Auto Insurance Rates Spike Due to Extreme Weather

Car insurance costs around the country are going up as insurers receive more claims from areas struck by storms and other climate disasters.

1 minute read

November 7, 2024, 10:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Parked cars in floodwater with two-story apartments or homes in background in Florida after hurricane.

artiom.photo / Adobe Stock

The home insurance market isn’t the only part of the insurance agency being roiled by extreme weather. “Now, car insurance quotes are reflecting trends seen across the home insurance market as climate change becomes an increasingly prevalent — and costly — factor,” writes Kiley Price in Grist.

An August report predicts that car insurance costs will rise by 22 percent by the end of 2024, with rates rising by as much as 50 percent in California, Missouri, and Minnesota. “That’s due to a number of factors, including inflation, extreme weather, and more cases of severe accidents or dangerous driving.” According to professor Andrew Hoffman, “It’s actually secondary perils that are really having a dominant influence on driving up insurance costs.”

Saturday, November 2, 2024 in Grist

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

A cluster of wind turbines beneath a stormy sky, above a forest where the leaves are beginning to change colors.

5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project

Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.

September 16 - Inside Climate News

People boarding a bus on Maryland's Orange Route.

Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project

The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.

September 16 - Mass Transit

A brick building with a circular sign with the Airbnb logo hanging off of it.

Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin

The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.

September 16 - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.