Comparing every state's combined premium in 2019 against 2023 gives fifty-one results. Fifty of them go up.
| State | 2019 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | $1,623 | $1,572 | −3.1% |
| Hawaii | $956 | $998 | +4.5% |
| Washington | $1,155 | $1,235 | +6.9% |
| Texas | +26.0% | ||
| Florida | +27.9% | ||
| Virginia | $967 | $1,238 | +28.0% |
The state everyone calls expensive
Michigan has spent decades as the punchline for American car insurance costs. It's the only state that reduced them, and it did so while every neighbour rose by double digits.
The premium bottomed at $1,450 in 2021 — down 10.6% from 2019 — before drifting back to $1,572.
What actually moved
The total change hides a much larger internal shift.
| Michigan component | Change 2019→2023 |
|---|---|
| Liability | −22.0% |
| Comprehensive | +45.9% |
| Liability share of policy | 60.5% → 48.7% |
Liability fell 22% — the component that pays for injuries to other people, and historically the reason Michigan was expensive at all. Its share of the policy dropped from 60.5% to 48.7%, the largest structural shift in the country.
Meanwhile comprehensive rose 46%, in line with what happened everywhere: comprehensive and collision rose in all 51 jurisdictions without exception. Liability fell in only two — Michigan and Hawaii.
Why liability is the lever
Michigan's unlimited personal injury protection was the most generous in the country and the reason its liability costs sat where they did. Reforming what that coverage pays for is the only thing on this page that produced a decrease anywhere.
That fits what we found across states generally: in Florida, liability is 65% of the premium and in Wyoming 33%. The expensive states are expensive because of the legal environment, not because of the cars.
What a driver can take from this
Comprehensive rose everywhere, so re-shop it. A 46% increase in Michigan and double-digit rises elsewhere mean an auto-renewed policy is carrying the full increase untested.
Liability is not the line to cut. It's the component that protects your assets, and state minimums are exhausted by a single serious claim.
Your ranking can move without your bill moving. Washington slid twelve places in affordability while its premium still rose 6.9% — relative and absolute are different questions.
Check the car before the quote. A branded title changes what an insurer will write and at what price. A VIN check surfaces that first, and our insurance cost pages show what a specific model runs. We tracked the national rise in your insurance went up 20%.
Frequently asked questions
Which state lowered car insurance costs?
Michigan, the only one of 51 jurisdictions where premiums fell between 2019 and 2023 — down 3.1% from $1,623 to $1,572, having bottomed at $1,450 in 2021.
What changed in Michigan's insurance costs?
Liability fell 22% while comprehensive rose 46%, shifting liability's share of the policy from 60.5% to 48.7% — the largest structural change in the country. Reform of its unlimited personal injury protection is what produced the decrease.
Did any component of insurance fall nationally?
Only liability, and only in two states — Michigan and Hawaii. Comprehensive and collision rose in all 51 jurisdictions without a single exception.
Which states rose the most?
Virginia at +28.0%, Florida at +27.9% and Texas at +26.0%. The slowest risers after Michigan were Hawaii at +4.5% and Washington at +6.9%.
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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