SAN DIEGO — Drivers in California will have to dig even deeper to afford their car insurance.
A new survey by Bankrate found that the cost of car insurance has shot up by 26% nationwide in the past year with drivers paying $212 a month on average.
This report finds that nationwide, drivers are paying over $2500 a year on their auto insurance.
San Diego's rates are even higher- the 8th highest metro area in the country -- with drivers paying on average $2,727 annually.
"The way these prices are going up, it's making me want to not have it," said Daisone Hughes, adding that the rising cost of car insurance rates is even worse than his other expenses.
"Rent, gas prices, everything else...I feel like the increase on car insurance is even more crazy," he told CBS 8.
"Just a sigh of, What are you going to do with this? What are you going to do?" said San Diegan Alan Scott, who has his own theory as to why insurance rates continue to surge.
"Well, I know the price of parts have gone up... and the other part is greed," he said.
This new Bankrate study finds that, along with inflation, factors such as weather and population density contribute to the rise in car insurance rates.
"I'd say that if the national average is 26% then California is even high than that," said Ben Huggins, who has owned Every Day Insurance Services in Hillcrest for nearly 30 years.
He said that, currently, some insurance carriers -- who must first get approval from the State to increase their rates, are turning down potential customers.
"Right now it's companies saying, we don't want any new business. we're at capacity." he added, "so until they can get the rate increase through the Department of Insurance, they're really not writing new business right now."
These companies say that they're losing money, with a rising number of claims and increasing cost of parts and repairs.
"At the end of the day it all kind of trickles down to the end consumer who is unfortunately going through some tough times right now," Huggins told CBS 8.
How can you lower your rates? Huggins suggests raising your deductible and making sure your insurance company has your most accurate annual mileage.
If you opt to shop around for a better deal, make sure you've actually found one before ending your current policy.
"You may have a great rate and it went up $300," Huggins added, "but it might still be the best out there, so before you cancel it make sure you do some research."
The state of California also offers a low-cost auto insurance program for Californians who meet certain income requirements. For more information, click here.
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