Many Shopping for New Car Insurance

With car insurance rates on the rise and many consumers dissatisfied with coverage, they’re on the hunt for new policies, and many express interest in embedded ones.

A J.D. Power survey of 10,000 insurance shoppers found that about half, 49%, of auto insurance consumers have shopped for a new policy in the year ended Feb. 29, and 29% of those have switched carriers, particularly the youngest policy holders.

It pointed out that the average auto insurance cost is up 22%, more than any other category tracked by the Consumer Price Index.

At the same time, average customer satisfaction in auto insurance was at a low 676 on a 1,000-point scale. Electric-vehicle owners were less satisfied than those with gas-powered vehicles, a difference J.D. Power attributes to the fact that EVs are more expensive to insure.

The survey found that 35% of auto insurance consumers indicated interest in embedded policies provided through auto dealers or manufacturers.

Insurers appear to be cutting down on UBI offerings, or those that use telematics software to detect and adjust insurance rates based on the policy holder’s driving. J.D. Power said such policies were offered to just 15% of shoppers.

The study, conducted from March of last year through January, surveyed consumers who sought an insurance quote from at least one insurer in the previous six months.

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