Comprehensive is the part of a policy that pays for everything except collisions — theft, fire, falling branches, animals and, above all, weather. It's usually the smallest line on the bill. Not everywhere.
| State | Comprehensive | Collision |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | $473 | $307 |
| Wyoming | $452 | $338 |
| Colorado | $447 | $427 |
| Nevada | $136 | — |
| Hawaii | $117 | — |
Four times the difference
South Dakota at $473 against Hawaii at $117. Same coverage, same peril list, four times the price.
What makes it strange is that South Dakota and Wyoming have among the lowest total insurance bills in the country — $1,158 and $1,180 respectively, well under the national picture. They're cheap states overall and the most expensive states for this one component.
It's hail
The high-comprehensive states form a band running up the eastern flank of the Rockies and out into the plains: Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska. This is the most hail-prone region on earth outside a handful of comparable zones, and hail is the single most expensive comprehensive peril there is.
A severe storm can damage tens of thousands of vehicles in an afternoon. Every one is a claim, most are total losses on older cars because a dented roof and bonnet exceed the car's value, and the payouts land in one concentrated event rather than spread through the year.
Hawaii, at the other end, has no hail, low theft, and no seasonal weather that threatens parked cars.
Why the total bill still stays low
Because liability — the largest component in most states — is cheap where there are few people to hit. In Wyoming and South Dakota liability is only 33% of the total premium, against 65% in Florida, as we found in two thirds of a Florida premium.
So these states pay a lot for weather and very little for other drivers, and the two roughly cancel out.
What to do about it
Don't drop comprehensive in a hail state. It's the expensive line precisely because it's the one that pays out. A single storm can write off a car outright, and comprehensive is what stands between that and buying a replacement from savings.
Do consider dropping it in a low-risk state. At $117 a year in Hawaii it's cheap enough not to matter either way, but the calculation shifts on a car worth under $5,000 — we went through the maths in a fifth of the coverage available goes unbought.
Covered parking is worth real money here. In a hail region, a garage or carport materially changes your exposure, and some insurers price it.
Check what you're buying before the storm. Hail-damaged cars get repaired and resold across state lines constantly, and a car with a weather-related total loss in its history is worth substantially less than one without. A VIN check shows title brands and the states a vehicle has been registered in, which is how a plains-state hail car turns up looking clean three states away. Comprehensive is also the fastest-rising line nationally, up 30% in three years — we tracked that here.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the most expensive comprehensive insurance?
South Dakota at $473 a year, followed by Wyoming at $452 and Colorado at $447. Hawaii is cheapest at $117 and Nevada at $136 — a fourfold spread for identical coverage.
Why is comprehensive so expensive in the plains states?
Hail. The band running up the eastern Rockies and into the plains is among the most hail-prone regions in the world, and a single severe storm can damage tens of thousands of vehicles in an afternoon — most of them total losses on older cars.
If comprehensive is expensive there, why is total insurance cheap?
Because liability is cheap where there are few other drivers. In Wyoming and South Dakota liability is only 33% of the total premium against 65% in Florida, which offsets the high weather component.
Should I drop comprehensive coverage?
Not in a hail region — it's expensive there because it's the line that actually pays out, and one storm can write off the car. In a low-risk state on a vehicle worth under about $5,000, the calculation is different.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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