Why Did My Car Insurance Go Up?

Why did my auto insurance go up? 8 common reasons

Traffic violations

Even though it can be upsetting, it's normal for rates to go up after getting a ticket. That's because insurance companies believe people with tickets are more likely to cause an accident in the future.

The amount your rate goes up depends on the seriousness of your violation. For example, car insurance rates go up by an average of 24% for drivers caught speeding, while drivers with a DUI could see an 88% increase in insurance costs, on average. Tickets usually increase your rates for three to five years.

Talking or texting on cellphones can raise your rates, too. Insurance costs around 23% more for drivers who get a ticket for texting while driving.

Accidents

Auto insurance rates go up by around 49% after an at-fault accident. After you cause an accident, insurance companies raise your rates because they believe you're more likely to be in another crash.

Which companies raise rates the most after an accident?

Your rates may go up more or less depending on the cost of the repairs, and they'll stay higher for three to five years after your accident.

Do comprehensive claims increase insurance rates?

Comprehensive claims generally don't raise your insurance rates. That's because comprehensive coverage protects you against things you can't control, like a tree branch that falls on your car, or vandalism. However, your insurer may raise your rates if you make multiple claims over a short time period.

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Credit score

Drivers with poor credit pay 98% more for car insurance than people with good credit. If your credit score has gone down since your last policy renewal, it may be one of the reasons your car insurance is more expensive.

Your credit score may have gone down if you:

Drivers with bad credit typically pay more for insurance because insurers believe they're more likely to file a claim, making them more expensive to insure.

Which companies raise rates the most for poor credit?

California, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan and Massachusetts don't allow insurance companies to consider your credit score when determining your car insurance rates. If you live in one of these states and believe your insurance company raised your rates because of a decrease in your credit score, you can file a complaint with your state insurance commissioner.

New car

But that's not always the case. If your new car has better, more updated safety features than your old vehicle, you might see your insurance rates go down.

The type of vehicle you drive also affects your car insurance rate. For instance, full coverage insurance for a Honda CR-V, which is a small crossover SUV, costs around $214 per month. On the other hand, the Toyota Corolla, a sedan, costs $246 per month. That's a difference of $384 per year.

Adding a driver

Adding another driver to your policy will probably affect your rates, but how much depends on that person's age, driving history and credit score.

Parents looking to add a 16-year-old driver to their policy could see their rates increase by around 88%. However, the cost of adding a driver goes down with age and driving experience — it should be cheaper to add an 18-year-old driver with two years behind the wheel than a newly licensed 16-year-old. On the other hand, a 30-year-old driver adding another 30-year-old to their policy may see a much smaller increase in their rates.

Moving to a new state, city or ZIP code

Where you live plays a big role in your rates because insurers consider things like accident and crime rates, weather events and claims filed in your area when determining your rate. That's why moving to another state, city or even ZIP code could cause your car insurance costs to go up.

That's because more cars on the road usually mean more accidents. Crime rates are generally higher in cities, too.

Car insurance rates can vary significantly from state to state, as well. Drivers in the most expensive state, Nevada, pay an average of $2,484 per year more for car insurance than those living in the cheapest state, Vermont.

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Change in commute

A change in your daily commute can cause your car insurance rates to go up. Whether you have a new job or are heading back into an office, if the number of miles you drive each day increases, your insurance costs likely will, too.

Insurance companies use your annual mileage when calculating your rates because the more time you spend in the car, the more likely you are to be in an accident.

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Divorce

Married drivers typically pay less for car insurance. That's because insurance companies have found that married drivers are less likely to file a claim in the future, making them less expensive to insure.

If you're recently divorced and shopping for an individual policy, you may notice a small increase in your rates. However, as a married couple, your rates were influenced by two drivers. So if your ex-spouse has tickets or accidents on record, or a bad credit score, your rate may actually go down.

Why did my insurance go up for no reason?

There are a handful of reasons why car insurance rates have been going up that are outside of your control, including:

Some customers have seen their rates go up much more than others. Farmers and American Family have had some of the biggest rate hikes during that time period, while customers at State Farm and Progressive have seen smaller increases.

Which car insurance companies raised rates the most?

Car repair and medical costs

Repair costs have gone up for a number of reasons. New cars have more technology — like backup cameras or self-parking features — that are expensive to replace. Parts are also more interconnected. Damage to your bumper might also require you to replace motion sensors. In addition, supply chain shortages have driven up the cost of auto parts.

Medical costs are also rising. The amount spent on hospital care increased by 10.6% in 2023 and 8.9% in 2024, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). An increase in medical costs means insurance companies have to pay out more money for injuries after an accident, ultimately causing them to raise rates.

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Extreme weather

Extreme weather like hail, flooding and wildfires can cause a lot of damage within an area in a short time period. So, if you had a hurricane or an increase in hailstorms in your area, you can expect to see your car insurance rates go up as well.

For example, the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires caused more than $190 million of vehicle damage. It's likely that drivers in the LA area saw the cost of their comprehensive coverage go up after this disaster.

Distracted drivers

Distracted driving is becoming more common, and cellphones aren't the only devices to blame. Drivers are preoccupied with multiple electronics as large touch screens become more common in new cars.

Distracted drivers are responsible for around 8% of total traffic deaths each year. From an insurance perspective, this means more accident claims, compelling companies to raise car insurance rates across the board.

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Crime rates

Auto theft is expensive for your insurance company, especially if your car isn't found.

Although your car insurance rates won't usually go up if you file a claim after your car is stolen, you may end up paying more for car insurance if crime rates are on the rise in your area. This is especially true if you have comprehensive coverage, which protects against car theft.

For example, the five states with the highest car theft rates all have car insurance rates higher than the national average.

States with the highest car theft rates

Uninsured drivers

If you're in an accident with an uninsured driver, your insurance company will pay for your medical bills and damage to your car, if you have the correct coverage.

While an uninsured motorist claim won't usually raise your insurance rates, more uninsured drivers mean accidents are more expensive for insurance companies, which raises rates.

Around 15% of drivers are uninsured, according to the Insurance Research Council. However, some states have more uninsured drivers than others. In Maine, only around 6% of drivers don't have insurance, while 28% of people on the road are driving without insurance in Mississippi.

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Car insurance fraud

Fraud is very expensive for auto insurance companies. Unfortunately, those costs are passed on to drivers in the form of higher car insurance rates. According to the FBI, insurance fraud across all types of insurance costs the average family $400 to $700 per year in increased insurance rates.

There are a lot of insurance fraud schemes that affect the car insurance industry, including staged car accidents, fake injury claims and exaggerated repair costs. Fraud raises rates overall, and victims tend to pay more after a scam, too.

About 1 in 10 claims is marked by insurance companies as suspicious, according to Verisk. Investigating these claims can cost insurance companies a lot of money, even if they turn out to be legitimate.

How to lower your car insurance after a rate increase

Frequently asked questions

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Methodology

ValuePenguin editors collected thousands of rates from insurers across the U.S. to determine average car insurance rates. These quotes were used to find rates for drivers with a speeding ticket, accident or DUI, the average cost of insurance by state, the difference in cost based on credit score, and the difference in cost based on marital status.

Cellphone violation data includes quotes from ZIP codes across Pennsylvania from eight of the largest insurance companies in the state.

All quotes are for a 30-year-old man driving a 2018 Honda Civic EX using the following base policy or the state minimum requirement, whichever is higher:

ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only — your own quotes may be different.

Sources