What car insurance costs in Rhode Island

Rhode Island's bill, line by line

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) publishes what insurers collected per insured car in each state. For 2023, its most recent state year, Rhode Island's average expenditure was $1,539. That was 8% more than the $1,423 of 2022, a smaller increase than the 14% for the country. The figure averages liability-only and fully covered cars; with liability, collision and comprehensive on one car, the combined premium was $1,710.

Liability does most of the work: at $984, it was about a third higher than the national $737. Collision was also above the U.S. figure, by $76, while comprehensive was $52 below it. Since liability is the part you can't drop, a Rhode Island driver has less room to cut by removing coverage and more reason to compare what different companies charge for the same limits. Our guide to comparing quotes line by line shows how to line them up.

Coverage Rhode Island requires

A Rhode Island owner's liability policy must cover at least $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people in one accident and $25,000 for damage to others' property. State law also accepts a $75,000 combined single limit in place of the three separate amounts.

• Uninsured motorist coverage comes with every policy, by default at the same limits as your bodily injury liability. You can choose a lower limit in writing, but not below the state minimum.
• Buying only the minimum? Then you may reduce uninsured motorist coverage to zero, but only after signing a notice, approved by the state, that warns about the risks of uninsured and underinsured drivers.
• Uninsured motorist property damage can be rejected in writing, and you don't need it if you carry collision coverage.

The Insurance Research Council estimates that 12.4% of Rhode Island drivers were uninsured in 2023, a bit below the U.S. rate of 15.4%. Your insurer must tell you about the coverage and optional limits at renewal, so that is a natural moment to revisit them. Our page on limits and deductibles explains the trade-offs.

Credit scores and life events in Rhode Island

Rhode Island lets insurers use insurance scores, which are built partly from credit history, in pricing car insurance, but a state regulation (230-RICR-20-05-15) adds protections. If an extraordinary life event directly hurt your credit, an insurer that uses scores must, at your written request, make a reasonable exception. The events listed include:

• a catastrophic event, or a serious illness or injury
• the death of a close family member, or a divorce
• identity theft, or an involuntary job loss lasting three months or more
• overseas military deployment

The insurer may ask for documents and may require the request within 60 days of the application or renewal. It must tell you about this exception when a score has hurt your rating. If you have little or no credit history, the insurer may treat you as average, set the score aside or follow its filed rules. See how credit-based scores affect premiums.

Coverage when insurers turn you down

Drivers who can't get insurance in the regular market can apply to the Rhode Island Automobile Insurance Plan, the state's assigned risk plan. Every insurer writing car insurance in the state must help fund it. Plan policies are issued for one year on forms approved by the Department of Business Regulation, and the plan files its own rates with the department. Our guide to assigned risk plans explains how to apply through an agent.

Paying less in Rhode Island

1. 1 Compare the liability line first. It is the costliest part of the average Rhode Island bill, so price the same limits with two or three companies.
2. 2 Ask about a credit exception in writing if a divorce, illness, job loss or another listed event damaged your credit, ideally within 60 days of applying or renewing.
3. 3 Revisit your deductibles. The deductible break-even calculator shows how long a higher one takes to pay off.
4. 4 Contact the Insurance Division of the Department of Business Regulation at (401) 462-9520, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on weekdays, or file a complaint online if your insurer won't resolve a problem.

Questions drivers ask