28% increase in The Hartford auto insurance premiums

[mt45338869]

Over the past year we have had our auto insurance through AARP and the Hartford, paying $2,497 for two vehicles. It is renewal time and our Agent tells us that The Hartford has decided to increase their rates across the tri-county area in south Florida. Our renewal policy increased $690 annually. This, in spite of our clear driving record.

My agent also tells us that it is a strategy the company has taken to reduce risk. They know that X% will drop them and switch to another company. They also know that Y% will continue with them and pay the higher rate, offsetting the lost revenue. So the insurance company, in the end, is able to maintain revenue with a smaller customer base and thus reduce their exposure to risk. Great plan for the company unless the value of X turns out greater than expected.

Although I think the Hartford is a top notch company I am one of the X's and am switching to another well regarded company with similar coverage, including accident forgiveness, paying slightly less than I did in 2016.

I share this in the interest of increasing awareness and motivating AARP to address this with the company and, if that doesn't happen, possibly making "X" greater than anticipated for companies that do this.

[zebekias]

What did the MD insurance commission say?  I did not receive a notice from the Hartford either.  In October I replaced a 2019 Honda Accord with a 2024 Acura MDX Type S Adance in my policy, after confirming that the annual rate would be $1515.  The 2024 renewal is asking for $2660 🙂

When I confronted customer service about this discrepancy they said the $1515 annual rate they quoted me was correct, for 2023.  Clever clever 🙂

[dn1663]

The insurance commission basically confirmed they're a rubber stamp for the insurance companies. They said the insurers raise their rates based on how much profit they made the prior year, and there is no limit to how big of an increase they can implement. Regardless of how huge it might be it will be approved. Which begs the question if the answer is yes 100% of the time what's the point of requiring them to seek approval before implementing the increase?
Apparently the - time to renew and the new outrageous increase  - that ;was emailed to me was adequate to serve as "notice" of the increase.

[zebekias]

Not surprised about the MIA.  It does "feel" like the insurance companies have all colluded to gouge us.  Although, my friend in DC says it's purely a location thing.  He claims his GEICO premium for 2024 is inline with 2023.  He said all the insurers look at the same data, if the cost to insure in MD went up (theft, accidents, other crime)... they all look at the same data and all companies will have the same high rates, which is what I am finding.

[DanielO257149]

I'm paying the same as you for 3 vehicles. No claims ever. My 2012 Kia cost more than my 2017 vehicle. Went from $2450 to $3556 in a year. We are retired and drive few miles. The website is awful. You try 5-6 times to login and finely it works. Roadside assistance sounds like it's dispatched out of the Middle East. Darn app wants to know your location 24/7 even when you are riding with others. I left Geico after 10 years for the better price. It's just bait and switch.

[MichaelB711433]

I find Hartford to be a poorly run company who has no regard for their clientele.  My insurance jumped 43% this year with no claims or accidents in the 3 years I have been with them.  I am going elsewhere.  I should also note when I first joined they had me do their True Lane 90 day monitoring program to get a discount based on safe driving habits.  One weekly highway route passed several cell towers and showed me going 70 mph and then suddenly 90 for a few 5 seconds then back down to 70.  My discount was lessened by these speeding occurrences.  I complained about five times including letters and they agreed this was what happened, but said they could not make any adjustments.  So I got a middle tier safety discount instead of the top tier that my spouse received.  They could care less. 

[yborcity]

Home insurance just jumped 30% which is bad enough but replacement cost jumped 30% as well. Deductible for hail and wind damage is now 1% of replacement cost. I called to tell them they were 100K more than competitors regarding replacement costs (which drives up policy $ and deductible) and they were not concerned at all. I asked what their formula was and they said it’s complicated. They went on to point out that a 1% deductible is the future and that it could go as high as 5% down the road.  AARP is not serving its customers when Hartford can get away with such price gouging without some specifics.  Simply pointing out that IL gets hailstorms and that there are lots of houses in IL is far from helpful insight. When asked why home replacement cost was 30% higher than other companies they said debris cleanup and materials cost. Am I to assume no one else takes that into account? As someone else pointed out there is no other option other than to shop around. 

[MikeL95503]

I got you beat. I have the same AARP thru Hartford but just for auto. I started at $329. every six months. After the first sixe months they raised to $435, And now six months later they have raised it again to $527. In one year that is a 60 percent increase. I am in Illinois. When I asked the agent to justifuy a 60 percent increase in my premium, like a broken record she just kept sayinfg it depends on the region you live in and the car you are insuring. I have no tickets, accidents or claims. I pay my policy six months ata time. 

