Don’t let the mascots or the celebrity-filled commercials fool you — the cost of auto insurance is up across the country. And here in Maryland, industry experts can’t quite agree on how bad the damage is.

Rates for full coverage increased by 15% nationwide in the first half of 2024, despite industry signs that rate increases could slow, according to a report from Insurify, an online aggregator of various kinds of insurance policies.

Marylanders are paying more than anywhere else in the United States, according to the report. By the end of the year, the company predicts, the average yearly rate in the state will climb to $3,748 — a 41% jump from the end of last year.

However, a similar report from Bankrate — in its most recent report for October — paints a different picture: Maryland doesn’t even crack the top 10. It lists the average yearly cost of full coverage for Maryland at $2,609, 15th in the country. Other reports have it even lower.

The reports rely on different methodologies to get their numbers. Insurify relied on quote and sales data from real consumer policies; Bankrate used a theoretical driver profile to compare what the same person might pay across different states.

The common thread is that the bottom line is tougher on consumers, with rising insurance rates representing just one piece of the increasing cost of owning a car or truck. In Baltimore, where insurance rates are higher than anywhere else in the state, more and more people may get priced out of owning wheels in a city where many people already don’t have access to a personal vehicle.

David Rosario, a local insurance agent, doesn’t believe Maryland is the most expensive state for car insurance. His customers in Carroll County have been surprised to see their rates rise in recent months, he said, but the majority of increases that he’s seen are in Baltimore and Baltimore County.

“Everything has gone up,” Rosario said — from repairs to new tires. Insurance companies are paying out more for losses, which is driving up premiums, he said.

Vehicle repair and maintenance costs have risen by 40% over the past five years, according to Chase Gardner, data insights manager for Insurify. But inflation and supply chain issues aren’t the only things to blame for higher car insurance costs, he said.

“Accident rates and fatal accident rates spiked very dramatically in 2020 and 2021 as well compared to 2018, 2019 levels” and remain high, Gardner said. “So again, it’s just more money that insurance companies are paying out. It means it’s riskier to insure drivers, riskier to insure vehicles.”

Maryland last year had more than 600 deaths on its roadways for the first time in more than a decade. State data shows a roughly 11% decline so far in 2024 compared to the same time last year, though it’s possible some fatal crashes have yet to be counted pending open investigations.

Though it’s anecdotal, Rosario said there’s reason to believe that the severity of crashes has gotten worse — he’s seen more and more crashes end up as “total losses” (cars getting totaled) than before.

Crime rates — and the perception of crime — factor in, too. Last year, a Baltimore Banner analysis found that Baltimore had the highest auto insurance rates of any jurisdiction in Maryland, caused in part by a surge in auto thefts fueled by a viral TikTok trend. Crashes are also more likely to occur in denser areas, like around Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Gardner said.

High insurance rates are widely believed to be a push factor for Baltimoreans getting Virginia license plates. For decades, many Marylanders escaped the combination of higher minimum insurance requirements, stricter emissions standards and more by heading south to take advantage of a loophole that allowed people to legally drive without auto insurance. Virginia also does not require someone to be a state resident to legally register a vehicle there.

Like a good neighbor, Virginia closed that loophole this year requiring all registered drivers to obtain auto insurance. Insurify, Bankrate and Insure.com all report Virginia as having lower average premiums than Maryland.

So what can consumers do to lower rates?

Many insurance companies partner with different mobile telematics apps that allow them to track a person’s driving habits via their cellphone, if the driver authorizes it. A motorist can prove to their insurance company that they deserve a better rate by allowing such tracking and following the speed limit, not braking too hard and leaving their phone untouched while driving.

Usage-based rates are now increasingly being offered, too, Gardner said. So if a person reduces their time in the car by hopping on a bus or carpooling to work or walking to take care of errands, they might be able to get a better rate.

And, of course, people can bundle their home, auto and other policies into one, reducing the collective price of them all. At this point, we don’t need Patrick Mahomes or Jake from State Farm to keep telling us that.