Few things are more liberating than driving the open road in your own vehicle. Nothing can dampen that liberty quite like compulsory car insurance. No matter where you live in the U.S, chances are that you're legally required to buy car insurance.

During the pandemic, most of us saw a decrease in our car insurance rates. Some of us even received refunds from our insurance company, given that there were fewer drivers on the road. As offices are opening and more people are returning to work, it seems insurance rates will rise.

Even before the pandemic, most Americans were paying too much for car insurance, as confirmed in a report from Fox 11 Los Angeles. Here is how you can avoid overpaying for car insurance.

In most industries, companies will reward customer loyalty. Car insurance is the exact opposite. The thinking is that most customers won't take the time to shop around for new insurance options. As such, returning customers are likely to be charged more than new customers.

This was the basis for the study conducted by Expertise.com. The study surveyed 1,000 Americans across multiple generations. A shocking 22% of respondents said they never shop for better insurance rates. An additional 40% said they only look for new rates every few years. This combined group of 62% are almost certainly overpaying for car insurance. Insurance companies are banking on the fact they won't take the time to shop around, and are thus raising their rates.

MORE: 5 Decisions That Can Impact Your Car Insurance Rates

An interesting result from the study shows that preconceived notions of the generation gap don't apply to shopping for car insurance. Baby Boomers are far more likely to use car insurance shopping platforms that compare rates across different providers, like Jerry.

Meanwhile, the tech-savvy Gen Z is more likely to buy insurance directly from agents. The reason for this difference isn't certain, but some speculations can be drawn.

For starters, older generations are probably more familiar with how car insurance works. They already know that car insurance companies are likely to upcharge loyal customers instead of rewarding them. As Gen Z are newer to the rules of the road, they may be unaware of this practice.

The study found that a whopping 76% of Gen Z drivers never shop for better car insurance rates. Sure, age and credit score all but guarantee that Zoomers will pay more for insurance than their grandparents. But by not shopping around for better rates, Gen Z will be paying more than they need to.

If you’re looking for the most affordable car insurance, Jerry can help.

A licensed broker, Jerry does all the hard work of finding the cheapest quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance. Jerry will even cancel your old policy for you.

And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you're always getting the coverage you want at the best price. This level of service is why Jerry earned a 4.6/5 rating on the App Store and made it the top insurance app in the country.