InSure

Welcome to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home of the LSU Tigers.

Whether you have moved to Baton Rouge for work, play, or school, the amount of things to do is endless in Baton Rouge. The East Baton Rouge Parish is full of history and collegiate fun.

With so much to do and see, who wants to spend time looking at car insurance requirements or spend countless hours trying to find auto insurance company?

Let us help you out. We will even show you parking, weather, and so much more.

Think you are ready to start finding cheap insurance now? No problem. Enter your ZIP code here in our free comparison tool to start getting quotes today.

The Cost of Car Insurance in Baton Rouge

Let’s get down to business and talk money. Insurance is one of those necessities that you aren’t thankful you have it until you need it. Making that monthly or annual payment hurts the wallet a little. We get it.

You might find yourself asking how does my Baton Rouge, LA stack up against other top metro auto insurance rates? We’ve got your answer below.

So let’s look at the factors that determine your auto insurance rates and how you can shop to find the best rate.

Male Versus Female Versus Age

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has a younger median age than most cities at 31.1 years old.

These states no longer using gender to calculate your auto insurance rates — Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. But age is still a significant factor because young drivers are often considered high-risk. Louisiana does use gender, so check out the average monthly auto insurance rates by age and gender in Baton Rouge, LA.

But, what does that mean for your insurance? Let’s take a look at how rates can be affected by age, gender, and marital status.

Baton Rouge, LA auto insurance rates by company and age is an essential comparison because the top auto insurance company for one age group may not be the best company for another age group.

Teen drivers, or their parents, pay a much higher rate for car insurance. A 17-year-old male driver pays $15,119.81 compared to a 35-year-old male that pays $4,148.35 annually.

You can also see that females pay a slightly lower premium for their car insurance compared to their male counterparts.

Cheapest ZIP Codes in Baton Rouge

Did you know that your ZIP code can determine your car insurance rate? Yes, it’s true.

Check out the monthly Baton Rouge, LA auto insurance rates by ZIP Code below:

Your neighbor a mile down the road could drive the same car and have a similar living situation as you but pay significantly less for their car insurance.

Why? Insurance companies look at the risk they are insured. For instance, do you live in a highly-populated area with heavy traffic? Chances are your rate would be higher than a rural area with little traffic. More traffic often means more chances of filing a claim.

Population, crime rate, and claim frequency are all factors that an insurance company will look at when determining your rate.

As you can see from the above table, your ZIP code could change your premium by a few bucks to $1,000 or more a year.

What’s the best car insurance company in Baton Rouge?

In Louisana, you are required to have liability insurance. Since you have to have auto insurance in Louisiana, you probably want the best company out there, right?

Which Baton Rouge, LA auto insurance company has the cheapest rates? And how do those rates compare against the average Louisiana auto insurance company rates? We’ve got the answers below.

Most people equate the best with the cheapest rates. So, let’s dive into the rates of some of the biggest companies available in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Cheapest Car Insurance Rates by Company

We took a look at five well-known insurance companies and their rates for Baton Rouge. Let’s see how they compare.

USAA was the lowest, by far, on the list of companies. USAA is not available to all; it specializes in military, veterans, or eligible family members. We will cover USAA and more military information a little later.

State Farm and Allstate are the lowest available rates in Baton Rouge followed by Geico and Progressive.

Best Car Insurance for Commute Rates

Do you commute to work? If you do, you will want to take a look at this next section.

The more miles you are on the road, the greater the risk of getting in an accident or needing to file a claim.

Louisiana drivers rank a little above the average of 14,132 miles at 14,566 miles driven per year.

Let’ s take a look at the same five companies as before and compare rates for commuting distance.

Only three of our five companies surcharged for a longer commute. Allstate and Progressive did not charge more for a longer commute.

Best Car Insurance for Coverage Level Rates

Your rates can be affected when you decide to raise coverage levels. More coverage equals a higher premium but by how much?

