Car insurance rates vary widely

April 27--Moving just a few miles away can save you hundreds of dollars a year on car insurance, according to an analysis by consumer website carinsurance.com.

The 33313 ZIP code in Fort Lauderdale had the highest average annual premium -- $1,844 -- in Broward County. But the cheapest average rate was not far away in western Pembroke Pines: $1,606 in ZIP code 33028.

Palm Beach County's most expensive insurance rate was $1,856 in the Lake Worth ZIP code of 33463.The cheapest: $1,438. is in ZIP code 33469 in Jupiter.

"The same driver in the same car can pay hundreds less by moving five minutes away," Michelle Megna, managing editor for the independent quote-comparison website, said Monday.

The website analyzed car insurance rates from six car insurance companies for the same driver and car in every ZIP code in Florida. It looked at rates for a 2014 Honda Accord with full coverage..

Southern Florida -- Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties -- all have significantly higher average annual insurance costs than the nation's average $1,231 a year annual premium, the website found.

In fact, Miami ZIP code 33142 is the ninth-highest in the country at an average rate of $2,248 per year.

Fraud is one reason, carinsurance.com says. "Auto insurance fraud is a problem across Florida, but in Miami, it's an art form."

Other reasons cited by the website could apply to all three counties: congested roads and "creative drivers who speed, yield instead of stop, fail to signal before turning and drive while texting."

Broward's average annual rate is $1,704, Palm Beach County's$1,706 and Miami-Dade's$1,927, carinsurance.com found.

Insurance companies judge ZIP codes by the number and severity of car insurance claims, Megna said. They create a base rate for drivers buying coverage and then add other pricing factors such as the driver's age, driving record and type of car.

Consumers can compare average car insurance rates by ZIP code by going to carinsurance.com/state/Florida-car-insurance.aspx

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