It’s an expense that drives New Yorkers nuts: high car insurance rates.
New York has the most expensive car insurance rates of 47 states surveyed in a recent study by WalletHub, a consumer finance Web site.
And pretending you live elsewhere won’t help much. New Jersey ranks 45th in car insurance rates. Connecticut is 38th, and Pennsylvania is 41st. Three states weren’t included because they didn’t have enough data.
Part of the problem of high rates in New York is the nature of the region, according to WalletHub.
“Car insurance rates are influenced by geography,” said Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst. “Typically, states with more people who live in concentrated urban areas … have higher insurance rates.”
She added that “insurance rates are also tied to median income levels, since they sometimes cover lost wages from injuries, among others. This is why many Northeastern states have more expensive car insurance.”
An insurance industry expert agrees.
“You have a high population density, affluent areas where people are making lots of car trips, [so] rates are high,” says David Hodge, VP of insurance operations for AAA New York.
A spokesman for the New York State Department of Financial Services, which merged seven years ago with the state Insurance Department, said a driver’s record and the kind of vehicle driven are key factors.
So is there any relief for drivers?
Barring a move to Iowa, which WalletHub said has the lowest rates, Hodge said “the power to the consumer is the ability to shop,” pointing out that “even if you have been with someone for a long time, checking and looking at new companies could save a lot of money.”
WalletHub said these five have the cheapest rates: Progressive, Geico, State Farm, The General and Nationwide.
