Car insurance rates in metro area increased by 7.9 percent in 2018, The Zebra report says

Feb. 19--Car insurance rates in the New York metro area increased by nearly 7.9 percent in 2018 compared to 2017, as average rates continue to soar over other large cities, according to a new report.

In the New York metro area, which includes 568 different ZIP codes, the average car insurance annual premium was $2,392, according to insurance search engine The Zebra.

That number is higher than Los Angeles -- where rates average $2,046 -- and Chicago -- where rates averaged $1,363 -- according to the report. It's also higher than the New York State average rate of $1,688 and the nationwide average of $1,470 per year.

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Average annual premiums by ZIP code

Drivers in parts of Brooklyn pay some of the highest annual auto insurance premiums in the city, according to The Zebra, an insurance search engine and car insurance comparison marketplace. The map shows the average premium in the city and its suburbs by ZIP code. Posted on Feb. 14, 2019.

$1,500-$2,199

$2,200-$2,799

$2,800-$3,499

$3,500-$4,100

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"It all has to do with risk and a really granular area. New York as a whole is highly populated and really congested. ... There will be more risk of accidents, more claims, people bumping into each other," said Alyssa Connolly, the director of market insights for The Zebra. "New York has hail and snow and ice and wind and rain and every season full of weather that could potentially damage a car."

Reported rates varied largely by ZIP code, though the five highest premiums were all found in Brooklyn. In 11233, which sits between Crown Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant, drivers paid the highest premiums at an average of $4,075, according to the report.

Drivers in Red Hook, NY (the one in Dutchess County), however, only pay an average of $1,570 -- the lowest rate in the metro area.

"Unemployment is low, gas prices are low, more people are on the roads," Connolly added. "It's a mix of many factors."

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