Car insurance in Indiana

Posted on September 25, 2014

Shown below is the most recent available data regarding Indiana auto insurance. Peruse this page to learn about minimums, premiums, Indiana state laws and how to choose the insurance plan that works best for you.

Indiana Minimum Liability Coverage

The minimum required amount of car insurance coverage for each vehicle owned in the state of Indiana is 25/50/10. This means that Indiana drivers must purchase at least $25,000 in coverage for personal (bodily) injury, $50,000 in coverage for injuries to others, and $10,000 coverage to pay for property damage caused by automobile accidents.

Statistical researchers at the Insurance Information Institute actually recommend 100/300 coverage for drivers throughout the nation. Also recommended for Indiana drivers is UMI (Uninsured Motorist Insurance) coverage, as roughly sixteen percent of owned vehicles in the state of Indiana are uninsured. In fact, Indiana ranks twelfth among states for the number of uninsured drivers on the road.

Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in Indiana

Getting caught driving a car without insurance in the state of Indiana is punishable by a ninety-day license suspension for first offenders, or a one-year suspension for repeat violations within a three-year time span. To have a suspended license reinstated in the state of Indiana, a driver has to pay a reinstatement fee of as much as $300.

Driving without insurance in Indiana is known in legal circles as a “Class A infraction” for first-time offenders and a “Class C misdemeanor” for multiple violations. Infractions are not considered crimes and you cannot be imprisoned for an infraction violation. A fine of up to $10,000 can be imposed, but no jail time.

Auto Insurance Rates in Indiana

The average annual auto insurance premium for drivers in the state of Indiana was $1,113 in 2016. This is noticeably lower than the national average annual car insurance premium, which was about $1,347 during the same year.

Low Cost Car Insurance Programs in Indiana

An Indiana driver can save up to 25 percent on car insurance with a Home Auto Discount. Perform a Google search of “Indiana home auto discount” for details. Additionally, most carriers of car insurance offer safe driver discounts, good student discounts, multiple auto discounts, price reductions for using anti theft devices, discounts for completing courses in accident prevention, multi policy discounts and more. Ask every agent you speak with about your eligibility for available discounts on Indiana car insurance. When comparing quotes, factor in those discounts. They really do add up.

Obtaining Auto Insurance Quotes in Indiana

Among the nation’s most highly regarded carriers of auto insurance are Geico, Allstate, Auto Owners Insurance, The Hartford, Encompass, State Farm and 21^st Century. Still, many Indiana drivers opt for coverage from regionally known companies such as Erie or Farm Bureau. The state of Indiana is home to many dozen auto insurance companies that offer a full range of services and discounts at competitive rates. Simply call for quotes, compare costs and choose the least expensive plan that works for you.

Indiana Car Insurance

Here’s where you can find the latest statistics on Indiana car insurance. Get all the demographic details about the state of Indiana. Learn about how Indiana drivers can reduce their car insurance premium costs to a bare minimum. See how you can obtain personal car insurance quotes from one zip code to the next, and discover all the discounts you can qualify for.

Read this page to find out everything you need to know about car insurance in the state of Indiana. Included within this text is a list of the least and most expensive zip codes to purchase Indiana car insurance. Also shown is a list of some of the largest car insurance companies in Indiana, and a description of the types and amounts of car insurance coverage Indiana drivers need, as well as Indiana zip code populations, Indiana income statistics, and (just for fun) some weird Indiana state laws pertaining to cars, streets, and traffic. Peruse this post to learn all about Indiana car insurance.

Indiana Car Insurance Statistics

As of 2016, the population of the state of Indiana was estimated at more than 6.6 million people. Although Indiana ranks 38^th among states in terms of square miles, it ranks 16^th in total population, and also 16^th in population density. The median resident age of the state of Indiana is about 37.5 years.

The overall poverty rate in Indiana is about 15 percent. This is higher than the national average poverty rate of 13.5 percent. However, the unemployment rate in the state of Indiana is only 3.9 percent, which is successfully lower than the United States average unemployment rate of 4.4 percent. According to a study by the Insurance Research Council, roughly 14.2 percent of drivers in Indiana are operating uninsured vehicles. In other words, approximately one out of every seven vehicles driven on Indiana roads is uninsured.