Your coverage level will play a major role in your Baton Rouge auto insurance rates. Find the cheapest Baton Rouge, LA auto insurance rates by coverage level below:

For instance, let’s take a look at State Farm. The difference between low and medium coverage is less than $1,000 annually.

You can always get a quote for more coverage to see if it is within your budget to purchase.

Best Car Insurance for Credit History Rates

Credit history follows you in big purchases, like your home or car, but also in your annual car insurance rates.

Your credit score will play a major role in your Baton Rouge auto insurance rates unless you live in these states where discrimination based on credit is not allowed: California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Find the cheapest Baton Rouge, LA auto insurance rates by credit score below.

Poor credit can raise your insurance by almost $4,000 a year.

Best Car Insurance for Driving Record Rates

Your driving record is one of the most obvious factors in determining your car insurance premium.

Your driving record will play a major role in your Baton Rouge auto insurance rates. For example, other factors aside, a Baton Rouge, LA DUI may increase your auto insurance rates 40 to 50 percent. Find the cheapest Baton Rouge, LA auto insurance rates by driving record.

Driving under the influence charges will raise your premium more than any other conviction.

Car Insurance Factors in Baton Rouge

Homeownership, growth of a metropolitan area, median income — all these factors impact your car insurance.

Factors affecting auto insurance rates in Baton Rouge, LA may include your commute, coverage level, tickets, DUIs, and credit. Controlling these factors will help you maintain cheap Baton Rouge, Louisiana auto insurance.

For instance, owning a home can lower your insurance rates. Living in a high-income, affluent area could raise your rates, as you could own a luxury vehicle. All these factors play into how insurance companies come up with your car insurance premium.

Metro Report

Brookings Metro Monitor takes a look at the growth and prosperity of the 100 largest metro areas in the United States.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, makes the cut for the 100 largest areas. Let’s take a look below at how Baton Rouge is growing.

• Prosperity
  • Productivity – +0.5 percent (62nd of 100)
  • Standard of living – +0.8 percent (72nd of 100)
  • Average annual wage – +0.0 percent (92nd of 100)
• Growth
  • Jobs – +0.1 percent (94th of 100)
  • Gross metropolitan product (GMP) – +0.6 percent (87nd of 100)
  • Jobs at young firms – +8.3 percent (14th of 100)

It’s no surprise that with a median age of barely 31 years old, Baton Rouge ranks 14th for jobs at young firms.

Median Household Income

So, with all the growth in Baton Rouge, let’s look at the median income of families in the city.

Income has grown from $39,969 in 2016 to $40,948 in 2017.

What does this have to do with car insurance?

We take a look at the average income and the average car insurance and see how much of your budget should be allotted for insurance.

Use our free calculator tool to find out how much of your budget goes toward your insurance premium.

CalculatorPro

Homeownership in Baton Rouge

Owning a home can affect your insurance. First, owning a home and insuring it with the same company as your car can save you money. Most companies offer a multi-policy discount when you have more than one policy with them.

Second, insurance companies can look at owning a home as a more attractive risk to insure. The national average owner-occupied housing is 63.9 percent. Baton Rouge is much lower at 49.1 percent.

Education in Baton Rouge

Maybe you moved to Baton Rouge for schooling. Baton Rouge has several schooling options to chose from. The top three largest degree awarding schools are:

1. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College – 6,799 degrees awarded
2. Baton Rouge Community College – 2,666 degrees awarded
3. Southern University and A&M College – 1,050 degrees awarded

Employment by Occupations

Baton Rouge saw a slight decline in employment from 2016 to 2017.

What are the most popular jobs in Baton Rouge? Here is a list of the top three occupations.

1. Office and administrative support
2. Sales and related occupations
3. Management

Wage by Race and Ethnicity in Common Jobs

We took a look at the top five most common occupations in Baton Rouge and compared how much each race and ethnicity are paid.

1. Elementary and middle school teachers
2. Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
3. Secretaries and administrative assistants
4. Retail salespersons
5. Cashiers

Asians were paid 1.05 times more than whites, who are second on the list of top-paid races.

