What Car Insurance Costs Across America

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the words car insurance in a magnifying glass
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If you think your car insurance premiums are sucking your wallet dry, you might be right. Or you could be getting a real deal compared with Americans in other states.

Check out these auto insurance premiums from across the nation. They were compiled by career website Zippia using 2017 data from ValuePenguin. You won’t find Hawaii, Missouri or West Virginia listed because updated information from those states wasn’t available. Plus, the figures represent the minimum level of coverage in the state, so, as they say, your mileage may vary.

Once you scroll through the list, and premiums rise from cheapest to priciest, you’ll have to tell us: Do you really have anything to complain about?

48. Alaska

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Annual premium: $773

If you live in Alaska and complain about the cost of your car insurance, the rest of the country is liable to tell you to quit yer bellyaching. America’s last frontier is home to the cheapest auto insurance in the nation, according to Zippia’s findings.

47. North Carolina

Lisa S. / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $807

Car insurance doesn’t cost too much more in North Carolina. Annual premiums for minimum coverage there run about $807 a year.

46. Arkansas

View of Little Rock skyline
Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $852

You can expect to pay around $852 a year for your auto insurance in Arkansas. As the state motto declares, “Regnat populas — The People Rule!”

45. Idaho

Idaho
Charles Knowles / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,035

Some of the cheapest states for auto insurance can be found in practically every region of the U.S., with Idaho representing the lowest cost in the West. The average annual premium for minimum coverage is $1,035 there.

44. Florida

Jack Frog / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,098

While you may shell out more than a thousand dollars each year for auto insurance in Florida, that’s still cheaper than most of the country.

43. Wisconsin

Wisconsin country road with cow crossing sign.
Earl D. Walker / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,129

In the land of cheese, you may pay around $1,129 in annual insurance premiums for the privilege of driving your car.

42. Maine

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Annual premium: $1,141

Maine is the cheapest of the New England states, at least when it comes to car insurance premiums. Residents pay an average of $1,141 per year there.

41. Iowa

Rural road amid cornfields
Igor Kovalenko / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,147

Traveling past the cornfields by car or pickup will set Iowans back an average of $1,147 per year for insurance.

40. Nebraska

Omaha at night.
Christopher Boswell / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,149

As another Midwest state with relatively reasonable car insurance premiums, Nebraska has annual costs that run about $1,149.

39. Illinois

Chicago, Illinois
Kristopher Kettner / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,158

Chicago can be a pricey city, but statewide, the annual cost of car insurance in Illinois is the tenth-cheapest in the country.

38. Vermont

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Annual premium: $1,161

In Vermont, annual car insurance premiums for minimum coverage will set you back about $1,161.

37. Tennessee

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Annual premium: $1,199

A significant number of states, including Tennessee, have auto insurance premiums that run between $1,100 and $1,300 per year.

36. New Hampshire

Nashua, New Hampshire
Jon Bilou / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,208

New Hampshire is the only state in the nation that doesn’t have a mandatory auto insurance law. However, it might still be a good idea to buy coverage. If you do, expect to pay an average of $1,208 per year.

35. Kansas

Woman in car
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Annual premium: $1,219

Zippia found the average annual premium for minimum coverage in Kansas is $1,219.

34. Wyoming

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Annual premium: $1,223

Residents in Wyoming spent an average of $1,223 on insurance to drive their cars in 2017.

33. Oklahoma

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Annual premium: $1,229

The state with the distinctive panhandle isn’t as unique when it comes to auto insurance. Oklahoma is right in the middle of the pack for annual premium costs.

32. Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio
Alina Zamogilnykh / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,236

Ohio drivers could complain, but really, $1,236 a year for car insurance isn’t all that bad.

31. South Dakota

Rapid City, South Dakota
John T / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,243

The Mount Rushmore State is in the middle of the country and in the middle of the rankings when it comes to car insurance premiums.

30. Utah

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Annual premium: $1,245

In Utah, residents driving through one of the state’s many national or state parks pay an average of $1,245 a year for their car insurance.

29. Alabama

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Annual premium: $1,249

If this Southern state is sweet home to you, then you could be paying $1,249 for your auto insurance.

28. North Dakota

Driving
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Annual premium: $1,251

The price of auto insurance for drivers in North Dakota is only slightly higher than in its neighbor to the south.

27. Washington

Seattle
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Annual premium: $1,259

The average annual premium in Washington state may be $1,259, but that’s still cheaper than half the country.

26. Arizona

Arizona
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Annual premium: $1,306

Buying a year’s worth of auto insurance in Arizona will leave you with somewhere around $1,306 less in the bank.

25. New Mexico

New Mexico road amid desert, mountains
Earl D. Walker / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,316

New Mexico is next to Arizona both on the map and in these rankings. It costs an average of $1,316 for a year of auto insurance coverage in the “Land of Enchantment.”