[katydidTX]

Mine isn't as bad. 32% more than last year. Same car, safe driving, no tickets. Now retired I only drive about once or twice a a week locally. These increases are getting ridiculous. Corporate greed is out of control. Wish I could get a 32% raise in my retirement. Tomorrow I'll start checking other insurers. Sadly, I doubt their rates will be much better.

[m379968k]

I've had pretty good luck finding better rates with The Zebra. Some rates were pleasantly surprising. I think some insurers likely give better rates when it is clear you are shopping around. I'm in the same boat as you, retired, no tickets, safe driving, no wrecks etc. Social Security went up this year but not nearly enough to cover rising costs.
https://www.thezebra.com/

[MarkS922424]

Just received my renewal auto insurance from Hartford . Last year (2022-23) was $873. New rate is $1234, a 41% increase. What a scam.

[tamarat329995]

received my renewal notice today and I was stunned. My premium went from $780/yr to $1200.  I first joined the Hartford in 2021 after my premium at progressive increased to $1600/yr(was with them for 6 yrs and it steadily increased yr after yr even though no tickets or accidents ever). In 2021 I switched to Hartford at $879/yr(with driver course and true car discount) and I jumped on it. Last year my premium dropped to $780. The increase for renewal this year is more then when I first joined the Hartford. I contacted them and they gave me no good reason for the increase and didn’t seemed concerned why I was upset with the increase. I’m disappointed in AARP for not standing up for their members or find another company that would respect retirees. We’ve been driving a long time and if we’ve had no tickets or accidents and completed the AARP safe driving course (income revenue to AARP) and the true car safe driving program there is no reason for this company to increase premiums this much other then corporate greed. Guess we can add Hartford executives to the list of gas, food/goods, and utility CEO gouging seniors for their huge profits. I’m extremely disappointed with AARP and Hartford not having more respect for us. Too bad they don’t care if they lose policy holders over profits. I will be changing companies even if their are no savings because it’s the priciple. Need to have respect of dedicated policy holders. 

[BethS637084]

We’ve had a safe and unblemished driving record for years and yet just got hit with a 50% Hartford Auto Insurance cost increase for 2023…We are stunned and disappointed with this callousness in the way they look out for Seniors… We’ll be looking elsewhere for coverage!

[ss29592609]

Possibly AARP might have some influence with their preferred vendor Hartford.  In past 18 months my AARP Hartford auto insurance premium increased by approximately 78% of which 35% on most recent billing.  Request to Hartford agent and their supervisor to review premium increase for errors was denied.  They were respectful, but were firm to not have Hartford review for errors.  A 78% increase in 18 months is outrageous.  Their excuse was inflation and related costs.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Over the 12 months ended June 2022, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 9.1 percent. The 9.1-percent increase in the all items index was the largest 12-month increase since the 12-month period ending November 1981.”

[lc53791295]

The agent didn't want to have a review because they get a larger commission with rate increases.

[Tempest332]

If any of us remember we received "Rebates" during pandemic as many were "working safely from home"  (I wasn't & still had report in daily onsite), never the less these amounted to about a couple dollars month, which was probably hardly worth the paperwork effort on their part.... think my rebate came to around $18 for the remaining 8 months.

Can't wait to see my renewals nest year! 🙄    

[GordonH973725]

I had AARP car insurance for many years. I moved my two homes over to Hartford and saved some money but they turned around and increased my car insurance by 249$ a year which was just about what I had saved on homeowners policy. Since then I have had several issues with them to include not being able to access all my policies on line. 

[ss29592609]

Today, paid the AARP Hartford insurance premium more than a month early - even with the approximate 35% price increase.  Not sure if the premium increase is high, low or about average compared to other auto insurance company recent premium price decisions.  Guess and hope since this affects seniors it's somewhere in the middle.  As a senior citizen guess this is part of the aging program.

[mytmoss]

Shop around, their prices are an obscenity. Even after you paid it now, shop. You will get your money back if you cancel.  Do not accept this is what happens to seniors as an excuse.

[mytmoss]

Clearly the relationship between AARP and Hartford is financial. AARP has shown they have no interest in their membership in this relationship. Dump Hartford. I did so years ago and saved thousands of dollars.

