Do Single People Pay More for Car Insurance?
Last Updated on June 16, 2020
One of the more common myths about car insurance is that single people pay more. Is this myth true? Do single people genuinely pay more for car insurance? Can you save money on car insurance by getting married? Keep reading to discover the answers to all of these questions.
Young Single Drivers Pay Significantly More for Car Insurance than Young Married Drivers
It’s true: generally speaking, single drivers will pay more for car insurance than married drivers.
The difference in car insurance prices for single and married drivers is significant when you’re under 30, but less significant as you age.
One study suggested that married 20-year old drivers, for example, pay 20% less for car insurance than a single 20-year old driver, all other things being equal.
As you get older, however, the difference narrows. That same study shows a married 25-year old driver, for example, will pay 7% less for car insurance than a single 25-year old driver.
By age 30, savings drop even further: married drivers will pay just 2% less for car insurance than single drivers at age 30.
Why Do Single Drivers Pay More?
The reason single drivers pay more is simple: because statistics show that single drivers are more likely to make a claim than married drivers.
This is particularly true among younger drivers. Younger, married individuals are statistically less likely to make an insurance claim than younger, single drivers. Statistically speaking, being married at a young age is associated with safe driving habits.
That doesn’t mean every young, married driver is a good driver, or that every young, single driver is a bad driver. The insurance company crunches millions of statistics to calculate its rates, then comes up with a rate based on your perceived likelihood of making a claim. Don’t blame the insurance company: blame the statistics.
Insurance Prices Typically Drop As You Get Older
Single drivers pay 20% more than married drivers in their early 20s. By your early 30s, however, the rate difference has shrunk to 2%. As you get older, there won’t be a major difference between rates for single and married drivers. Eventually, as you move into your 30s and older, the gap between single and married drivers will disappear.
Insurance prices, generally speaking, will drop as you age. As long as you don’t get involved in a car accident or make a claim for an at-fault incident, you’ll pay lower prices for car insurance up to age 60, at which point rates may begin to rise again.
If you’re frustrated with paying higher insurance prices as a young, single driver, then just wait a few years: inevitably, rates will drop as you get older.
Insurance Companies in Hawaii Are Prohibited from Using Marital Status in Insurance Quotes
Drivers in most American states will notice a difference when calculating insurance prices based on marital status.
However, there’s one state where marital status will have zero impact on insurance prices – regardless of your age. In Hawaii, insurance companies are prohibited from using marital status to calculate insurance prices.
If you’re a young married driver in Hawaii, then you’re going to pay the same rates on the same policy as a single driver in the same situation.
Shop Around for Car Insurance to Pay the Best Rates as a Single Driver
If you want to pay the best rates for car insurance, then it’s important to compare as many quotes as possible. It doesn’t matter if you’re single or married: if you compare car insurance quotes, then you’re going to get a good deal on car insurance.
In fact, in many cases, a single driver can pay lower rates than a married driver just by shopping around. Just because you’re a young, single driver doesn’t mean you have to pay high prices for car insurance. Shop car insurance quotes today to save money whether you’re married or single.
