The average car insurance premium is $1,736 a year in the U.S. as of October 2026. In 1950 it was $55.00, or $770 in today’s dollars. Adjusted for inflation, car insurance is 2.3 times as high as in 1950.
Price at the time In October 2026 dollars
U.S. average yearly premium. ≈ marks estimates between data points.
| Year | Price | In today’s dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | $55.00 | $770 |
| 1951 | ≈$57.72 | ≈$749 |
| 1952 | ≈$60.57 | ≈$768 |
| 1953 | ≈$63.56 | ≈$800 |
| 1954 | ≈$66.70 | ≈$839 |
| 1955 | $70.00 | $881 |
| 1956 | ≈$73.61 | ≈$913 |
| 1957 | ≈$77.40 | ≈$929 |
| 1958 | ≈$81.39 | ≈$950 |
| 1959 | ≈$85.59 | ≈$989 |
| 1960 | $90.00 | $1,025 |
| 1961 | ≈$94.52 | ≈$1,066 |
| 1962 | ≈$99.27 | ≈$1,109 |
| 1963 | ≈$104 | ≈$1,149 |
| 1964 | ≈$109 | ≈$1,191 |
| 1965 | $115 | $1,231 |
| 1966 | ≈$121 | ≈$1,259 |
| 1967 | ≈$128 | ≈$1,291 |
| 1968 | ≈$135 | ≈$1,307 |
| 1969 | ≈$142 | ≈$1,307 |
| 1970 | $150 | $1,304 |
| 1971 | ≈$159 | ≈$1,323 |
| 1972 | ≈$168 | ≈$1,358 |
| 1973 | ≈$178 | ≈$1,354 |
| 1974 | ≈$189 | ≈$1,292 |
| 1975 | $200 | $1,254 |
| 1976 | ≈$215 | ≈$1,277 |
| 1977 | ≈$232 | ≈$1,291 |
| 1978 | ≈$250 | ≈$1,293 |
| 1979 | ≈$269 | ≈$1,251 |
| 1980 | $290 | $1,187 |
| 1981 | ≈$309 | ≈$1,147 |
| 1982 | ≈$330 | ≈$1,153 |
| 1983 | ≈$352 | ≈$1,191 |
| 1984 | ≈$375 | ≈$1,218 |
| 1985 | $400 | $1,254 |
| 1986 | ≈$426 | ≈$1,312 |
| 1987 | ≈$455 | ≈$1,350 |
| 1988 | ≈$485 | ≈$1,382 |
| 1989 | ≈$517 | ≈$1,406 |
| 1990 | $551 | $1,422 |
| 1991 | ≈$573 | ≈$1,418 |
| 1992 | ≈$595 | ≈$1,431 |
| 1993 | ≈$618 | ≈$1,444 |
| 1994 | ≈$643 | ≈$1,463 |
| 1995 | $668 | $1,478 |
| 1996 | ≈$672 | ≈$1,446 |
| 1997 | ≈$677 | ≈$1,422 |
| 1998 | ≈$681 | ≈$1,409 |
| 1999 | ≈$686 | ≈$1,388 |
| 2000 | $690 | $1,351 |
| 2001 | ≈$716 | ≈$1,363 |
| 2002 | ≈$743 | ≈$1,393 |
| 2003 | ≈$771 | ≈$1,413 |
| 2004 | ≈$800 | ≈$1,428 |
| 2005 | $830 | $1,433 |
| 2006 | ≈$822 | ≈$1,376 |
| 2007 | ≈$815 | ≈$1,325 |
| 2008 | ≈$807 | ≈$1,264 |
| 2009 | ≈$799 | ≈$1,257 |
| 2010 | $792 | $1,225 |
| 2011 | ≈$811 | ≈$1,215 |
| 2012 | ≈$829 | ≈$1,218 |
| 2013 | ≈$849 | ≈$1,229 |
| 2014 | ≈$869 | ≈$1,238 |
| 2015 | $889 | $1,265 |
| 2016 | ≈$931 | ≈$1,309 |
| 2017 | ≈$975 | ≈$1,342 |
| 2018 | ≈$1,022 | ≈$1,372 |
| 2019 | $1,070 | $1,411 |
| 2020 | $1,070 | $1,396 |
| 2021 | $1,140 | $1,411 |
| 2022 | $1,200 | $1,366 |
| 2023 | $1,410 | $1,557 |
| 2024 | $1,610 | $1,727 |
| 2025 | $1,690 | $1,765 |
| Oct 2026 (latest) | $1,736 | $1,736 |
Among the 2,314 U.S. places with at least 20,000 people, as of October 2026. NAIC state average. Sixty large cities use hand-set estimates, so a city’s price doesn’t fall to its state’s average.
| Detroit, MI | $3,298 |
| New Orleans, LA | $3,211 |
| Miami, FL | $2,864 |
| New York, NY | $2,603 |
| Tampa, FL | $2,603 |
| Mandan, ND | $1,093 |
| Dickinson, ND | $1,093 |
| Williston, ND | $1,093 |
| West Fargo, ND | $1,093 |
| Minot, ND | $1,093 |
NAIC average auto insurance expenditures. Early decades are estimates.
For cities: NAIC state average. Sixty large cities use hand-set estimates, so a city’s price doesn’t fall to its state’s average.
Each year shows the U.S. figure at midyear. Years marked ≈ fall between this series’ data points and are estimated by smooth interpolation between them. Today’s dollars use the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). How it works.
What everything cost in 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020. All prices.