Why has car and home insurance become so expensive? (2024)

  • Car insurance prices up 22% over the past year
  • In Florida, homeowners insurance prices up 68% since 2021: Policygenius
  • Extreme weather and higher repair costs have both contributed

Andrew Dorn

Updated:

(NewsNation) — Inflation remains a persistent problem, and surging insurance rates are one of the reasons why.

Car insurance prices are up more than 22% over the past year, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI). Renters insurance is also up 4.6% year over year, outpacing the overall inflation rate of 3.5%.

Homeowners insurance isn’t factored into the CPI, but insurance brokerage Policygenius determined those costs rose more than 20% from 2022 to 2023.

In Florida, where home insurance premiums have skyrocketed, some annual policies now cost over six figures.

Mark Friedlander, director of corporate communications at the Insurance Information Institute, says the national rise in insurance costs is not because companies are squeezing consumers.

“The premiums are not keeping up with the loss cost, it’s still, in both the home and auto sectors, well above what is being collected in premiums,” he said.

Instead, Friedlander said the recent uptick is due to a combination of extreme weather, costlier repairs, more accidents with significant damage and higher reinsurance costs.

Car Insurance

Price compared to a year ago: +22.2%, per the CPI

Avg. cost (Apr. 2024): $2,314 per year for full coverage, $193 per month, according to Bankrate

Largest premium change by state (2023 to 2024): Missouri (+44%), Colorado (+37%), Nevada (+28%), Michigan (+25%), Florida (+24%), per Bankrate

Why are costs higher?

  • Repairs are more expensive: New high-tech features have made fixes more costly, helping push the average collision claim up nearly 60% since 2020.
  • Accidents are causing more damage: Safety improvements have made cars more likely to absorb damage in a crash, but that fragility means even minor accidents can lead to expensive repairs.
  • Driving became more dangerous during the pandemic: Nearly 43,000 people died in U.S. traffic crashes in 2021, the highest number in 16 years.
  • Labor and supply shortages: Supply chain disruptions and higher labor costs have also driven up repair costs.

Where do we go from here?

Price hikes are likely to continue in 2024 but at a slower pace than in recent years. Insurify estimates car insurance costs will go up by 7% this year.

Homeowners Insurance

Price change from 2022 to 2023: +21%, according to Policygenius

Avg. cost (National): $1,754 per year, $146 per month, according to Policygenius

States with the highest increases (2021 to 2023): Florida (+68%), New Mexico (+47%), Colorado (+46%), Idaho (46%), Texas (+46%), per Policygenius

Why are costs higher?

  • Extreme weather: In 2023, the U.S. experienced a record 28 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. Last year, severe thunderstorms alone led to more than $60 billion in losses across the U.S., the highest level ever, Friedlander said.
  • Reinsurance rates are up: Insurance companies pay for their own insurance to protect themselves, and those costs are up by as much as 50% this year.
    • “When your insurance company pays more for reinsurance, that’s a pass-along cost to consumers,” Friedlander said, noting that those effects may not show up in prices right away.
  • Inflation: Residential building and construction labor costs have risen in recent years, pushing insurers to raise premiums.
  • A recent Bloomberg Intelligence analysis found that including homeowners insurance in the inflation data could have added about 0.8% to last year’s CPI increase of 3.4%.

Where do we go from here?

Insurify projects a 6% increase in 2024, which would place rates at $2,522 by the end of the year, the company said in a recent report.

Renters Insurance

Price compared to a year ago: +4.6%

Avg. cost (National): $148 per year, $12 per month, according to NerdWallet

Most expensive states (2024): Louisiana ($253 per year), Mississippi ($252 per year), Arkansas ($225 per year), Oklahoma ($210 per year), Georgia ($194 per year), per NerdWallet

Why are costs higher?

  • Like other types of insurance, as prices for all items rise, so does the cost to insure them.
  • “More landlords than ever before are requiring it in lease agreements, so we’re seeing definitely an uptick in the volume of renters insurance versus past years,” Friedlander pointed out.

Where do we go from here?

Renters insurance has risen at a slower rate than car and home insurance in recent years and remains relatively affordable by comparison. For that reason, Friedlander recommends it as a good way to protect your personal property, which is not covered by your landlord’s insurance policy.

Why has car and home insurance become so expensive? (2024)

FAQs

Why has car and home insurance become so expensive? ›

A confluence of forces were to blame: The Covid pandemic disrupted supply chains, pushing used car prices to record highs and making spare parts hard to get; out-of-practice drivers emerging from lockdowns caused more severe wrecks; and technological advancements like motion sensors made even the simplest parts, like a ...