Wage by Gender in Common Jobs

We looked at the same five jobs as earlier and compared wages between the genders.

So, who gets paid more — men or women? In Louisiana, men are paid significantly more than women. In all five jobs, men received more pay.

On average, men make 1.55 times more than women in Louisiana.

Poverty by Age and Gender

Lastly, let’s take a look at poverty levels by age group and gender.

In Baton Rouge, 26 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

Below is a list of the top three age group sand genders living in poverty:

1. Males 18–24
2. Females 18–24
3. Females 25–34

Driving in Baton Rouge

You may be new to the metro area of Baton Rouge. Whether you moved for work, school, or a life change, knowing the roads in the area are crucial to living your life.

Knowing the roads and how to get around can make or break your living experience in any metro area. And when you aren’t studying or working, you want to know all the fun stuff to do in the area, right?

We are going to dive into the major roadways and all the fun activities to do in this next section. Keep reading, because we will also cover vehicles, traffic, and all that driving has to offer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Roads in Baton Rouge

So what are the roads like in Baton Rouge, Louisiana? Below you can find major highways in Baton Rouge, toll roads, and fun things to do in the area.

Major Highways

Louisiana has 15 active routes stretching over 900 miles.

The following toll information was found on Tollguru.

“Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge is an elevated toll expressway from Golden Meadow to Port Fourchon. LA 1 was designed to be built in three phases. Phase One, the bridge over Bayou Lafourche, was opened in July 2009. Phase Two, from Port Fourchon to Leeville, opened in December 2011. Phase Three is yet to be completed. Upon completion LA 1 toll expressway will extend from Golden Meadow to the Gulf of Mexico. Two-axle vehicles pay a $3 toll to use the bridge.

“The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is composed of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain. The southern terminus of the Causeway is in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans. The northern terminus is at Mandeville, Louisiana. The tolls are collected on the southbound span. Two-axle vehicles pay a $5 toll with cash and $3 with a Toll Tag.

“All vehicles pay $1 toll to visit Avery Island Toll Bridge.

“Louisiana toll calculator calculates tolls and gas expenses for cars, trucks, trailers, buses, RVs, and motorcycles for all these bridges in Louisiana.”

Popular Road Trips/Sites

We turned to Trip Advisor to find the top five things to do in Baton Rouge.

#1 – Mike the Tiger Habitat

Big LSU fan? Go check out Mike the Tiger near the LSU campus and stadium. This leads us to our next thing to do in Baton Rouge.

#2 – LSU Tiger Stadium

Enjoy a college football game with over 100,000 other fans.

#3 – USS Kidd

Interested in the military? Check out this Navy ship for a self-guided tour.

#4 – Louisiana’s Old State Capitol

Check out the beautiful building which used to be the state capitol building. It is donned with elegant stained-glass and gorgeous spiral staircase.

#5 – Louisiana State Capitol

Once you have seen the old, take a tour of the new. You can visit the current State Capitol.

Road Conditions

TRIP, a national transportation research group, did a study on paved roads in urban areas. Let’s look at what they found in Baton Rouge.

Most of the paved roads in Baton Rouge are in poor condition.

Does your city use speeding or red-light cameras?

Do you notice the cameras on top of traffic lights or near intersections? Chances are they are speeding or red-light cameras.

Louisiana uses both speeding and red-light cameras. If you are caught on camera, fines range from $100 to $125. The offense is not classified as a criminal offense, nor will it be put on your driving record.

Vehicles in Baton Rouge

Ok, so we are finished talking about roads. Now let’s move onto vehicles.

What types of vehicles are popular in Baton Rouge?

Are there speed traps?

What is the theft rate in Baton Rouge?

We will answer these questions and more as we look at the vehicles in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Most Popular Vehicles Owned

You will likely see muscle cars or cars with bigger V8 engines cruising in Baton Rouge. 18.9 percent of the cars in Baton Rouge are V8 engine vehicles.

