Average fees for motor vehicle reports continue to rise

May 17, 2018 / 2 min read

Motor vehicle report (MVR) fees have continued to increase over the past decade. State registry fees increased 43 percent nationwide, according to the latest Verisk analysis. Across the country, the average MVR fee stood at $9.75 as of January 1, 2018, compared with roughly $6.82 ten years ago.

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Ten-year analysis of rising MVR costs

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, four states increased their fees: Oregon (from $9.55 to $10), Pennsylvania ($11 to $12), Tennessee ($7 to $7.50), and West Virginia ($9 to $12.50).

This year, Montana increased its MVR fee from $7.25 to $7.37, and its Driver Monitoring Fee from 15 to 16 cents. Kansas raised its fee for batch MVRs from $8.10 to $13.10 (add 60 cents for QuickTime MVRs). Alabama will increase its MVR fees from $9.75 to $10, effective May 1, 2018. 5 10 18_final_MVR state fee_hires-01_MAP (002)

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.

Canadian fee increases

Verisk also offers driving history solutions in Canada, where Newfoundland Province increased its MVR fees from $9.50 to $14.