Why is car insurance getting so expensive? ›

There are labor shortages in the industry, parts have become more expensive, and wages for mechanics have generally increased. Since auto insurance premiums are designed to account for the potential costs if the car insurance company has to pay for a repair, higher repair costs translate into higher premiums.

Why is home insurance so expensive now? ›

Why did your homeowners insurance go up? (Updated May 2024) The increase in expensive natural disasters and higher-than-average labor and construction costs have caused home insurance rates to skyrocket. Pat Howard.

Why is car insurance more expensive than house insurance? ›

But perhaps the biggest difference centers on the issue of liability. People do occasionally slip and fall inside of homes, but those instances are relatively rare. Car accidents, on the other hand, have a much great propensity to result in major injury, and happen with much more frequency.

Why is insurance so unaffordable? ›

Healthcare system complexity

This complexity often results in administrative inefficiencies, increased paperwork, and higher operational costs for both healthcare providers and insurers. These added expenses are eventually passed on to consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums, deductibles, and copayments.

Why did my car insurance go up in 2024? ›

Car insurance rates increased 24% on average in 2023 and are projected to rise another 7% in 2024. These increases are largely the result of increased costs for insurers: As they pay more to settle claims, they pass on the costs to customers. The good news is that there are some things you can do to save money.

Why is insurance inflation so high? ›

Higher overall auto prices and auto repair costs prompted insurers to start raising premiums as overall car values jumped. Price increases for insurance rates, like many other increases from food to clothing, have been sticky and are less likely to drop at the same rate as broader inflation, if at all.

Did homeowners insurance go up in 2024? ›

Average cost of home insurance is rising

The average annual cost to insure a home in the United States is $1,602 in 2024. That's a 2% increase over the previous year, but an 18% increase from five years ago. We predict a continued increase in 2024.

Is homeowners insurance going up because of inflation? ›

Insurance rates have been climbing for a number of reasons: Storms have become more frequent and severe, inflation and labor shortages have driven up the cost of repairs and home values have increased, requiring larger policies.

What states are insurance companies pulling out of? ›

Insurers are retreating from markets in hurricane-prone North Carolina and western states like Oregon, Colorado, and Arizona that have struggled with increasingly frequent and destructive wildfires in recent years.

Where is homeowners insurance the most expensive? ›

On average, the most expensive states for homeowners insurance are Florida, Nebraska and Oklahoma, while the least expensive states are Vermont, West Virginia and Delaware. While inflation has slowed down since its peak in June 2022, insurance rates are reactionary.

Why is my dwelling coverage so high? ›

Another reason your dwelling coverage might be higher than the sale price is if the home is in an undesirable area, which lowered the market value. Certain homes that are older may also yield higher dwelling coverage.

Why is Progressive so expensive? ›

If you buy directly from a Progressive company, your car insurance price reflects the cost of staffing and maintaining the sales centers, and a larger portion of our marketing costs.

Why is my car insurance suddenly so high? ›

While it can seem arbitrary, there are actual reasons you can see your price go up and down. Car insurance rates can change based on factors like claims, driving history, adding new drivers to your policy, and even your credit score.

Why are insurance rates going up so much? ›

Inflation. Nobody in America will be surprised to learn that inflation has spread to all areas of the economy, including car insurance. As vehicles become more expensive to repair and replace, car insurance rates climb as well. The price of both new and used cars has soared over the past few years.

Which country has the best healthcare system in the world? ›

The Best Healthcare Systems in the World in 2024

What country has the best healthcare, according to this assessment? Singapore comes in at No. 1! Other countries with the best healthcare are listed below.

Why did my car insurance go up when nothing changed? ›

If your car insurance goes up for seemingly no reason when you renew your policy, it's likely due to an increase in risk that's outside of your control. This could include reasons like increased claims in your area (due to more extreme weather damage, more accidents, etc.)

Why is insurance so expensive for the poor? ›

Low-wage earners also are typically limited to cheaper and less efficient cars, which cost more to operate in fuel and repairs. In many low-income metropolitan neighborhoods, automobile insurance is more expensive - as much as $1,000 more a year . ./ Household goods. Low-income areas are often economically isolated.

Does credit score affect car insurance? ›

Does credit score affect car insurance rates? Yes. A higher or lower credit score can have a big impact on your insurance rate. Poor credit increases full coverage rates by 86% compared to good credit.

Why is my car insurance so high in Geico? ›

The car you drive, how often you drive it, and where it is kept are all factors used to determine your rate. A car's make and model help determine: Expected repair costs. If theft rates are higher for this vehicle.

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