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Rate news

New price data, state law changes and federal rules that move what drivers pay, each with its date, what it means for your bill and the source.

  1. Price data

    Car insurance prices 5.0% below a year earlier, BLS index shows

    The Consumer Price Index release for September 2026 shows the motor vehicle insurance index 5.0% lower than in September 2025 (not seasonally adjusted). The index first dropped below its year-earlier level with May 2026 data; in the 12 months to December 2025 it had still risen 2.8%.

    For your bill: Falling average prices make a renewal increase worth questioning, but your own bill still depends on your record, car and address, so check it against fresh quotes.

  2. State law

    D.C. law raises minimum liability to 50/100/20 from October 1, 2027

    D.C. Law 26-155, the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Amendment Act of 2026, became effective on August 14, 2026, but its new limits wait until October 1, 2027. From then the District's minimums go from 25/50/10 to 50/100/20: $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 per crash and $20,000 of property damage. Further increases are scheduled once a decade, the first on January 1, 2037.

    For your bill: Your D.C. bill doesn't change because of this law until October 1, 2027, but a minimum-limits policy renewing after that date will carry double the injury limits and may cost more.

  3. Price data

    Car insurance price index falls below its year-earlier level

    In the Consumer Price Index for May 2026, the motor vehicle insurance index was 2.0% lower than a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted), after a 12-month increase of 0.2% in April 2026. The index fell 1.7% in May alone (seasonally adjusted).

    For your bill: After the steep increases of 2023 and 2024, average car insurance prices have started to fall, which makes this a reasonable time to compare your renewal offer with other insurers.

  4. Regulator action

    Florida's five largest auto insurance groups indicate an average 8% rate cut

    The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation said the top five auto insurance groups, which write 78% of the state's market, were indicating an average change of −8.0% for 2026, after requesting a combined −7.4% for 2025. It listed a 7% USAA reduction by May 2026, a 7% decrease for more than 171,000 Allstate policyholders, GEICO reductions from April 2026 and a 10% State Farm request. The office credits the state's legislative reforms.

    For your bill: If you insure a car in Florida, check whether your renewal reflects your insurer's decrease, and compare quotes if it doesn't.

  5. Price data

    NAIC publishes 2023 state car insurance averages

    The NAIC released its Auto Insurance Database Report 2022/2023. The U.S. average expenditure per insured car was $1,282 in 2023, up about 14% from $1,124 in 2022, and a car with liability, collision and comprehensive averaged $1,438. State averages ran from $808 in North Dakota to $1,864 in Florida; see the cost by state map.

    For your bill: These averages show where your state stands, but they are two to three years old and are not a quote for your car.

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  6. State law

    Hawaii's minimum liability limits double to 40/80/20

    Policies that start or renew on January 1, 2026 or later must meet Hawaii's new floor of 40/80/20: that is, $40,000 for one injured person, $80,000 for everyone hurt in one crash and $20,000 for property. The old floor was 20/40/10.

    For your bill: The Insurance Division estimates that doubling coverage to the new minimums may raise the premium by about 25% on average for many drivers, though your own change may be higher or lower.

  7. State law

    New Jersey's standard-policy minimum rises to 35/70/25

    From January 1, 2026, a standard New Jersey auto policy needs injury liability of no less than $35,000 for one person and $70,000 for one crash, under P.L.2022, c.87. Property damage liability remains $25,000. The Department of Banking and Insurance explained the step in its Bulletin No. 25-06, dated July 31, 2025.

    For your bill: A standard policy written at the old minimum picks up the new limits at its 2026 renewal, and the premium may go up with them.

  8. State law

    Massachusetts compulsory limits rise to 25/50/30

    Under Chapter 275 of the Acts of 2024, Massachusetts policies issued or renewing from July 1, 2025 carry higher compulsory amounts. Injury liability went from $20,000 to $25,000 per person and from $40,000 to $50,000 per crash, and property damage liability from $5,000 to $30,000. The required uninsured-auto injury coverage now matches the new liability floor of 25/50.

    For your bill: Drivers who had only the old compulsory amounts moved to the new ones at their first renewal after July 1, 2025, which can add to the premium.

  9. State law

    North Carolina minimums rise to 50/100/50, and some surcharges last longer

    For policies written or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, North Carolina's minimum limits rose from 30/60/25 to 50/100/50, and every policy written from then on carries underinsured motorist coverage. Drivers first licensed on or after that date pay the inexperienced operator surcharge for eight years instead of three, and convictions carrying four or more insurance points are surcharged for five years instead of three.

    For your bill: The Department of Insurance says drivers who kept the old minimum limits can expect their premiums to rise at renewal, and new drivers and those with serious convictions pay surcharges for longer.

  10. Price data

    One U.S. driver in seven was uninsured in 2023, IRC estimates

    The Insurance Research Council estimated that 15.4% of U.S. drivers were uninsured in 2023 and 33.4% were uninsured or underinsured. Mississippi had the highest share at 28.2%, followed by New Mexico (24.1%) and D.C. (23.1%); Maine had the lowest at 5.7%, followed by Utah (6.2%) and Idaho (6.4%).

    For your bill: Where many drivers are uninsured, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage protects you from paying for someone else's crash, so weigh it before you trim it to save money.