Detroit may have put the world on wheels, but in Michigan, it can be hard to afford them.
According to a new study from MarketWatch Guides, Michiganders still pay the highest average car insurance rates in the nation. Drivers in the Great Lakes State pay $3,643 per year on car insurance, an 81% difference from the national average.
For the study, MarketWatch Guides used data from Quadrant Information Services, basing its cost estimates on a 35-year-old driver with good credit and a clean driving record, so some drivers pay even more. While car insurance costs tend to decrease as drivers age, speeding tickets, DUIs, and at-fault accidents increase rates, with DUIs raising rates the most — as if you needed another reason to get a ride when you’re out drinking.
“Michigan is infamous for its sky-high auto insurance rates and has consistently had among the most expensive coverage in the country,” MarketWatch Guides Expert David Straughan said in a statement. “The first and most important way to find lower rates is to compare quotes from several insurers to see who offers you the lowest price. No matter what else you do, you should do that as well.”
Last year, MarketWatch Guides found that drivers in most U.S. states saw their average car insurance rates increase since 2021. But in Michigan, rates have actually decreased nearly 18%, resulting in drivers saving an average of $787 per year on full coverage insurance. That’s thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2019 that made changes to Michigan’s no-fault insurance rules to eliminate the requirement for drivers to sign up for unlimited personal injury protection (PIP) coverage.
In December, Bridge Michigan reported that lawmakers could revisit the state’s auto insurance law in 2024 to reduce rates in high-cost areas like Detroit, where drivers pay the second-highest rates in the nation after New York City.
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