How many cars per household?

Most families in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, own two cars. This is much like the national average, which is also two cars per household. This statistic is followed by one-car households.

Households Without a Car

In 2016, 11.4 percent of families did not own a car. If you are currently living in Baton Rouge or plan to move without a car, we will cover public transportation a little later.

Speed Traps in Louisiana

Does Baton Rouge make the list of top 10 cities with speed traps?

Fortunately for residents of Baton Rouge, your city doesn’t make the top 10 but check out below which cities did make the list.

1. Fenton
2. Golden Meadow
3. Dodson
4. Pine Prairie
5. Woodworth
6. Kinder
7. Clayton
8. Brusly
9. Gretna
10. Marrero

Vehicle Theft in Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge has the second-highest rate of motor vehicle larceny with 950 thefts in 2018 in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans leads with 2,994 thefts.

Baton Rouge is only safer than 1 percent of other US cities. That isn’t a great statistic to have.

If you live in Baton Rouge, you have a one in 106 chance of being involved in violent crime.

Take a look at violent crimes in Baton Rouge compared to the United States. Both robbery and assault are drastically higher in Baton Rouge than the average for the United States.

In regards to property crimes, Baton Rouge surpasses United States rates in all three categories, especially theft and burglary. So with the high crime rate, where are the safest neighborhoods to live and raise a family? Neighborhood Scout rates the following neighborhoods as the safest to live in Baton Rouge.

1. Tiger Bend Road/Antioch Road
2. Longwood/Burtville
3. Redman Lake Drive/Hoo Shoo Too Road
4. Kleinpeter
5. Goodwood
6. Village Saint George
7. Perkins Road/Lee Drive
8. West Lake Shore Drive/ West Lakeshore Drive
9. Highland Road/Albert Hart Drive
10. College Hills

Traffic

Do you know that annoying thing that can make a decent morning turn bad really quickly? Yep, it is traffic. Let’s look at how much you will face when driving around Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Traffic Congestion in Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge is ranked 169th in the world for traffic congestion. Peak hours begin at 7 a.m. and tend to lower by 8 a.m. The evenings bring a much higher rate of congestion starting from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. On Fridays, evening traffic begins shortly after lunchtime.

During evening peak hours, a 30-minute commute can have 20 minutes added to the trip, while morning peak hours only add an extra 10 minutes to a 30-minute commute.

Transportation

So where is all this traffic and congestion coming from? Baton Rouge has a high percentage of commuters who drive alone to work. Almost 80 percent of commuters drive alone to work while only 10 percent carpool.

The average US commuter drivers over 25 minutes to work. Baton Rouge residents are slightly lower with a 20.8-minute commute to work.

Busiest Highways

While Baton Rouge highways didn’t make the list of the largest and busiest in the country, they definitely have roads that are filled with traffic.

Baton Rouge ranks as the third-worst mid-sized city in the United States for traffic congestion and commuters wasting time in traffic.

Before your first day of work or your first time traveling to a new area in Baton Rouge, check your route and plan for extra time to sit in traffic.

How safe are Baton Rouge streets and roads?

Since you may be spending a lot of time on the roads, whether traveling or sitting in traffic, let’s look next to how safe the streets are in Baton Rouge.

We took data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and compiled a table showing various fatalities over a span of five years.

The total number of fatalities has decreased slightly from 2016 to 2017. In all but three categories we reviewed, fatalities have decreased in 2017.

We also looked at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data tables to see what type of roads on which most fatalities occur in Baton Rouge.

We can see from the above table most fatalities occur on local roads or other main principal arterial roads.

Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

Allstate produces a report of the best drivers in 200 of the largest cities in the United States. Does Baton Rouge make the list?

Allstate ranks Baton Rouge 188 out of 200 cities. Residents of Baton Rouge have an average of 6.8 years between filing claims. The national average of claims filed is every 10.57 years.

