Top 10 most expensive states to make an auto insurance claim
Ever been in a parking lot accident? Or suffered a small fender-bender? Or maybe even a more serious accident, where a passenger in your car was injured?
Your auto insurance typically will kick in and save you financially when this happens. However, there is one lesser-known result of doing this – your auto insurance premium will usually go up.
A Jan. 2015 insuranceQuotes.com study found that making just one auto insurance claim will increase your premium by an average of 41 percent nationwide. However, this rate varies wildly by state and in some states, it can be even more expensive to make a claim.
Here are the top 10 states where making an auto insurance claim can really take a toll on your wallet.
*The average state premium data used is from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners latest report (2012).
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10. Virginia
Average cost of car insurance: $691.80
Premium increase after one claim: 37.51%
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9. Washington
Average cost of car insurance: $809.56
Premium increase after one claim: 39.53%
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8. New Hampshire
Average cost of car insurance: $716.84
Premium increase after one claim: 39.54%
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7. Iowa
Average cost of car insurance: $561.26
Premium increase after one claim: 41.59%
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6. South Dakota
Average cost of car insurance: $556.51
Premium increase after one claim: 44.82%
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5. Minnesota
Average cost of car insurance: $718.61
Premium increase after one claim: 47.89%
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4. North Carolina
Average cost of car insurance: $611.48
Premium increase after one claim: 51.65%
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3. New Jersey
Average cost of car insurance: $1219.93
Premium increase after one claim: 62.35%
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2. California
Average cost of car insurance: $749.79
Premium increase after one claim: 75.37%
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1. Massachusetts
Average cost of car insurance: $976.65
Premium increase after one claim: 76.27%
