When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined an improbable coalition of Republican lawmakers and Detroit Democrats to combat sky-high auto insurance rates in 2019, the politicians patted themselves on the backs for what they described as “historic” legislation.
But nearly five years later, Michigan still has the highest auto insurance rates in the country.
And in Detroit, not only are the rates still higher than any other major city in the U.S., but they’re also rising at an alarming pace, according to new research from Bankrate .
Between 2023 and 2024, the average rates in Detroit jumped 85%, from $3,067 to $5,687. That’s dreadful news for a city with one of the nation’s lowest average incomes.
By comparison, the average cost of insurance nationwide this year is $2,543, less than half what Detroiters pay.
In Michigan, the average auto insurance rate increased from $2,345 in 2022 to $3,356 this year, one of the highest jumps in the nation, Bankrate found.
So what gives? As Metro Times reported in June 2019, Michigan’s auto insurance legislation came with no guaranteed savings and was full of “massive loopholes.”