Many drivers in the state of Indiana are eager to know the statewide “average” annual premium rate for Indiana car insurance. However, statewide averages are not precise measures of premium rates on personal car insurance. So a statewide average will do you no good, unless you are, let’s juts say, a 29 year old unmarried male Indiana driver with a clean driving record, a full time job, and a 2016 Honda CR-V LX with All Wheel drive and automatic seat belts, which you drive somewhere between 15,000 and 25,000 miles a year. In other words, you’ll find no use for a statewide averages, partly because they are based on the demographics of imaginary drivers. Researchers have to fill in some sort of demographic parameters to get online auto insurance quotes. What’s more, car insurance premium rates will depend in some way on your particular Indiana zip code.

So, as you can see, your personal Indiana car insurance premium rates have not much to do with statewide averages. But if you insist, the statewide “average” annual premium rate for a car insurance policy in the state of Indiana was about $891 last year, according to reports on carinsurance.com. This figure fell quite far below the national “average,” which was about $1,224 at that time. In fact, Indiana is currently the 5^th cheapest state (on average) to buy car insurance.

The Largest Car Insurance Companies In Indiana

Researchers ran a statistical study in which they determined the top ten car insurance companies in the United States, based on the total annual revenue for each company. The study concluded that the top ten car insurance carriers in the nation are Allstate Insurance, State Farm Insurance, Geico, Progressive Insurance, Nationwide Group, AAA, Liberty Mutual Insurance, 21^st Century Insurance, GMAC, and AIG, in that order. In this study, car insurance companies were ranked by the actual dollar amount of premiums written annually, which also gave a measure of each company’s total market share.

Shown below is a list of the top ten Indiana car insurance companies, based on each carrier’s total market share in the state of Indiana.

Rank	Company	Premiums ($)	Market Share (%)
1	State Farm Group	$719,639	24.23
2	Progressive Insurance Group	$288,314	9.71
3	United Farm Bureau Indiana	$247,443	8.33
4	Allstate Insurance Group	$231,997	7.81
5	Berkshire Hathaway Insurance	$145,875	4.91
6	American Family Insurance Group	$140,060	4.72
7	Liberty Mutual Insurance	$117,105	3.94
8	Farmers Insurance Group	$90,821	3.06
9	Erie Insurance Group	$90,763	3.06
10	Nationwide Group	$72,866	2.45

As you can see, State Farm holds the lion’s share of Indiana car insurance policies. Still, you can choose from many major Indiana car insurance companies, as well as many smaller, regional carriers. There is no such thing as The One Best Indiana Car Insurance Company.

Potential customers are encouraged to read consumer reviews of auto insurance companies and decide for themselves. Every auto insurance company does things a little bit differently, but most insurance companies are competitive with each other. One company will offer a certain discount, while another company may have a different type of price cut. Also, be aware that all auto insurance companies get more than enough customer complaints, and all auto insurance companies occasionally get sued by their policyholders.

In any case, drivers in the state of Indiana should compare car insurance quotes between several nearby Indiana zip codes, and from several different insurance companies, if they want to save more money on Indiana car insurance.

What Types Of Car Insurance Do Indiana Drivers Need?

Indiana state law mandates auto insurance coverage in the amount of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability, plus $10,000 in property damage insurance. However, these amounts can and will get used up quickly as a result of most traffic accidents.

That’s why United States insurance analysts recommend that all drivers in the United States buy more than the minimum allowable amount of car insurance required by state law. Experts recommend higher amounts of coverage, such as $100,000 for personal injury liability protection, $300,000 in per accident liability protection, and at least $50,000 to cover the cost of property damage.

Also highly recommended for Indiana drivers is uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance (UMI), since roughly one in seven drivers on Indiana roads are uninsured. What’s more, most of the rest are underinsured due to low state minimum requirements.

