Average fees for motor vehicle reports approach double digits

March 30, 2017 / 2 min read

An updated Verisk Insurance Solutions analysis confirms that motor vehicle report (MVR) fees have continued to increase over the past decade, during which time state registry fees reached a cumulative 50 percent rise nationwide. Across the country, the average MVR fee stood at $9.64 as of January 1, 2017, compared with roughly $6.50 ten years ago.

Our ten-year analysis of fees revealed that MVR costs grew at an average annual rate of 3.9 percent. MVR costs vary dramatically by state, and many states have increased MVR fees. In total, 36 states and the District of Columbia increased MVR fees over the past decade.

Recent changes

Last year, the following states increased their fees: Alaska (from $5 to $10), Louisiana ($16 to $18), Michigan ($8 to $11), North Carolina ($8 to $10), Vermont ($17 to $18), and Virginia ($7 to $8). Tennessee will change its MVR fees from $7 to $7.50, effective April 1, 2017.

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Strategies to optimize your MVR spend

In The Challenge of Auto Insurance Premium Leakage, Verisk estimates that auto insurers have a $29 billion dollar problem with premium leakage, and violations and accidents represent $3.4 billion annually in missed premiums from high-risk drivers whose auto-related violations may go unnoticed.

It’s a problem with no easy answer, because it’s difficult to balance the expense of MVR reports with the need to capture missing or lost premium. However, Verisk has cost-effective tools that can help insurers fill the gap. They include:

look-back indicators for driver-violation activity
driver monitoring of new violations or change in driver’s license status
assistance in developing targeted business rules based on your geographic book of business

Verisk offers ongoing services to help insurers monitor driver records. These tools clearly communicate when an auto insurance customer is involved in driving-related adverse activity and can be used to trigger the order of an MVR for full detail, saving expenditures on drivers with clear driving records.