Any of you get a car insurance raise?

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Do youse guys in the US not change insurers every year like you would for gas/electricity, home insurance, broadband etc?

We have our insurance under one umbrella; auto, home, liability and we've been with State Farm for almost 50 years. When we received an increase last year we were upset and went shopping around. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that due to our longevity with State Farm and our "packaged" coverage, no one could touch our premiums. One insurer we spoke with even told us before she gave us a quote she knew State Farm would be cheaper.
I think "jumping around" on a yearly basis would be a pain in the derrière and risky.

[01bluemiata]

I think that Auto Ins is highly dependent upon where you live. When we moved from TN to FL, our rates nearly doubled with State Farm. As my high risk (age, not claims or citations) kids moved out, my rate only decreased marginally.

Last fall shopped around and ended up with Progressive with better coverage and about a 30% decrease in premiums. So much for the value of being a 40 yr customer of State Farm.

[mdhttr]

Aside from increases resulting from age, accidents, tickets, demographic changes, etc, there are a number of reasons why increases in auto insurance should be no surprise:

1. The most expensive part of the policy is liability coverage which pays for damage you may cause to other vehicles. To tie this to music, in the eighties when Joe Walsh sang "My Maserati does 185; I lost my license, now I don't drive," a Maserati represented the excessive rock star lifestyle. Now there is a dealership a couple of miles from my home and I see them almost daily, driven by soccer moms and dads, not rock stars. The average construction foreman's pickup is probably worth more than $25K which is the state minimum coverage in many states. Accidents often involve much more expensive vehicles than in past years.

2. On the injury side of liability coverage, add to that the dramatic increases in medical costs (an ambulance ride and getting checked out at the hospital can easily run several thousand dollars) and an increasingly litigious climate (how many attorney advertisements do you see targeting auto accident victims?).

3. Cars are becoming more complex with replacement parts and repair technologies being extremely expensive. A bumper is not just a bumper anymore--there are often electronic sensors located there.

4. Traffic is not getting any better and highway infrastructure is often in need of repairs.

5. With increasing opioid abuse and legalization of marijuana, DUI's are not decreasing.

6. Uninsured drivers are an ongoing problem regardless of attempts to mandate and enforce insurance coverage.

Insurance rates are driven by highly-sophisticated actuarial calculations that take all of that into account and it affects everyone, regardless of driving record. Dave Barry wrote, “The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.” But sooner or later, even the best driver is affected by one or more of the above.

If you feel your insurance company is unfairly penalizing you, feel free to shop around. Different companies have different rating systems and you might find a better match. But don't be surprised if you switch and get a rate increase with the new company down the road. It's a highly competitive business and insurance companies are trying to keep up with all of the above factors.

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by Basalt Beach

We were 20 year customers with Liberty Mutual for our auto & RI home until last June and had no claims in all those years. We received our auto renewal which had a forty percent plus rate increase.

You're better off throwing your money right into the harbor!

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by guitar george

You're better off throwing your money right into the harbor!

They don't mention that Liberty has among the highest prmiums of anybody in the business. You don't get anything for nothing and with car insurance you don't get much.

[jpd]

Yup...got the mark-up too! Age of vehicle was "quoted"(it's a 2004 Canyon with 210,000 miles)....even though it's driven less than 5000 miles per year! Been with Allstate 38 years-might be time to look around!