Indiana drivers who really want to protect their vehicles can also buy comprehensive and collision coverage. These coverages will pay the cost of repair to vehicles that are damaged by head-on collisions, fires, floods, flying objects, vandalism, and car theft, among other unexpected mishaps.

Outdated Indiana Traffic Laws

In the state of Indiana, cars may not back into parking spaces because it prevents police officers from seeing the car’s license plate.
In the state of Indiana, all males between the ages of 18 and 50 must work six days a year on public roads.
It is illegal in the state of Indiana to sell cars on Sundays.
Pedestrians who cross an Indiana highway at night may not wear tail lights.
An adult male in Indiana can be arrested for statutory rape if a female passenger in his vehicle is barefoot and under the age of 17.
It is illegal to pass a horse on the street in the state of Indiana.
In Evansville, it is illegal to have your lights on while driving down Main Street.
In Gary, it is illegal to ride a public streetcar within four hours of eating garlic.
In Indianapolis, it is illegal to ride your horse faster than 10 miles an hour.

Best And Worst Zip Codes For Indiana Car Insurance

Car insurance premium rates vary among Indiana zip codes. Rates are affected by population density, median annual income, median resident age, and neighborhood crime statistics, among other demographics that change between zip codes.

A group of researchers doing an Indiana zip code comparison study has determined the four most expensive zip codes (on average) to buy car insurance in Indiana. The four priciest Indiana zip codes are all located in Gary, a town situated about 25 miles southeast of Chicago, Illinois. Gary is home to about 78,000 residents, and is the 9^th largest city in the state of Indiana. Annual premium rates in Gary can be as low as around $900, or as high as around $1,700.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
46402 (Gary)	1,750	25.60%	53.20%

Well over half of the residents of this zip code live at or below the poverty level. Unemployment is more than six times the state average of 3.9 percent. The rates are high on Indiana car insurance here.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
46406 (Gary)	741	22.90%	35.90%

The poverty and unemployment rates are bad here too, although slightly less bad than in the above zip code. The population density is light, but still, the Indiana car insurance rates are high in this neighborhood.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
46407 (Gary)	2,847	22.30%	47.60%

Once again, the unemployment rate and the poverty rate are both high in this neighborhood, as are the Indiana car insurance rates. Gary is one of the poorer cities in the state of Indiana.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
46404 (Gary)	2,999	17.10%	31.40%

In this zip code, the poverty and unemployment rates are slightly lower than they are in the above zip codes, but they are still pretty bad.

Compare the above stats to the list shown below of the four least expensive zip codes (on average) in the state of Indiana to buy car insurance. Annual premium rates run the range from roughly $570 to about $1,163.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
47907 (West Lafayette)	8,084	0.00%	88.80%

This zip code contains the campus of Purdue University. The population here is 64 percent male and only 36 percent female. Also an issue is the low resident median age of 21.2 years, and the fact that the poverty rate far exceeds the state average. So why are the premiums so relatively low? Perhaps because the neighborhood is a walkable college campus, with just not too much driving going on.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
47904 (Lafayette)	2,953	12.00%	26.00%

In this zip code, unemployment is more than three times the state average, and poverty is well above the state average as well. Perhaps the neighborhood’s close proximity to Purdue University brings down the rates.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
47920 (Battle Ground)	75	11.40%	3.50%

Battle Ground is a tiny town in Tippecanoe County, about 10 miles north of Lafayette. The town borders Prophetstown State Park. The population density and poverty rate are both extremely low here. The unemployment rate is a little on the high side, as compared to the state average, but that doesn’t seem to raise the rates of Indiana car insurance.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
47901 (Lafayette)	6,024	4.50%	15.30%

Poverty and unemployment are just above the state average in this zip code, but nothing to be alarmed about. Population density is slightly high, because this zip code is also near Purdue University.

Overall, the state of Indiana is home to 959 zip codes in 730 cities spanning 92 counties, from Alexandria to Woodburn and back. There’s a broad range of rates between the cheapest zip codes and the most expensive zip codes to buy Indiana car insurance.

by admin