Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in New Mexico to Get the Best Rates

Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in New Mexico to Get the Best Rates

Friday, October 13 2017 By Steve Bowen

New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment. Here at QuoteWizard, we’ve compiled useful insurance information from industry and government sources which New Mexicans can use to find the best car insurance rates.

This page will show you which types of coverage are legally required in New Mexico, inform you about important insurance laws, and provide both information about the cost of driving, and some insights about insurance risk in New Mexico, all to help protect you and your family.

Average New Mexico Car Insurance Rates

Car insurance rates in New Mexico are lower than both the national average. Prices may vary depending on your limits, coverage, and the total number of claims filed in your zip code.

The average cost of auto insurance in New Mexico is $749.43 a year. But you can be sure that rates in Albuquerque are much higher than the state average. The national average annual cost is $866.31.

New Mexico Average Annual Car Insurance Rates

Coverage	Rates
Liability	$484.63
Collision	$268.09
Comprehensive	$167.69
Total Cost Per Year	$749.43
Price Per Month	$62.45

Finding the right car insurance in New Mexico for your needs and budget doesn’t have to be stressful. Then again, you want to make sure that whichever company you choose is the right fit, and that means comparing car insurance rates.

Comparing auto quotes can be time-consuming. With a little help from QuoteWizard, you’ll have a policy in no time. We’ll connect you with top auto insurance companies so you can find the best coverage at the best price.

Last year, 20,748 people used QuoteWizard to compare auto insurance quotes in New Mexico from top companies, and find the cheapest rates.

Top 10 Vehicles in New Mexico

These are the most common vehicles owned by New Mexico drivers requesting car insurance quotes through QuoteWizard in the past year.

Best Car Insurance Companies in New Mexico

Last year, these were the most common car insurance companies reported by QuoteWizard users living in the state of New Mexico. Out of the 20,748 New Mexico drivers that used QuoteWizard to request insurance quotes last year, 2,486 had no car insurance.

New Mexico State Auto Insurance Laws

Car Insurance Minimum Coverage

Legally, nearly all US drivers are required to carry a minimum level of insurance, but these minimums vary from state to state.  In New Mexico, drivers need to follow what is known as the 25/50/10 rule when it comes to their insurance policies.

This means that any policy must include the following:

• $25,000 of coverage for bodily injury liability per person
• $50,000 of coverage for bodily injury liability per incident
• $10,000 of coverage for property damage liability per incident

Remember, you can purchase more inclusive plans that cover more, but if you want the bare minimum required to keep you legal on the road, make sure your policy has the above protection. And, if you’ve financed your car through a lender, they’ll require that you purchase collision and comprehensive coverage to protect their investment.

Required Proof of Car Insurance

New Mexico's "Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act" requires that all drivers carry proof of insurance in their vehicles at all times. You'll get this proof in the form of an identification card from your car insurance company when you buy a policy. The insurance ID card must include all of the following:

• Name of the insurance company
• Policy number
• Effective date of the policy
• Expiration date of the policy
• Description of the year, make, or model of the insured vehicles, or the name of the insured driver. The word “fleet” may be used for more than 5 vehicles owned by the same person or business

Penalties

If you can't prove that you meet the minimum New Mexico insurance requirements, your vehicle registration could be suspended by the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD).

SR-22 Requirements

An SR-22 is a form of proof of car insurance. New Mexico does not require its drivers to obtain an SR-22 after being convicted of a DUI. If, however, you have an SR-22 from another state, you must maintain it as long as that state requires it.

State of New Mexico Traffic Safety Laws

Distracted Driving Laws

New Mexico prohibits novice drivers from using  cell phones while driving. All drivers are prohibited from sending or receiving text messaging while driving.

Implied Consent Law

New Mexico’s Implied Consent law requires that any driver submit to testing to determine the alcohol or drug content of their blood, breath, or urine when arrested by law enforcement for suspicion of driving while under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol. Refuse the test and you’ll face the following penalties as well as those for a DUI:

• First Offense: 1-year loss of license and/or driving privileges
• Second Offense: 1-year loss of license and/or driving privileges
• Third Offense: 1-year loss of license and/or driving privileges

DUI Law and Penalties

If you drive or operate a motor vehicle in New Mexico with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.08% or higher, you are guilty of Driving While Under the Influence (DUI).

The penalties for a first offense DUI conviction are:

• Up to 6 months in jail
• A fine of between $500 and $1,000
• 12 to 24 month driver’s license suspension

The penalties for a second offense DUI conviction are more severe:

• Between 2 and 18 months in jail
• A fine of between $750 and $2,500
• 12 to 24-month driver’s license suspension
• An ignition-interlock device may be possible after 24 months

After a third DUI conviction the penalties increase to:

• Between 1 and 2 years in jail
• A fine of between $1,500 and $5,000
• 24 to 36-month driver’s license suspension
• An ignition-interlock device may be possible after 24 months

After a fourth DUI conviction the penalties are raised to:

• Between 2 and 5 years in jail
• A fine of between $3,000 and $7,000
• 60-month driver’s license suspension
• An ignition-interlock device may be possible after 48 months

5th DUI Offense: If convicted of a fifth DUI, you'll be guilty of a class E felony, be fined between $3,500 and $10,000, and be imprisoned for between 3 and 5 years.

6th DUI Offense: If convicted of a sixth DUI, you'll be guilty of a class D felony, be fined between $5,000 and $10,000, and be imprisoned for between 5 and 8 years.

