The 20 Worst States for Filing an Auto Insurance Claim

File a Claim, See a Premium Spike

As if a car wreck wasn’t bad enough, filing an insurance claim is guaranteed to result in a premium spike. But what do those increases look like year over year? insuranceQuotes and Quadrant Information Services decided to find out.

For the fourth year in a row, the pair analyzed the average economic impact of filing various claims on an auto insurance policy.

“Using a hypothetical 45-year-old married female driver who is employed, has an excellent credit score, has no lapse in coverage and has filed no prior auto insurance claims, the study looked at how much annual premiums can go up, on average, after filing one of three different types of claims,” insuranceQuotes said. These included bodily injury, property damage and comprehensive.

(You read right: Your credit score can affect your auto insurance premium. You can view two of your scores free, updated every 14 days, on Credit.com.)

Beyond that, the study examined the effect of the claim’s amount while comparing the average premium increases for all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

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The Impact of Auto Claims

Their findings: Just a single auto insurance claim of $2,000 can cause a premium to spike, on average, by 44.1%. Filing a second claim in the same year can cause an average annual premium to jump a whopping 99.4%.

There are plenty of reasons for this, safety equipment and the economy improving among them, but car owners should remain vigilant about driving safely — and keeping costs down. The cost of paying bodily injury claims has increased, and with newer cars on the road, insurers are adjusting their charges accordingly.

Remember, premium increases will vary by claim type and for accidents where you were at fault. With that in mind, let’s see what your auto insurance premium increases might look like after filing one $2,000 claim in the 20 worst states to do so.

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20. Delaware

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $1,101

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 39.4%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,535

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19. Alaska

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $889

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 39.8%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,243

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18. Virginia

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $719

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 40.1%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,007

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17. Indiana

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $622

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 42%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $883

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16. Illinois

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $745

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 42.5%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,061

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15. Connecticut

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $1,011

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 43%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,446

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14. New Jersey

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $1,254

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 45.1%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,819

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13. Nevada

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $936

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 45.8%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,365

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12. Arizona

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $811

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 46.3%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,186

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11. South Dakota

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $581

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 46.8%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $853

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10. Minnesota

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $745

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 48.4%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,106

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9. Rhode Island

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $1,066

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 50.4%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,603

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8. Ohio

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $659

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 51.2%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $996

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7. Iowa

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $572

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 53.6%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $878

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6. Wisconsin

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $621

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 54.9%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $962

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5. (Tie) North Carolina

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $625

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 57.3%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $983

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5. (Tie) Massachusetts

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $1,008

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 57.3%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,586

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3. Texas

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $895

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 59.9%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,431

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2. New Hampshire

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $733

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 60.3%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,175

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1. California

NAIC Average Annual Premium: $783

Average % Increase for Making One Claim: 63.1%

Average Annual Premium After Making One Claim: $1,277

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