What car insurance costs in Kansas

The Kansas bill against the U.S. average

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) tracks the premiums insurers collect in each state. Its newest state figures, for 2023, show an average Kansas expenditure of $973 per insured car, up 12% from $868 the year before. Because that average includes cars insured for liability only, the NAIC also reports a combined premium for cars with liability, collision and comprehensive: $1,182 in Kansas.

Liability, about two-thirds of the national average, keeps the Kansas total low. Comprehensive pulls the other way: at $349 it is close to half again the U.S. figure and as large as the collision premium. Comprehensive pays for damage that doesn't come from a crash, such as hail, wind, fire and theft, so on a fully covered car it deserves a close look. Where you live within the state also matters; see how location affects price.

Kansas no-fault, and the rest of the minimum

Kansas Statutes 40-3107 require liability limits of at least $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per accident for injuries and $25,000 for property damage. The same section requires personal injury protection (PIP), which pays your own side's injury costs whoever caused the crash. Its minimum benefits, set in K.S.A. 40-3103, are:

• Medical expenses of at least $4,500 per person, and at least $4,500 for rehabilitation.
• Lost earnings of at least $900 a month, for up to one year of disability.
• Replacement services up to $25 a day for up to 365 days, for chores the injured person can't do.
• Funeral costs up to $2,000, and survivors' benefits of at least $900 a month for up to a year.

Uninsured motorist coverage, which includes underinsured motorist protection, is also mandatory under K.S.A. 40-284, at limits equal to the bodily injury liability you buy. You can turn down in writing only the part above the state minimums. With 12.0% of Kansas drivers uninsured in 2023, by the Insurance Research Council's estimate, that floor matters.

The trade-off for PIP is a limit on lawsuits. Under K.S.A. 40-3117, you can sue another driver for pain and suffering only if your medical treatment is worth $2,000 or more, or the injury involves a broken weight-bearing bone, a compound, displaced or compressed fracture, permanent disfigurement or injury, the loss of a body part or bodily function, or death. Raising limits above the minimum costs extra; our page on limits and deductibles helps you size them.

How Kansas oversees rates and credit

For personal car insurance, Kansas uses a waiting period rather than approval in advance. Under K.S.A. 40-955, an insurer files its rates with the commissioner, and the filing takes effect after 30 days unless the commissioner disapproves it as excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory. Companies still price the same driver differently.

The Kansas Insurance Score Act (K.S.A. 40-5104) lets insurers use credit, with guardrails. A company can't refuse to quote, deny, cancel or decline to renew a policy based on credit alone, or set a renewal rate on credit alone. It can't hold medical collections or your own credit checks against you, and adverse action needs a credit report no more than 90 days old. At renewal you can ask to be re-rated on current credit once a year; the new score can only lower the rate, with some exceptions. See how credit-based scores work.

Coverage when companies turn you away

The Kansas Automobile Insurance Plan sells car insurance to eligible drivers who can't buy it in the regular market. Any agent licensed to sell car insurance in Kansas can submit an application. Our guide to assigned-risk plans explains how to use one as a stopgap.

Cutting a Kansas premium

1. 1 Take an accident prevention course. Kansas law requires car insurers to reduce premiums when the principal operator completes an approved accident avoidance course of at least four hours. Ask your insurer which courses it accepts; the Insurance Department doesn't approve them.
2. 2 Compare at least three quotes with the same PIP, liability limits and deductibles, then check them line by line.
3. 3 Price your comprehensive deductible. Comprehensive is the Kansas line furthest above the national average, and a higher deductible lowers it.
4. 4 Call for help if needed. The Kansas Department of Insurance consumer hotline is 800-432-2484.

Questions drivers ask