[w637400w]

And who did you go with for savings!

[ss29592609]

p.s.  I live in a senior community about a dozen miles from the nearest retail.  Most resident drive golf-carts within the senior community.  Very low vehicle traffic - most seem to be delivery and home services vehicles.  Clean driving record and only drive about 1500 - 2000 miles per years.  Insurance cost per mile seems to be multiple times the even current high price for gas.

[JeffreyF840923]

I received my renewal from Hartford, 40% increase, no accidents or tickets. I just got a quote from Geico, around the same price I was paying last year. Good bye Hartford!!!

[woodlandelf11]

Same exact thing with me! Thanks for the tip regarding Geico. Can't believe that my premium is $600 more a year. I have no accidents or tickets. They've become greedy!

[CynthiaH441247]

I just got a quote from the Hartford in the mail for $4500/year for a 2019 Ford Fiesta. I'm currently paying $1900/year. What's going on with them? Absolutely outragious!

[SusanL331572]

it sounds like the Hartford does not want to be in the car insurance business anymore though it also sounds like others got very high quotes and had trouble changing. I have my car insurance through Costco (the insurance company keeps changing, right now it's Connect via American Family. I never would have bought that company but it started out dozens of years ago as a different company and kept changing hands. I have a decent rate. But I had to move my homeowners policy away from that group bc they decided to get a "new affiliate" and "new underwriting" which drove my price up. They said the rates went up bc I do not have a 103 month car loan or 7 store credit cards and they only wanted me to have one Visa type of card. It is a very bizarre insurance rating system which should be illegal. So I switched to the Hartford and my rate was cheaper. Overall, I am probably saving around 500 a year with this move but it could be a little more. It's hard to remember. They reduced my rate when they saw I have a very basic HIP roof and not a gable roof and they told me if I buy a new roof they will lower my rate. My roof is from 2006. They were very nice to me. I hope they don't go nuts on rate increase on the home policy! I had to take photos of my house for a "self inspection" which as a bit unexpected. I had to use an app and it was actually a bit unclear how to get this done but I got it done.

[dm69185236]

They kick back a large percentage to the AARP.

[Patilla]

Yikes! I'm keeping my old car. I just switched both home and car insurance to another company and saved quite a bit. It's not fair to be increased because of other drivers on the road. In NY, the state now allows undocumented aliens to get a license! This could be one reason costs soar.

[GailL1]

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@Patilla wrote:

. . . . .  It's not fair to be increased because of other drivers on the road. In NY, the state now allows undocumented aliens to get a license! This could be one reason costs soar.

---

It isn't just "other drivers" - the cost of new cars today is upwards of $ 40,000 - with all the tech stuff added, even more.  What if your older car hits one of them - your insurance pays/

To insure what you may have against a liability claim, cost a lot.  Many people are underinsured; others maybe uninsured.  If they hit you and don't have money to pay (Uninsured) or don't have enough to pay your claim (Under-insured) - then your coverage pays under Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist.

Wonder how much our rates will go up when and if driverless cars are added to our highways en masse - wonder what their insurance will be like?

It does pay to shop around every few years but make sure the comparison is apples to apples.

I read the other day on some insurer website that just like the young are hit with higher rates because of their age, there seems to be another escalation in premiums at 75 years of age.

[Patilla]

Good thoughts, but it's still hard for seniors to keep up with increases on everything. Pretty soon we won't be able to drive, have extra health care or medigap, keep our internet, phones, and TV. Not good.

[Russell435]

We live in Georgia.  Hartford hit us with 26% increase in 2018 on our auto policy.  They came back with a 13% increase  this year (2019).  Same old drivers with the same old cars.  No tickets and no accidents. They say they are giving us a discount for taking an online driver's training course every so many years.  But they are not clear about how much that is.

They boast about big discounts if we bundled car and house.  Ran an online house quote without telling them we had car insurance with them.  Price for house wasn't bad but wasn't cheap either.  Okay what is price if we bundle.  Called them up and tried to get a bundled price ... total now was zero savings but they said bundled was going to save over $500 per year.  Looking closer could see they were going to rewrite the auto policy with a newer version that put the auto up $500 ... bundle and now auto would be reduced the $500 they just bumped it up.  House price was unchanged by bundling. with auto.   So much for bundling.  Keeping our house insurance with someone else.  Will bite bullet one more year on the auto.  Price shopping next year for sure.