Most, Least Expensive States to Own a Car

August 21, 2013

  • August 21, 2013 at 11:28 am
    Ratemaker says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    The annual taxes & fees seem a little off. I live in Michigan, and the only way I’m paying that much in taxes and fees annually is if I’m buying a $15,000 car every year.

    • August 21, 2013 at 4:00 pm
      ExciteBiker says:
      Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 0
      Thumb down 0

      Not really. We simply forget just how many vampire squids have tentacles wrapped around our wallets and how many backdoor taxes there are!

      Michigan, right? You all pay 57.9 cents per gallon in tax (diesel is even more)– at 10,000 miles that’s about $300. Plus registration & inspection tags, license fees, and tolls. Couple hundred there? Let’s say you get a $15,000 car every five years, that’s $180/year in sales tax @ 6%. I’m at $680 and probably missing stuff. Are they including traffic violations, red light camera citations, parking tickets, cost of parking etc?

      • August 22, 2013 at 10:12 am
        Ratemaker says:
        Like or Dislike:
        Thumb up 0
        Thumb down 0

        Gas tax would be included in the “Gasoline” column.
        Registration fees run around $100 per vehicle per year.
        Driver’s License renewal costs about $30 every 5 years.
        No inspections.
        Only toll road in the state is the Mackinac Bridge.

  • August 21, 2013 at 1:20 pm
    J G Wells says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    I am not sure where you get your premium rates, but as an insurance producer, you indicate NJ rates are in the ballpark of NY, and this is just not true. You might be talking about average prices, but in downstate NY, the premiums tend to be almost double of the premiums in NJ, regardless of area.

  • August 21, 2013 at 1:38 pm
    MN says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    These averages are nice, but drivers in gernally drive lower valued cars than some more populated states. (I don’t recall seeing a lot of Mercedes the last time I was there.) Anyhow, it would be nice to see the comparisons for a specific middle-class car and driver info for a true comparison.

  • August 21, 2013 at 1:46 pm
    FloridaRobert says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    The Georgia and Florida taxes/fees are in error by magnitudes. Then again, what is included in the taxes/fees category? Fla and Ga private vehicle renewal taxes are about $100.

    • August 21, 2013 at 2:53 pm
      youngin' says:
      Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 0
      Thumb down 0

      Some states charge property tax on automobiles, I wonder if that’s included here.

  • August 21, 2013 at 3:37 pm
    FFA says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Chicago boasts one of the highest Gas prices. This don’t reflect that.

    • August 21, 2013 at 4:59 pm
      Mark Kulda says:
      Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 0
      Thumb down 0

      The city of Chicago has a high gas price because of taxes. This chart averages Chicago in with the rest of Illinois, so it does reflect that.

  • August 21, 2013 at 4:36 pm
    bob says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Ummm – if you look at the numbers on the chart, they are wrong. Check what they show as the total for Oregon – it doesn’t match the article, but if you add up the numbers it gets there (almost – $1 off)
    but remember that you can’t pump your own gas in Oregon! you can grow pot, euthanize your grandma, but not pump your own gas!

  • August 21, 2013 at 5:13 pm
    Brian says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    The annual taxes and fees for Georgia seem way off. Are they assuming the new one time title fee going into effect in 2013 is paid every year? If you spread that $1952 over 5 years of ownership, it’s a low $390 per year.

    There seem to other major problems with this report that could be corrected by comparing the same car and the same annual mileage.

  • August 21, 2013 at 7:50 pm
    Skeptical says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Alright, this list is bogus. Illinois, where I used to live, averages almost $850 in gasoline, and Alabama, where I live now, is $1200+?? Gas here is consistently 20-40 cents lower per gallon here.

    • August 23, 2013 at 12:11 pm
      perplexed says:
      Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 0
      Thumb down 0

      Skeptical, I think you are over-simplifying here by focusing on the price per gallon only. Total cost of gas is a function of the number of miles driven, fuel efficiency, and price of gas. All of these will vary in this study design, it appears. If the IL drivers drive fewer miles, in more fuel efficient cars, then they might have lower total cost of fuel per year despite more $ per gallon.

  • August 22, 2013 at 2:51 pm
    Insguy says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Definitely some issues with the chart. The Oregon total is the same as the average, $3201 (making it appear it should be #25) when in fact the sum of the columns is $2203.

    That said, you have to take these numbers with a grain of salt, just as you do all the other aggregated data put out there. While they try to advise you of their methodologies, they can’t detail all of the assumptions they used to come up with all these calculations. It’s intended to give a broad picture.

  • January 12, 2014 at 4:38 pm
    James says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    who pays over 1000 annually for car insurance in NY? i pay less than half that (345/year from 4autoinsuancequote) and i know people who even pay less than that

    do they even shop around?

  • June 16, 2015 at 8:17 am
    Bart says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    I just eliminated Georgia as a retirement state. Oregon has too many space cadets. Looks like Maine wins. Large house w/indoor pool and hot tub near coast sounds like a winner.



Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*