rwylie77

I keep seeing references to car insurance in the US being between $1,000 and $2,000 per annum - is this the case for the majority? I currently pay £300pa and my wife £200pa in the UK. If so, why is it so much more in the US?

md95065

Yes.

Perhaps because the legal and medical bills which might arise out of anything other than the most minor accident are pretty much unlimited in the US.

Kar98

The first year I had a car licensed and insured in my name, I paid on the order of $2,000 per six months, just for liability. Now, 6 years later, that's down to $250 per six months, same contract.

limeynus

I think car insurance varies dependent on where you live. Here in southern california, where there are so many cars and so many uninsured drivers insurance is probably higher than somewhere with a smaller population.

My insurance is fairly average insurance and it's around $430 for 6 months.

Mummy in the foothills

We've had the same insurance company for a long time and are down to $600 every 6 mths for 4 cars but we own them all so no full coverage.

Chrissywissy100

I had exactly the same thought when I was shopping for car insurance before we came over... it is bloody expensive, esp if you are new to the USA / havent held a US licence very long. Even if (as we did) you find an insurance company thats takes the length of time you held a UK licence for into consideration, it'll still be a bit pricey!

I think it is more here due to the risk of people suing you if you are involved in an accident with them, and covering their medical costs too, which can be astronomical here if they dont have insurance (and sometimes, even when they do). I'm not just talking about the driver of another vehicle, but their passengers, and even your passengers, or a guy on the street!

We pay $1200 every six months (cos thats how its done here) for a 2009 ford focus, and a 2002 Honda CR-V.

You should be aware that the system here is that all people in your household over driving age will be included on your policy to drive the cars as standard, and it works out cheaper to insure all cars on the same policy. You will also get a better deal if you insure your property with the same company.

Redwing

[QUOTE=limeynus;7516095]I think car insurance varies dependent on where you live. QUOTE]

I agree. We live in SE Tennessee, and it costs $1260 a year for our F150 and Ford Freestar together, full coverage, with a $500 deductible.

aceastwood

I pay under $1,000 a year total to insure a Toyota Solara and a Toyota Sienna. But if we added my teenage son's Civic, with comprehensive insurance, that would add another $2,000.

scrubbedexpat099

For me there was little difference.

AmerLisa

We pay a little over $2000 a year for two cars that are not paid for..... It was quite a shock coming over here and looking at the insurance bills back then (5 years ago) You'd think I'd of remembered. However, I never had as high an insurance payment as I do today.

Kar98

To put it all into perspective after all that whining about expensive car insurance, how much would y'all pay in gas and taxes if you drove what you have here, in Britain?

snowbunny

I can see insurance being more expensive here - more miles driven per driver, possibly more severe damage/injury in some cases due to heavier vehicles on average, etc - and that doesn't factor in the cost of medical care.

BritishGuy36

I moved to the US in November 2008.

My first car insurance for a V6 3.4L Pontiac Grand Am (2005 model) cost me $420 for 6 months, coverage includes everything except 'collision' (in other words everything's covered except if an accident is your fault they won't pay to fix YOUR car).

From what I hear, I should expect that to go down after 6 months of no-accident driving (so far so good).

TIP: Get your US license ASAP after arrival - your quotes will be outrageous without one!

Giantaxe

A fair point, of course. Otoh, unless you live in an urban area with good public transport/ability to walk places, you're annual mileage driven is likely to be a lot higher in the US than what it was in the UK.

Okuda

My car insurance was over a grand for 6 months when I first started driving over here in the USA, despite having driven in the UK for 10 years. They basically treat you like a first time teenager driver. I guess it would be the same for any American going to the UK to live (My first car insurance back home was over a grand for the year, was down to 200 a year before I came here)