5 Factors That Affect Your Auto Insurance Payment (2024) (2024)

Five factors that affect your auto insurance payment are how often you pay your premium, your vehicle, your driving history, your credit history and your state's coverage requirements. Insurance companies use most of these factors to determine how likely you are to file a claim and thus how risky you are to insure.

Keep in mind that calculating insurance rates can be complex. Insurance companies use more than five factors when setting premiums, and the criteria used can vary by state. For example, your ZIP code, marital status, gender, and annual mileage can also be used to determine your insurance costs.

5 Factors That Affect Your Auto Insurance Payment

  1. Payment frequency: A monthly premium payment will obviously be a lower amount than a payment for a full year or six months. However, if you pay monthly, your payments will likely add up to a higher total premium because insurance companies charge more for installments. Your insurer may also offer a discount for paying your premium in full instead of monthly.
  2. Vehicle type: The type of car you drive can make your insurance go up or down, depending on the make, model, year, if it has certain safety features, or if it is heavily targeted for theft.
  3. Driving history: Having a clean driving record insures better prices for your insurance premium, but if you have accidents or traffic violations, like tickets for speeding and red light infractions, your auto insurance payment will be more expensive.
  4. Credit history: In most states, insurance companies use an auto insurance score when calculating premiums. Your credit history is used to generate your auto insurance score, so good credit results in a high auto insurance score and a lower premium, while the reverse is true if you have poor credit.
  5. State requirements: While liability insurance is required by law in most states, some states require additional types of coverage – like personal injury protection or uninsured motorist coverage – or higher coverage limits than other states, which can increase the cost of your premium.

Other Factors That Affect Your Auto Insurance Payment

  • Age: Younger drivers are typically riskier to insure due to their lack of experience and are statistically more likely to get into car accidents, so their insurance rates are higher compared to middle-aged drivers.
  • Location: Information about crime, traffic, and accidents in your ZIP code is used when determining how much you’ll pay for car insurance. Typically, drivers in urban areas pay more than rural drivers due to higher rates of crime, traffic, and accidents.
  • Gender: In most states, male drivers under 25 years old often pay more for insurance than their female counterparts. The opposite tends to be true for middle-aged drivers.
  • Marital Status: Insurance companies typically charge married drivers lower car insurance rates because they are statistically less likely to get into car accidents than single drivers.
  • Annual mileage: The more you drive, the more likely you are to get into a car accident and need to file a claim. Since Americans drive around 14,000 miles per year on average, having a higher annual mileage can result in higher premiums.

To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide on factors that affect car insurance rates.

This answer was first published on 02/14/23 and it was last updated on 02/18/23. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

5 Factors That Affect Your Auto Insurance Payment (2024) (2024)

FAQs

5 Factors That Affect Your Auto Insurance Payment (2024)? ›

Quick Answer

What are 5 factors that contribute to your auto insurance premiums? ›

What factors are most important for car insurance rates?
  • Age. Age is a very significant rating factor, especially for young drivers. ...
  • Driving history. This rating factor is straightforward. ...
  • Credit score. ...
  • Years of driving experience. ...
  • Location. ...
  • Gender. ...
  • Insurance history. ...
  • Annual mileage.

What are 5 factors that affect the cost of automobile insurance? ›

What factors affect car insurance rates?
  • Driving record. Drivers with clean motor vehicle records and no at-fault accidents typically get the cheapest car insurance. ...
  • Prior insurance. ...
  • Credit history. ...
  • Location. ...
  • Age and gender. ...
  • Vehicle.
Apr 25, 2024

What are 5 factors that are used to determine the cost of insurance premiums? ›

Five factors that affect your auto insurance payment are how often you pay your premium, your vehicle, your driving history, your credit history and your state's coverage requirements. Insurance companies use most of these factors to determine how likely you are to file a claim and thus how risky you are to insure.

Why is car insurance going up in 2024? ›

Your particular driver profile, which includes factors like where you live, your age and your driving record, influences what you pay for car insurance. But rising car repair costs and an increase in disaster-related claims are significant reasons why car insurance rates are surging for many drivers.

Which 5 factors determine the premium amount? ›

  • Age.
  • Gender.
  • Smoking.
  • Health.
  • Lifestyle.
  • Family Medical History.
  • Driving Record.

What are the 5 factors that go into setting up your health insurance premium? ›

How insurance companies set health premiums. Five factors can affect a plan's monthly premium: location, age, tobacco use, plan category, and whether the plan covers dependents.

What five factors are most important in determining car insurance rates? ›

Understanding what determines your auto insurance premiums can uncover new ways to save. Auto insurance rates depend on factors such as your age, gender, location, the kind of car you drive, your driving record and possibly even your credit score.

What are 4 factors that can affect the cost of life insurance policies? ›

The cost of life insurance is influenced by factors such as death benefit amount, type of policy, riders, age, gender, health, tobacco use, family history, lifestyle, and occupation.

What factors can affect the insurance industry? ›

6 insurance industry risk factors
  • Compliance changes. Regulatory dynamics in the insurance sector are never static. ...
  • Cybersecurity threats. ...
  • Technology changes. ...
  • Climate change & other environmental factors. ...
  • Talent shortage. ...
  • Financial risks.
Mar 21, 2024

What are 5 factors that affect your home insurance premium? ›

The cost of homeowners and tenants insurance depends on a number of factors including:
  • location, age and type of building.
  • use of building (residence and/or commercial)
  • proximity of fire protection services.
  • choice of deductibles.
  • availability of any premium discounts.
  • scope and amount of insurance coverage.

What are the 5 types of auto insurance? ›

The five basic types of car insurance are liability insurance, collision coverage, comprehensive insurance, uninsured motorist coverage and either medical payments coverage or personal injury protection.

What are the factors which affect the premiums on auto insurance quizlet? ›

Value of the insured​ vehicle: the higher the value of the​ car, the higher the premium. -Repair record of the​ car: the more easily car damage can be​ repaired, the lower the premium. -Your​ age: younger drivers have less experience and pay higher premiums.

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