dug up the details of the minimum required coverage, registration, and road safety laws of the northern-most state to help you prepare for making the Last Frontier your home.
Car ownership costs in Alaska
Alaskan drivers have the same expenses as other car owners: depreciation, car insurance, gas prices, and maintenance. But how these costs average out individually might surprise you.
Outsiders might see Alaska’s booming oil industry, for example, and expect gas prices to stay pretty low in the state, but they would be wrong.
says that because refinery capacity in the state can’t keep up with demand, Alaska still has to import gasoline. And because it’s so remote, that cost significantly impacts prices at the pump. Data analyzed by Jerry says that the average gallon of fuel costs $3.71.
Other car ownership costs are also impacted by Alaska’s remote location. Prices for new cars and for repair are higher than the national average because of transport costs.
Yet in spite of that, the average cost to own a car is quite low. Why? The answer is car insurance.
Jerry’s data analysis on commuting costs found that the average cost of car insurance in Alaska is just under $1,600 a year. That’s over $700 cheaper than the national average.
In terms of minimum coverage laws, Alaska actually ranks quite high. All drivers need to have at least enough liability insurance to cover $50,000 of personal bodily injury coverage, $100,000 of accidental bodily injury coverage, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
Normally, this higher-than-average mandatory coverage would make car insurance expensive, but other factors in Alaska more than make up for the difference. The lack of traffic, for example, lowers the risk of accidents for Alaskans, keeping policy prices down.
How to find cheap car insurance in Alaska
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Even though the average cost for car insurance is low in Alaska, prices can still vary from driver to driver and provider to provider. Keeping a clean driving record and buying a safe, practical vehicle can always help, but the most effective way to find a cheap policy is to shop around.
If you want cheap car insurance quotes fast, go to Jerry. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and will even help you cancel your old policy.
The savings keep coming even after Jerry finds you great insurance at the lowest price. Before every policy renewal period, you’ll be presented with new competitive quotes, which means you’ll always have the best coverage at the best price.