7th DUI Offense: If convicted of a seventh DUI, or any subsequent offense, you'll be guilty of a class C felony, be fined between $10,000 and $15,000, and imprisoned for between 10 and 15 years.

Child Restraint Law

All occupants must be properly restrained in all seating positions. Violators must pay a $25 fine plus court fees (which vary by jurisdiction) and receive 2 driver's points on their driving record.

• Children less than one-year-old must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat in the back seat. If the vehicle has no back seat, a child under one-year-old can ride in a front seat if the air bag is deactivated and if the vehicle does not have a passenger side air bag.
• Children less than five years of age, regardless of weight, and children less than 40 pounds, regardless of age, shall be properly secured in a car seat or booster seat that meets federal standards.
• Five and six year olds, regardless of weight, and children under 60 pounds, regardless of age, must be properly secured in either a child booster seat or other appropriate car seat that meets federal standards.
• A child age 7 through 12 must be properly restrained in a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt. Children age 13 through 17 must be restrained by a seat belt.

Proper use of child safety seats reduces fatalities by 71%

Graduated Driver’s License Program

New Mexico has implemented a 3-tier graduated driver license program beginning with an instructional permit and ending with a license with full driving privileges. 

Teens are allowed to apply for an instructional permit once they’re 15 years old. Young drivers in the instructional permit stage are required to drive at least 50 hours under supervision, with 10 of those hours being at night. Once these conditions are satisfied, and the driver has reached at least the age of 15 1/2, they can take the driver’s test. If they pass the test, a provisional license is issued.

Drivers with provisional licenses are not allowed to drive between the hours of midnight and 5 am. They're also prohibited from having more than 1 passenger under the age of 21 in their vehicle while in the intermediate stage. Drivers may apply for a full, unrestricted driver's license once they complete the above requirements and have had a provisional license for at least one year.

Senior Drivers in New Mexico

New Mexico drivers have a choice of how frequently they renew their driver’s licenses. They can renew their driver’s licenses every 4 years, or every 8 years. Drivers over the age of 75 are required to renew their licenses every year.

Seat Belt Laws

New Mexico requires that all drivers and passengers in a moving vehicle age 18 or over wear seat belts. Children are required to use approved child seats as described above. The maximum fine for a first offense is $25.

Vehicles Registered in Another State

When you drive a vehicle in New Mexico that is required to be registered in another state, you must have the type of insurance required by that state. You must be able to provide proof of this insurance to law enforcement if requested.

The Cost of Driving in New Mexico

Average New Mexico Car Insurance Rates

The average cost of car insurance in New Mexico in 2014, the most recent year for which data was available, was $749.43 compared to a national average of $866.31. New Mexico is the 32nd most expensive state for car insurance.

Fuel Taxes

The state of New Mexico taxes gasoline at 18.88 cents per gallon and diesel fuel at 22.88 cents per gallon. This is in addition to the Federal fuel tax of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline, and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel. Total taxes on regular gasoline in New Mexico amount to 37.28 cents per gallon; for diesel, the total is 47.28 cents per gallon.

Car Insurance Risk in New Mexico

Traffic Fatalities

In 2014, there were 383 traffic fatalities in New Mexico, a 2.3% increase from the state’s 311 traffic fatalities in 2013.

Vehicle Thefts

New Mexico had 6,290 vehicle thefts reported in 2014, a 5.1% increase compared to 2013. In 2014, the vehicle theft rate was 301.6 per 100,000, an increase of 5.2% from the 2013 rate of 286.7 per 100,000.

The vehicle theft rate in the State of New Mexico is slightly higher than the overall US vehicle theft rate, which was 216.2 per 100,000 in 2014.

Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles in New Mexico

Some cars are more prone to theft than others, so be sure to check the list below to see if your car is a target on the streets.

Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau - Hot Wheels Report 2014

1. 2006 Ford Pick-Up (Full Size)
2. 2005 Chevrolet Pick-Up (Full Size)
3. 1997 Honda Accord
4. 1998 Honda Civic
5. 2001 Dodge Pick-Up (Full Size)
6. 2005 GMC Pick-Up (Full Size)
7. 1997 Chevrolet Pick-Up (Small Size)
8. 1999 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
9. 1990 Toyota Camry
10. 2004 Ford Mustang

Uninsured Motorists

The percentage of New Mexico residents estimated to be driving without insurance is a whopping 21.6%. That ranks New Mexico as #4 among US states. Only Oklahoma, Florida, and Mississippi have a larger percentage of uninsured drivers. Even though uninsured driver coverage is not required in New Mexico, it would be a very good idea to purchase it given how many uninsured drivers are around.

Crash Statistics

The Traffic Safety Bureau of the New Mexico Department of Transportation has archived numerous reports, multiple types of crash data, and other assorted traffic safety information here: http://dot.state.nm.us/en/Traffic_Safety.html

New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance

Website:

http://www.osi.state.nm.us/

Superintendent of Insurance:

John G. Franchini

Insurance Hotline:

1-855-4ASK-OSI

1-855-427-5674

File a Complaint:

Complaint Page

Sources:

• FBI Uniform Crime Report
• NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System
• Insurance Information Institute – Minimum Coverage Levels by State
• American Petroleum Institute
• National Insurance Crime Bureau
• Governors Highway Safety Association
• Insurance Information Institute – Insurance Expenditures by State
• New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD)

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