Jan. 27, 2015—Drivers pay an average of 41 percent more for car insurance after making a single claim, according to the second annual study by InsuranceQuotes.com.
The national average is up 3 percent this year, compared to the 38 percent increase found in 2014. Massachusetts continues to peak the list of states, where just one claim leads to an average premium increase of 76 percent, versus 67 percent in 2014.
Closely following Massachusetts as the most expensive states are California (+75 percent) and New Jersey (+62 percent). The lowest post-claim increases are seen in Maryland (+22 percent), followed by Michigan (+23 percent) and Montana (+25 percent).
Making a second claim proves to be very costly: A driver with two claims pays roughly twice as much for car insurance as a claim-free driver (+93 percent).
Location isn't the only factor to consider, as increases are also affected by the type of claim. Bodily injury and property damage (including collision) claims are the most expensive (+45 and +41 percent, respectively). Comprehensive claims (for non-collision events such as theft) are the cheapest, barely moving the needle at +2 percent.