What’s behind the rapid increase in car insurance rates Zainal Abidin, 28/12/2025 (CNN) – A lot has changed since Gerald Ford was president and Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple. But here’s something that hasn’t changed much: the pace at which car insurance rates are rising.Car insurance rates were up almost 21% for the 12 months ended in February, according to new Consumer Price Index data released Tuesday. The last time car insurance rates rose that much on an annual basis was in 1976, not counting January, which saw the same annual rate increases.The rise in car insurance rates alone contributed half a percentage point to the overall 3.2% inflation rate last month. It represents one of many obstacles standing in the way of the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation goal and continues to be a pain point for Americans struggling with some of the highest prices in decades.A confluence of factors is behind the trend.Rising car repair costs The cost to repair a car is up 6.7% for the year, according to CPI data. That’s a much slower rate compared to recent years. But it’s still much more expensive compared to before the pandemic, said Tim Zawacki, principal research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence.Contributing to… Continue Reading