What State Has the Highest Car Insurance?

The survey ranks the states from most to least expensive based on the data results of more than 2,400 vehicles in 10 ZIP codes per state and using rates from the six largest carriers.

The point is not just to finger the likes of Louisiana, Michigan and Oklahoma (the three highest) or allow Ohio, Vermont and Maine to boast. Rather, the study reveals state laws and policies that affect rates, and the authors point to several that have negative and positive impacts.

For instance, one of the reasons Louisiana’s rates are higher on average is because only cases with claims exceeding $50,000 receive a jury trial. This means more cases are settled out of court, which leads to higher accident settlements and higher insurance costs. Michigan allows unlimited medical benefits for the life of accident victims, the cost of which eventually gets spread to all drivers in the form of higher rates.

On the other hand, Maine benefits from low commuter mileage, which makes its highways less crowded and its number of accidents lower.

Check after the jump to find out where your state ranks in terms of average car insurance rates.

The most and least expensive states for car insurance, 2010

Rank, State, Average Premium
1 Louisiana $2,510.87
2 Michigan $2,098.29
3 Oklahoma $1,869.39
4 Montana $1,857.96
5 California $1,774.41
6 South Dakota $1,772.83
7 Washington, D.C. $1,753.19
8 Georgia $1,751.42
9 Illinois $1,679.15
10 Connecticut $1,678.90
11 Arkansas $1,648.80
12 New Mexico $1,603.65
13 Rhode Island $1,595.97
14 West Virginia $1,589.69
15 Alaska $1,572.21
16 Wyoming $1,552.98
17 Maryland $1,550.13
18 Kansas $1,524.51
19 Kentucky $1,515.30
20 Colorado $1,480.97
21 Mississippi $1,474.94
22 New Jersey $1,473.73
23 New York $1,463.21
24 Texas $1,462.65
25 Florida $1,453.20
National $1,429.26
26 Pennsylvania $1,420.78
27 Delaware $1,405.80
28 Missouri $1,390.59
29 Minnesota $1,381.09
30 Alabama $1,380.38
31 North Dakota $1,365.22
32 Hawaii $1,306.97
33 Indiana $1,302.51
34 Nevada $1,282.50
35 Washington $1,279.84
36 Utah $1,234.30
37 Virginia $1,233.36
38 Nebraska $1,210.74
39 Oregon $1,194.69
40 Idaho $1,183.47
41 South Carolina $1,182.18
42 Tennessee $1,170.12
43 Arizona $1,152.50
44 North Carolina $1,130.45
45 Massachusetts $1,043.80
46 Iowa $1,039.04
47 New Hampshire $1,011.23
48 Wisconsin $1,010.93
49 Ohio $999.86
50 Vermont $968.58
51 Maine $902.85