 618 42 631 43 -2.1
Iowa  272 193 155 518 50 536 50 -3.3
Kansas  295 226 192 568 46 579 47 -1.9
Kentucky  469 260 128 720 29 739 28 -2.6
Louisiana  646 401 215 1,096 3 1,094 3 0.2
Maine  346 261 101 611 43 634 42 -3.6
Maryland  547 319 143 922 13 949 12 -2.8
Massachusetts  622 313 121 981 9 1,042 6 -5.8
Michigan  507 395 154 928 11 925 13 0.3
Minnesota  427 212 165 721 28 753 25 -4.3
Mississippi  383 276 156 680 32 746 26 -8.9
Missouri  370 252 144 658 37 673 36 -2.3
Montana  409 238 184 666 33 661 37 0.8
Nebraska  313 202 175 554 48 584 46 -5.1
Nevada  645 345 138 1,000 8 1,006 9 -0.6
New Hampshire  410 288 103 750 23 793 21 -5.5
New Jersey  730 354 143 1,104 2 1,152 2 -4.2
New Mexico  449 292 164 730 25 737 29 -1.0
New York  692 330 157 1,047 4 1,083 4 -3.3
North Carolina  355 235 110 591 44 596 44 -0.9
North Dakota  251 185 222 512 51 530 51 -3.5
Ohio  365 241 99 628 41 654 39 -4.0
Oklahoma  373 267 164 646 39 659 38 -1.9
Oregon  485 224 97 723 27 726 30 -0.4
Pennsylvania  490 305 121 820 17 832 18 -1.5
Rhode Island  671 379 124 1,017 6 1,038 7 -2.0
South Carolina  475 254 150 762 22 756 24 0.8
South Dakota  285 191 193 534 49 554 49 -3.6
Tennessee  359 288 124 649 38 654 40 -0.7
Texas  450 337 168 808 19 820 20 -1.5
Utah  419 265 115 697 31 702 31 -0.7
Vermont  347 293 122 662 34 687 32 -3.6
Virginia  382 253 113 661 35 685 33 -3.5
Washington  551 257 120 841 15 839 16 0.2
West Virginia  502 296 177 819 18 827 19 -1.0
Wisconsin  325 202 116 582 45 590 45 -1.4
Wyoming  327 265 206 631 40 639 41 -1.2
United States $475 $301 $136 $795   $816   -2.6%

(1) Ranked by average expenditure.
(2) Preliminary.

Note: Average expenditure=Total written premium/liability car years. A car year is equal to 365 days of insured coverage for a single vehicle. The NAIC does not rank state average expenditures and does not endorse any conclusion drawn from these data.

Source: © 2009 National Association of Insurance Commissioners. 

 





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