Beaver County car insurance rates differ based on ZIP code

Jun. 17--Location matters, at least for car insurance rates in some Beaver County communities.

The Zebra, an auto insurance comparison website, generated the average rate in 2018 by ZIP code for a 30-year-old single man who drives a 2014 Honda Accord EX for a standard insurance policy that includes injury liability, property damage liability and a $500 deductible.

An analysis of that data for Beaver County ZIP codes found that there isn't much disparity between ZIP codes. The highest rate was for the 15021 ZIP code, which includes Frankfort Springs and Hanover Township. The annual coverage for that 30-year-old man with a good driving history would cost $1,387.

That's $160 more than the lowest rate of $1,226 in the 15009 ZIP code, which encompasses Beaver, Brighton Township, Industry, Ohioville, South Beaver Township, Vanport Township and West Bridgewater.

While that 11.6 percent difference might feel substantial here in Beaver County, it's nothing compared to the difference in rates statewide.

Statewide, there is a huge disparity between rates -- more than $1,750 between the highest and lowest rates in the state, a whopping 61.2 percent difference.

The highest rates are found in the 19140 ZIP code in the Hunting Park and Franklinville region of Philadelphia at $2,869. The lowest? University Park, the home of Penn State University, where a 30-year-old man with a good driving record would pay $1,111.

But no matter where a Beaver County driver lives, they will pay less than the state average of $1,390 in annual premiums. And Pennsylvanians, in general, pay less than drivers in 32 other states. Though, just over the border in Ohio, the average premium is among the lowest in the nation at $1,032.

But location isn't the only variable that can affect a person's car insurance rates. A Pennsylvania woman will pay slightly more than a man for the same insurance policy -- about 1 percent more. The type of car a person insures also drives rates -- vehicles such as the Subaru Outback or a Kia Soul cost hundreds less to insure than a Ford Focus or Toyota Corolla.

___

(c)2019 the Beaver County Times (Beaver, Pa.)

Visit the Beaver County Times (Beaver, Pa.) at www.timesonline.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.