Your insurance cost just went up? Now you can find out why.
A couple of years ago I bought a new car, and my auto insurance went up. Well, of course it's a new car, right? The next year it went up again. Well, why is that? It's a year older, shouldn't the insurance have gone down? Well, no, I'm told. “This year it's more expensive to repair cars, so your insurance goes up.” For some drivers, insurance costs have gone up by 20%. What about my other car, the old minivan? Why has the insurance gone up on that?
I'm not satisfied with the lack of clarity in the answers that I'm getting from my insurance agent. What do I do?
There is a new rule from the Washington State Insurance Commissioner that may I help you. According to fox13seattle.com,
“The new premium change transparency rule goes into effect Saturday, June 1. And by 2027, insurers must disclose the reasons behind increasing their premiums every time a policy renews, according to the Office of the Washington State Insurance Commissioner. The new rule covers auto and homeowner insurance policies for people in Washington.”
For my situation there are any number of reasons why my insurance could possibly go up. How far do I drive? How many people drive my car? Is it kept in a garage? Do I have speeding tickets? Have I been in a collision? How many vehicles are on the policy? But for me, over the last five years, none of that information has changed. It's all the same and still, the price goes up. As you can tell, I'm not thrilled about this situation but I'm not ready to change insurance companies yet.
Getting a clear answer as to why my insurance rates have gone up would help.
Rising car insurance rates explained: How to lower your bill (fox13seattle.com)
Rule requires insurers to disclose reasons for premium hikes (fox13seattle.com)
Drivers get sticker shock over car insurance, some rates up 20% (fox13seattle.com)
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