Special to
L’Observateur

ValuePenguin.com analyzed auto insurance costs across multiple cities in Louisiana to identify those with the cheapest or highest costs in the Pelican State.

The average cost in Louisiana was about $1,656. Annual premiums could differ by $1,071 a year, or 1.8 times from the city with the most expensive to the cheapest auto insurance costs.

LaPlace’s rate was determined to be $1,677.

Combined, the five cheapest cities in Louisiana had a mean cost of $1,429 a year — that’s approximately 14 percent better than the statewide average cost. They tend to be smaller cities with a lower population per square mile of space. Coincidentally, the majority of the cities are situated along Interstate 20, with one located on Interstate 165.

Minden

The place with the cheapest auto insurance in Louisiana was Minden, a town of 13,000. Located less than 30 miles from Shreveport, drivers in this town pay on average $1,383 towards their car insurance premiums a year. This cost is about 16 percent lower than the state average, and just $71 cheaper than what Shreveport residents pay.

Ruston

Home to Louisiana Tech and the annual Louisiana Peach Festival, Ruston is populated by 22,000 residents. The city is in the middle of implementing a coordinated economic growth and development plan known as Ruston 21, and it is good to know the city is also the second most affordable spot in Louisiana. Drivers can see car insurance rates as low as $1,404 a year for basic coverage during the year in Ruston.

Bossier City

At just $15 more a year is Bossier City, the third spot on our list in Louisiana. With average car insurance costs of $1,419 a year, drivers in Bossier City pay less than 14 percent compared to other cities in the state. Situated on the banks of the Red River, Bossier City is home to several Air Force bases and more than 61,000 residents.

Shreveport

Across the Red River from Bossier City is Shreveport, the third largest city in the Pelican State and the commercial center of the Ark-La-Tex region. Drivers in Shreveport pay about $1,454 a year to insure their vehicles, which makes it the fourth cheapest city in the state and 12 percent less than other cities on average.

The most expensive cities in the state spanned from the Southwest corner of Louisiana to the largest city in the state, with an average annual cost of $2,008. They include some of the most densely populated places and the largest city in the Pelican State.

New Orleans

The largest city in Louisiana, New Orleans is also the most expensive city for auto insurance. Its roads are flanked by beautiful antebellum French and Spanish Creole architecture, and twenty districts have been designated as National Register Historic Districts. Auto insurance in the Big Easy can cost $2,454 a year, or about 48 percent more than the state average.

Arabi

The second most expensive city on our list is Arabi, which is located just across the boundary of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. It is home to a small population of 8,000 residents. Arabi is one of the more densely populated places in Louisiana, and its auto insurance costs reflect that. At $2,180 a year, costs are the second most expensive in the Pelican State and 32 percent more expensive than the average.

Kenner

Measuring 15 square miles in area, the city is the site of Louis Armstrong Airport, New Orleans’ international airport. It is the third most expensive city to insure a car in Louisiana. Kenner’s 67,000 residents can pay about $1,886 a year for their car insurance.

Denham Springs

Ranking as the fourth most expensive city for car insurance in Louisiana is Denham Springs. Denham Springs is purportedly named after the mineral springs that attracted its founder, William Denham there. Auto insurance costs are $1,772 a year, or just 7 percent higher than the state average.

Beyond the top four cheapest and most expensive cities, the analysis covered 30 other cities spread throughout the Pelican State. Here are the results of each city’s auto insurance costs, ranked from the lowest costs to the highest costs.

The analysis looked at auto insurance quotes for a single, 30-year-old male driver. He owned and drove a 2010 Toyota Corolla about 12,000 miles a year to and from work. He has good credit, and has had a safe driving record — no accidents or traffic violations in the last five years.