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Why Rates Rise guides
Credit-based insurance scores and car insuranceHow insurers use credit-based insurance scores to price car insurance, which states ban or limit it, and your rights under federal and state law.Why electric vehicles cost more to insureThe repair, battery and parts costs that push EV premiums up, the theft and safety factors that pull them down, and how to price coverage before you buy.How age, gender and marital status affect car insuranceWhy insurers charge by age, gender and marital status, what crash data shows, and which states ban or limit these factors, verified against state law.How car insurance rates are calculatedHow insurers build a car insurance price: a filed base rate, multiplied by rating factors for driver, car, place and coverage, then adjusted by discounts.How often should you shop for car insurance?Compare car insurance prices at least once a year, a few weeks before renewal, and after any change that affects your rate. Here is when and why.Why your ZIP code changes your car insurance priceInsurers price by rating territory because claim costs vary by place. How territory rating works, which states limit ZIP code pricing, and what moving does.Loss ratios and rate filings: how insurers justify an increaseHow insurers use loss ratios, expense ratios and trend data to justify a rate change, what regulators check, and how to read a filing yourself.Social inflation and nuclear verdicts: how lawsuits raise premiumsSocial inflation is the rise in claim costs from litigation, attorney involvement and big jury awards. What the data shows and how it reaches your premium.Tort reform and car insuranceWhat tort reform changes in car accident cases, the recent laws in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and New York, and what they mean for your premium and your claim.Why car insurance got more expensive, and where prices stand in 2026Repair costs, injury claims and litigation drove auto premiums up about 55% from late 2020 to 2026. What caused it, and why prices began easing in 2026.Why car repairs cost so much more than they used toThe sensors, materials, bigger vehicles, labor, parts and tariff pressures behind higher repair bills, how they reach premiums, and what you can do.Why your premium went up at renewal with no claimsThe common reasons a car insurance renewal costs more with a clean record, how to tell which one applies to you, and the rules that limit insurers.