24. Georgia

Atlanta cityscape
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,335

With Georgia, we cross the line from the “cheaper” states those with more expensive car insurance. Zippia found Georgians can expect to pay an average of $1,335 for minimum coverage.

23. Colorado

African American family taking selfie by car.
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,359

Colorado may be home to Denver — the Mile High City — but, fortunately, car insurance premiums aren’t a mile high compared with many U.S. states.

22. Indiana

Indianapolis
f11photo / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,365

In Indiana — which calls itself “the Crossroads of America” — the average annual premium for auto insurance is $1,365.

21. Oregon

Girl taking a picture from a car window.
Linda Moon / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,371

To travel the highways and byways in Oregon, be prepared to shell out around $1,371 for a year of car insurance.

20. New York

Man car shopping
Nestor Rizhniak / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,450

New York has a reputation for being expensive, which makes its ranking on this list somewhat surprising. Average annual premiums in the state run $1,450 for minimum coverage, landing it in only the 20th-most-expensive spot.

19. Minnesota

Minneapolis
Nick Lundgren / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,485

Before you hit the roads during the next Minnesota winter, you’ll definitely want to have proper insurance coverage. That will cost you an average of $1,485 per year.

18. Massachusetts

Driver at wheel of car.
Lemusique / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,537

In Massachusetts, annual premiums for car insurance will set you back an average of $1,537.

17. South Carolina

South Carolina
Mike Ver Sprill / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,539

Down in the Palmetto State, South Carolinians pay an average of $1,539 per year for their auto insurance.

16. Nevada

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Annual premium: $1,592

Hopefully you hit the jackpot by moving to Nevada. That will make paying an average $1,592 annual car insurance premium a little easier.

15. Montana

Montana town
Nick Fox / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,624

In “Big Sky Country,” motorists pay an average of $1,624 a year for their auto insurance coverage.

14. Rhode Island

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Annual premium: $1,638

Rhode Island is almost small enough to walk across. However, if you’d rather drive, plan to spend an average of $1,638 a year for insurance.

13. Pennsylvania

Philadelphia cityscape
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Annual premium: $1,644

Pennsylvania premiums for auto insurance run about $1,644 a year for minimum coverage.

12. California

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Annual premium: $1,655

You’re not surprised to find California near the top of the list, are you? The Golden State is known for its high cost of living, and its car insurance premiums fall on the higher end of the spectrum for these rankings.

11. Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi street
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Annual premium: $1,690

Mississippians get hit with a bill for about $1,690 each year for their auto insurance coverage.

10. Kentucky

Couple with map near car.
Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $1,885

Kentucky kicks off the top 10 states with the most expensive car insurance. Zippia found drivers there pay an average of $1,885 a year for minimum coverage.

9. Delaware

New Jersey from Delaware
Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $2,044

People pay big premiums in the little state of Delaware, the first state on the list to break the $2,000 mark for its drivers’ average annual premiums.

8. District of Columbia

Washington D.C.
f11photo / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium $2,074

Movers and shakers in Washington, D.C., probably pay a lot more for their expensive cars, and the average cost of minimum coverage for drivers in the nation’s capital isn’t cheap at $2,074 a year.

7. Maryland

Heavy traffic on freeway from Maryland into D.C.
Andrea Izzott / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $2,223

Maryland motorists pay rates that are slightly more expensive than drivers in the neighboring District of Columbia.

6. Connecticut

Connecticut Bridge
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Annual premium: $2,228

New England is well-represented among the most expensive states for auto insurance. In Connecticut, the average annual price of minimum coverage is $2,228.

5. New Jersey

Man with a reusable coffee mug driving
Lithiumphoto / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $2,228

New Jersey gets to say it’s in the top five. However, its residents likely won’t be cheering as they hand over somewhere around $2,228 each year for their car insurance.

4. Louisiana

Aerial view of interstate highway over Louisiana bayou.
Stephen Finn / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $2,283

From the Big Easy to the bayous, Louisiana is an interesting state to explore. But it’s not a cheap place to own a car, given the annual cost of auto insurance.

3. Texas

Traffic in Austin, Texas
Philip Lange / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $2,330

Is this where we get to say everything is bigger in Texas? Yup, that goes for car insurance premiums, too.

2. Virginia

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Annual premium: $2,737

They say Virginia is for lovers, but maybe not car lovers. The average annual cost for auto insurance in the state runs a whopping $2,737 per year.

1. Michigan

Detroit as seen from the air.
Andrey Bayda / Shutterstock.com

Annual premium: $3,059

Sure, Michiganders get unlimited personal injury protection, but they pay dearly for it. It’s one reason the average cost for minimal car insurance in the state tops $3,000 a year. Kind of ironic, considering that Detroit’s automakers got so many Americans rolling down the road in the first place.

Where does your car insurance cost fall on the spectrum? Share with us in comments below or on our Facebook page.

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