The Allstate Best Drivers Report looks not only at claims but at hard breaking incidents every 1,000 miles. Baton Rouge residents have 26.6 hard-braking incidents for every 1,0000 miles. The national average is 19 hard-braking incidents every 1,000 miles.

Ridesharing

Ridesharing has become a popular way to get around town. A night out with friends, not having to worry about parking or getting home, is much easier and safer with companies like Uber and Lyft available.

Below is a listing of available ridesharing services:

• Carmel
• Lyft
• Lyft Plus
• Lyft Premier
• Uber Select
• Uber X
• Uber XL
• Taxi

E-star Repair Shops

If you have had to file a claim on your auto insurance, you know the struggle to find a reliable repair shop that you trust to fix your car.

E-star repair shops have made the process much easier.

Below is a list of three e-star repair shops available in the Baton Rouge area:

• Collision Solutions II
  8347 Florida Blvd.
  Baton Rouge, LA 70806
  email: [email protected]
  P: (225) 478-4768
• Gerber Collision & Glass – Baton Rouge/Siegen Lane
  6137 Siegen Ln.
  Baton Rouge, LA 70809
  email: [email protected]
  P: (225) 293-0200
  F: (225) 293-0221
• A & M Collision
  39248 Hwy 74
  Gonzales, LA 70737
  email: [email protected]
  P: (225) 644-3700

Weather

How’s the weather in Baton Rouge?

You may see a little more rainfall in the summer months, but the average temperature of 68.35 degrees is quite nice.

Baton Rouge does see more natural disasters (24) than the national average (13) for the United States.

Causes of natural disasters that have occurred in Baton Rouge are as follows:

• Hurricanes
• Floods
• Storms
• Tropical Storms
• Tornado
• Other

If you live in Baton Rouge, you will need fully comprehensive auto coverage to cover your car of any damages done during a hurricane or flood.

Public Transit

The Capital Area Transit System, also known as CATS, is the public transit system residents and visitors in Baton Rouge use to get around town. CATS operates 25 bus lines providing more than 2 million rides a year.

Rates are as followed:

• Single Ride
  • Adults – $1.75
  • Children age 4 and younger – FREE with a paying adult
  • Youth 5–18 – $0.35 (children younger than 12, must be accompanied by an adult)
  • Senior Citizens (age 62 and older) and people with disabilities that show a CATS ID card – $0.35
• All-day Week Pass (Monday–Friday) – $4
• All-day Weekend Passes (Saturday and Sunday) – $2
• Seven-day Pass – $19
• 15-ride Pass – $24.50
• 15-ride Pass Senior/Disabled – $5.25
• 31-day Pass – $56

Alternate Transportation

Bike and scooter rentals, like Bird and Lime, are becoming more popular, especially in college towns.

Gotcha bike-share company recently started operations in Baton Rouge in 2019. Monthly Rates are $6.99 for students and $9.99 for other riders. Annual rates are $59.99 for students and $79.99 for other riders.

At this time, Baton Rouge does not use any type of scooter-share program.

Parking in Metro Areas

Parking in metropolitan areas can be stressful and hard to find. We will help navigate your parking needs in downtown Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge downtown offers public on-street parking, surface parking, and multiple parking garages.

Public on-street parking is available at the below times and rates.

• Two-hour Maximum
• Six minutes – $0.05
• 12 minutes – $0.10
• 30 minutes – $0.25
• After 6 p.m. – FREE
• Saturday and Sunday all day – FREE
• Holidays – FREE

If you prefer to park in a parking garage, Baton Rouge has many affordable options.

Air Quality in Cities

Trucks, cars, and buses are all major components in contributing to the pollution problem in the United States. Gas-powered vehicles emit the following pollutants:

• Particulate matter (PM)
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• Greenhouse gases

The Environmental Protection Agency keeps track of all major city air quality with a report called the Air Quality Index

We looked at the last four years, and fortunately for Baton Rouge, there was only one unhealthy day during that time. If you are in a sensitive breathing group, like someone with asthma, you need to watch out for unhealthy days.

