Everything seems to be getting more expensive in recent months, but auto insurance turns out to be an exception: it’s now cheaper than it was a year ago. Experts expect that to change soon.

“During the first half of 2022, we see an average decrease of about one and a half percent,” says Menno Dijcks of the comparison site Independer.nl. While the average cost of car insurance was 88.27 euros per month last year, car owners lost an average of ‘only’ 86.99 euros in 2022.

Striking, because the prices for auto parts, labor and care are rising sharply. As an auto expert at Independer, Dijcks has an explanation: “Car insurance companies always calculate various risk factors over a longer period of time, so that the impact of certain events does not appear until after some time.”

It is clear that the Corona pandemic, which continues to play a large role in 2021, is playing a major role in the current decline in premiums. Geld.nl, who has researched lower prices, supports this suspicion. Concretely, according to Datamonitor Autoverzekering of Geld.nl, it is particularly remarkable that in 2021 there were below average car-related crimes. For example, fewer cars were stolen, fewer cars were set on fire, and fewer cars were vandalized.

Rotterdam is the most expensive when it comes to car insurance

The fact that all of this plays a major role in premiums becomes apparent when averages are broken down by level of coverage. While WA+ and WA+ Full Casco premiums fell, third-party insurance premiums rose slightly. The reason can be guessed: not only third-party liability insurance pays for damage to third parties, and therefore has nothing to do with theft or vandalism.

Third party liability insurance costs an average of €85.78 per month in the first six months of the year, compared to €71.42 for WA+ and €81.14 for full coverage. It should be noted that not only the extent of coverage, but also age, type of vehicle and place of residence play a major role in the premium amount.

Among the top ten cities, Rotterdam is the most expensive place to insure a car. It costs an average of 106.08 euros per month. Groningen is the cheapest of these ten, with a monthly premium of €72.41. At the provincial level, Nord Holland is the most expensive at 89.70 euros and Friesland on average is the cheapest at 60.71 euros.

Both Independer and Geld.nl predict that a price drop will quickly turn into a price increase. According to Geld.nl, this upward trend is somewhat visible, while Independer describes it as inevitable. The Vehicle Crime Insurance Agency (VbV) recently reported that more vehicles have been stolen for the first time in years, while repair and maintenance costs are rising, according to Automobiel Management. These higher prices will also play a role for insurers, but it will take a little longer – just as with dips – before consumers notice something.