These States Have The Most Expensive Car Insurance

Let's talk factors that CarInsurance.com was able to pull together as the most important. One of the bigger components is state coverage requirements. While some states only mandate a minimum basic liability coverage, others require coverages such as uninsured motorist or personal injury protection (PIP). Naturally, more required coverage translates to higher insurance premiums. Similarly, the prevalence of uninsured drivers hurts expenses.

Population density, too, plays a factor. Areas classified as urban with higher traffic and congestion (think New York and California) in turn have more accidents, whereas states like Maine and Montana have fewer crashes per capita. Insurance rates reflect such accordingly.

The likelihood of a natural disaster affecting a given area also plays to the insurance premium algorithm. If your zip code is more likely to get hit by a hurricane, flood, or the likes, well... you can do the math:

“On average, drivers in more sparsely-populated states such as Idaho and North Dakota are going to pay much less for coverage than drivers in more populous states such as California, Florida and New York,” Friedlander says. “But it goes beyond just the state you live in. Insurers determine rates by the city you live in and even your specific ZIP code. Traffic volume, accident frequency and severity, as well as theft and vandalism data, vary in every city throughout every state.”

Now, you can probably guess what it means when a state has higher repair and medical costs; higher labor rates, parts pricing, and healthcare costs also mean higher full coverage premiums. The final major factor is that of tort states vs. no-fault states. The former means that the insurance company backing the driver that caused an accident or injury is responsible for payments, while the latter means the insurance company at will doesn't have to necessarily represent the person's fault in the accident. Should you be at the receiving end of a crash, your insurance might still be on the hook for medical expenses and the likes.