Military/Veterans

Whether you currently serve in the military, retired military, or a family member of a serving member, we thank you for your service and sacrifice.

We know the pressures of moving, the possibility of leaving family and friends, and all the other stressors that come with being in the military are heavy. While we can not take on all the pressures, we can help you with your car insurance.

Most veterans living in Baton Rouge fought in the Vietnam conflict.

Military bases range from a two to four-hour drive from Baton Rouge. There are three military bases located in Louisiana:

• Barksdale AFB Base Guide – around four hours
• Fort Polk Army Base Guide – around three hours
• Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans Base Guide – around two hours

The following companies offer military discount rates:

• Esurance
• Farmers
• Geico
• Liberty Mutual
• MetLife
• Allstate
• Safe Auto
• Safeco
• State Farm
• The General
• USAA

USAA is an insurance company that specializes in military, veterans, and eligible family members. USAA offers competitive rates and often the lowest rate in the state.

USAA beats State Farm rates, the next lowest in the city, by over $400 annually.

If you are eligible for USAA, they are definitely worth a look.

Unique City Laws

Moving to a new city can be costly and stressful. Some cities can have unique laws that maybe you are unsure of, and who wants to have fees and fines for something they didn’t even know about?

Cell phones are in the hands of most these days. Unfortunately, people often do not put them down to drive.

Louisiana has a strict no distraction law for using a cell phone while driving. This means no texting or the use of social media while driving.

Louisiana also prohibits the use of a cell phone for calling while in a school zone. Fines start at $500 for the first offense and doubles for subsequent offenses.

Food trucks are popular across the country. Baton Rouge is no different.

Some cities have laws restricting food trucks, putting pressure on entrepreneurs, and making it hard to make a living. Baton Rouge does not inflict such harsh regulations, which allows businesses to thrive.

Always check with your city ordinances to verify you have proper permitting and licenses.

People across the country are choosing a simpler lifestyle and going towards the direction of tiny homes. Tiny homes are allowed in Baton Rouge, but they do require similar standards as regular-sized homes. TIny homes are 400 square feet or less, but they still require proper escape routes, sanitation, smoke alarms, and more.

Most cities have common parking laws. Here are a few you will find living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

• No vehicle may be parked on the front lawn of any residence
• No vehicle may be parked on the front lawn or side yard on any corner lot within the parish.
• A vehicle may be parked on a residential street for a period that does not exceed nine continuous hours.
• No vehicle with two or more rear axles is permitted to park within a residential neighborhood.
• No vehicle may be parked on the street-facing oncoming traffic.

Baton Rouge Car Insurance FAQs

Do you still have some questions? Here are a few commonly asked questions.

What is a parish?

If you are new to Louisiana, you may hear the term parish and not know what people are talking about. Parish is just a term used for a county. So while we use the term Baton Rouge, residents of Louisiana call this area East Baton Rouge Parish.

Do I have to purchase car insurance living in Baton Rouge?

Yes! Louisiana state law requires drivers to purchase a minimum requirement of car insurance liability. Minimum limits are as follows:

• $15,000 – covers bodily injury/death per person.
• $30,000 – covers total bodily injury or death per accident.
• $25,000 – covers property damage per accident.

Remember, these are the minimum requirements and do not cover injury, death, or damage to yourself or your own passengers!

Should I purchase flood insurance?

Baton Rouge does experience flooding. If you are in a low-lying area, we do recommend you look into purchasing car insurance that will cover flood damage.

How far away is New Orleans?

If you are running out of things to do in Baton Rouge, New Orleans is not too far. You can drive to New Orleans in about an hour and a half.

We hope to have answered all of your questions about car insurance while living in Baton Rouge.

Ready to get some quotes? Use our free comparison tool to start getting cheap quotes today. Enter your ZIP code here to start.

Cheap Auto Insurance / Cities

28.01.2020 / auto insurance coverage / auto insurance factors / auto insurance rates