New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

I am new to the US and need to get car insurance. The few quotes I received seem to me very very high, something in the range of $800/semester! Is this the amount one should expect to pay or did I get quotes from very expensive companies?

Also, what coverage should I go for in terms of liability and own car coverage?

Many thanks!

Re: New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

This is about as well as you can expect to do:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=753834

It costs $440 to join for the year.

Re: New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

Car insurance is much more expensive than the UK, but it varies state by state. I pay $159 a month; I paid £30 a month in the UK, although it was for a Ford Fiesta, third party fire & theft, 9 years no claims bonus. My insurance in the UK kept going down, it just goes up here every year.

Re: New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

Auto insurance is higher here.

You don't say if you have your US license or not. Obtaining a US license is the single biggest thing you can do to reduce your insurance premiums.

Re: New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

Never had a problem with car insurance. If anything same car (I imported my UK car (that happens to be American anyway)), was a little cheaper.

Geico gave me $57pm for my car, and USAA gave me $56 (Fully Comp or whatever the equiv is). Geico also gave me $58pm for my truck (30 year old Dodge), and USAA was down to $37.

When I was getting quotes though I was getting some stinkers - I think 21st Century (and all their cohorts) wanted anything between $100-200pm for the truck!! I think it was Allstate that gave me $200pm quote - and then kept emailing me for weeks telling me how good their quote was.

(You probably won't qualify USAA).

Having said that, some people here have got awful quote from Geico, so it's all about getting a bunch of quotes.

Re: New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

It depends on the state. Some can use your driving experience from the UK others will only recognise the time you had a licence in US or Canada.

If you're unlucky and in a state where the latter applies you may want to look at a cheap runaround and get the basic (or near to basic) liability for the first 2-3 years.

Certainly look to get a US drivers licence asap, if not already done so.

Re: New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

Followed by being over 25 and having decent credit history...and then buying a beater.

But as a fresh off the boat, the rule of thumb is to expect $1K for 6 months for a new car and decent levels of cover and be happy if you end up paying $600-800 and not be surprised if you pay $1200.

You can pay far less if you drive a beater and go with state minimum requirements, though that usually isn't recommended because they can usually be way to low to be of any use.

Re: New in the US, what to expect for car insurance premium?
 

With GEICO for a Dodge Caravan, that we bought for $2000 we pay $550 insurance for 6 months, the most basic cover. This is our first time to insure a vehicle here.