MEMPHIS, TN – The cost of driving in Tennessee could be going up very soon. Drivers may have to shell out more money for car insurance next year. Major auto insurance companies, including GEICO and Allstate, want to raise rates. But that doesn’t mean that every driver will pay more.
Lorraine Lovel has watched her GEICO car insurance rates drop recently.
“I had teenagers on my insurance who went off of my insurance, so my insurance is going down,” said Lovel, who lives in Memphis.
But as a GEICO customer, Lovel could see changes soon. GEICO is one of several major auto insurance companies that want to increase insurance rates for Tennessee drivers. GEICO Indemnity would raise rates an average of 6.5 percent. So would Allstate Indemnity, but that average increase would affect “only about 6 percent of our auto customers in Tennessee,” said Allstate Spokeswoman Allison Hatcher.
She said Allstate Insurance Co. and Allstate Property and Casualty comprise “about 90 percent of our customers.”
“Some people may come out paying more, some come out paying less,” she said, pointing out that Allstate Property and Casualty wants a .2 percent average increase for customers.
“Anytime people are looking at a potential rate increase we always stress it’s important for them to contact their agent if they have any concerns,” Hatcher said. “An agent can look at the policy and review it.”
Lorraine Lovel said she’s pleased with GEICO’s insurance rates so far.
“[GEICO has] not gone up on my rates,” Lovel said. “If they asked to go up on their rates, I would just hope that it’s fair. I’m sure their expenses go up just like everybody’s does.”
Terry Musgrave, who also lives in Memphis, said insurance companies should consider many factors before raising insurance rates.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea if you have a clean driving record,” said Musgrave. “I think that should reflect in what you pay.”
And it does, according to a spokesman with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, which must give approval for any insurance rate increase.
“The rate increase that [insurance companies] request doesn’t automatically translate into an increase in premiums for consumers,” said spokesman Christopher Garrett. “It’s actually an average.”
“The factors that go into determining what the customers’ premium will be factor more than just what a company’s filing is,” Garrett said. “When determining a rate for a consumer, companies look at [the driver’s] age, the vehicle, the features of the vehicle, accident history, that sort of thing.”
He added, “even if a premium or an insurer reflects an average increase, there’s no guarantee that that’s the increase that a consumer will see, or that they will see an increase at all in their premium.”
Lovel hopes that makes a difference for her.
“I’ve had a couple of claims, and they’ve not gone up on my rates when I made claims,” she said, referring to GEICO.
Musgrave thinks he’ll still get a bargain even if insurance rates increase.
“What I’m paying now, it won’t affect me that much,” he said, “but if it does then I’ll just have to pay — you have to have insurance!”
Lovel sees a bright side.
“Nobody ever wants to pay more,” she said, “but my rates have actually gone down for a while.”
