Why Nevada drivers face some of the highest car insurance rates in the country

Sep. 23—Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Nevada drivers pay some of the highest car insurance rates in the nation, and the state's top insurance regulator says the drivers themselves are largely to blame.

"People, they just really need to drive better," said Ned Gaines, commissioner of the Nevada Division of Insurance.

Full-coverage car insurance, which combines liability, collision and comprehensive protection, averages $259 a month in Nevada, according to the insurance comparison site Insurify. That is $72 more than the national average of $187 and $96 more than in neighboring Arizona, where drivers pay an average of $163 a month for the same coverage.

Beyond high insurance costs, Nevada drivers also face a tough environment on the asphalt. WalletHub ranks Nevada as No. 42 of 50 in its list of best driving states, while ConsumerAffairs places it sixth nationwide for aggressive and careless driving.

"That really is what drives the majority of high rates," Gaines said. "People, they are not driving defensively; they're driving too fast."

Bad driving isn't the whole story.

Uninsured motorists and car thefts are also pushing rates up in Nevada with the third-highest vehicle theft rate in the country in the first half of 2025, behind Washington, D.C., and California, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

But Gaines said Nevada's drivers account for most of the problem.

Metro Police recorded 18,109 crashes in its jurisdiction in 2025, averaging about 50 a day, according to department data. Compounding the danger, CDC data ranks Nevada among the top 15 states for accidental deaths per capita, keeping local risk levels persistently high.

Nevada requires drivers to carry at least $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person, $50,000 per accident and $20,000 in property damage liability.

"For the population size, there's a large number of accidents that happen," Gaines said. "Also, the severity of the accidents tends to be worse. Specifically at nighttime, because of the 24/7 atmosphere of Vegas."

Nevada's nightlife also leads to a high rate of DUIs, according to Christa Rapoport, general counsel for the National Council of Insurance Legislators.

Distracted driving, which can slow drivers' reaction times, is becoming more common as well, Gaines said.

"Distractions are the No. 1 reason that people get in an accident," Gaines said.

Compounding these issues, Nevada is the second-most urbanized state in the country, funneling over 94% of its population into dense regional corridors that naturally drive up congestion and crash rates.

Rapoport called Nevada's conditions a "perfect storm" for high car insurance premiums.

Traffic deaths in Nevada have fallen, however. Vehicle crashes killed 380 people statewide in Nevada in 2025, down from 420 in 2024, according to preliminary figures from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety. In Metro Police's jurisdiction, the number of crashes has dropped about 11% since 2021, according to department data.

Yet insurance rates have kept climbing.

Those increases aren't unique to Nevada. Nationwide, a shortage of repair technicians and increasingly complex vehicle technology are driving up claim costs, according to a March report from CCC Intelligent Solutions, which analyzes auto claims data.

The technician shortage means repairs take longer. During the wait, insurers often have to pay for rentals, and shops may charge storage fees.

Parts have also been harder to get. For newer vehicles with advanced technology, parts are often scarcer and more expensive.

Gaines said a fender-bender with body damage used to take a week or so to repair. "Now, you're lucky if you're getting it within three to four weeks," he said.

Uninsured motorists aren't the main cause of Nevada's high rates, Gaines said, but they're still part of the problem.

When an uninsured driver causes a crash, the other driver's own insurer often pays for the damage through uninsured motorist or collision coverage. Those costs are spread across premiums paid by insured drivers.

Gaines said he recently met with a company struggling with a large number of uninsured motorist claims.

"That does drive up the cost of insurance," he said.

Nevada law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend a vehicle's registration when its liability insurance lapses, even for a day. Still, an estimated 11.1% of Nevada drivers were uninsured in 2023, according to Insurance Research Council data published by the Insurance Information Institute. That is below the national rate of 15.4%.

Rapoport outlined several ways Nevada could reduce risk and lower insurance costs when she addressed the Legislature's Joint Interim Standing Committee on Commerce and Labor during a Feb. 18 meeting in Las Vegas.

She pointed to California's low-cost auto insurance program for lower-income drivers, which she said helps reduce the number of uninsured drivers. She also cited infrastructure investments, such as more lighting in high-crash corridors, to improve road safety.

Such measures should reduce how often crashes happen, Rapoport said, "which eventually flows through to premium reductions."

Rapoport also said the Division of Insurance could simplify its rate-filing process, making it easier for new insurers to enter Nevada's market. More competition, she said, tends to keep prices in check.

"There are probably some things that the Legislature might be able to do, but the No. 1 driver of insurance costs is the number of accidents," Gaines said.

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