Top States Ranked by Auto Insurance Rates

Insure.com’s 2012 U.S. study of average car insurance rates per state reveals that Louisiana ($2,536) leads the nation with the most expensive auto premiums. Last year’s study placed Louisiana at No. 2, a brief slip from the No. 1 perch the state also held in 2010. The lease expensive states were Wisconsin ($987), Iowa ($985) and Maine ($889).

The rates used to rank the states are based on the average premiums for the more than 900 models in Insure.com’s 2012 survey. The rates are based on insurance for a single, 40-year-old male who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/50 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. The hypothetical driver has a clean record and good credit. The rate includes uninsured motorist coverage. Average rates are for comparative purposes. Actual rates will depend on individual driver factors.

Louisiana checked in at almost $500 more than the next most expensive states, which were Oklahoma ($2,047) and Michigan ($2,013).

While large numbers of uninsured drivers, state insurance laws, highly competitive markets and severe weather can cause fluctuations, however, Insure.com cites judicial preference for constituents over insurance companies as the main reason for soaring rates. Oklahoma suffered from uninsureds and severe weather, and Michigan’s no-fault insurance system, which guarantees unlimited lifetime benefits to car accident victims, boosted the state’s rates.

“Many of these problems are outside the control of drivers,” said Amy Danise, editorial director of Insure.com. “But even if you live in an expensive state, you can hold down your insurance costs by keeping your driving record as clean as possible and selecting a car that is cheap to insure.”

Full list of state rankings:

   1. Louisiana: $2,536

   2. Oklahoma: $2,047

   3. Michigan: $2,013

   4. West Virginia: $2,002

   5. Washington, D.C.: $1,866

   6. Montana: $1,856

   7. Rhode Island: $1,830

   8. Wyoming: $1,732

   9. California: $1,709

  10. Georgia: $1,694

  11. Connecticut: $1,665

  12. Texas: $1,661

  13. Florida: $1,654

  14. Delaware: $1,652

  15. New Jersey: $1,608

  16. Pennsylvania: $1,598

  17. Hawaii: $1,594

  18. Kentucky: $1,572

  19. Mississippi: $1,502

  20. Missouri: $1,455

  21. Alaska: $1,431

  22. North Dakota: $1,426

  23. New York: $1,431

  24. Kansas: $1,410

  25. Massachusetts: $1,378

  26. Maryland: $1,372

  27. Alabama: $1,345

  28. Arkansas: $1,334

  29. Colorado: $1,322

  30. Utah: $1,315

  31. Washington: $1,305

  32. South Dakota: $1,303

  33. Indiana: $1,301

  34. Virginia: $1,297

  35. New Mexico: $1,274

  36. Minnesota: $1,264

  37. Nebraska: $1,244

  38. Oregon: $1,241

  39. Tennessee: $1,228

  40. Nevada: $1,223

  41. Illinois: $1,192

  42. Arizona: $1,176

  43. New Hampshire: $1,133

  44. South Carolina: $1,108

  45. Ohio: $1,099

  46. Vermont: $1,063

  47. North Carolina: $1,022

  48. Idaho: $1,011

  49. Wisconsin: $987

  50. Iowa: $985

  51. Maine: $889

 

 

 

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