Cost of Car Ownership in Louisiana Among the Highest in the Nation

(KMDL-FM) A recent study has revealed that the cost of owning a car in Louisiana is among the highest in the entire nation. Only seven other states have higher cost obligations for car ownership than Louisiana does. And it might surprise you when we reveal the largest expense that most of us who drive in Louisiana face.

Just for clarity's sake, we are talking about the cost of owning a car, not the cost of purchasing a car. When you buy a car, you purchase the whole thing. When you own a car, you pay for upkeep, maintenance, operational costs, and a whole host of other things that you were not prepared to pay for.

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Before we look at where Louisiana stands in the "how much does it cost to own a car" conundrum, let me give you some averages. This way, you can compare and contrast what's going on in other states to what is or isn't happening on our behalf in Louisiana.

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What Is The Average Cost of Vehicle Ownership in Louisiana?

Since we have 50 states, we will look at the figures for the state that is ranked #25 in this particular study and survey. That state is North Carolina, where the average annual cost of owning a car is $2,881. That money breaks down like this. $990 of the money goes to insurance premiums. Another $403 goes to annual car repairs. And finally, the average expenditure on fuel in North Carolina is $1,488.

Let's start with the elephant in the room, the bull in the china closet, the nutria in the gumbo. In Louisiana, we pay the most for car insurance of any state in the union. It's not even close. We pay $1,743 on average just to insure a vehicle so it can be legally driven on our state's deplorable highways.

The average vehicle owner in Louisiana will also fork over $389 every year for car repairs, and we can expect to drop another $1,260 on fuel for our travels. In total, the average cost of owning a car in Louisiana is $3,392 per year.

Where Does Louisiana Rank On The Most Expensive States to Own a Car List?

Louisiana ranks at number 8 on the Most Expensive States to Own a Car list. Delaware is the most expensive state, and Mississippi didn't fare much better. The Magnolia State was 5th on the list for the entire country. The Top 10 were Delaware, New York, Florida, Mississippi, New Jersey, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, and New Mexico.

That figure for Louisiana is about $500 more than the "average" numbers from North Carolina. It's about $1,200 more than the cheapest state in the survey. That state, Montana, has a car ownership figure of $2,166 annually, according to the study.

Louisiana also leads the nation in one other nasty car-related category. We are the kings of road rage. Nearly two-thirds of all fatal crashes in the state are the result of aggressive and careless driving. In the road rage survey, our state scored 100 out of 100. We finally did well on a test, and it's a bad test to do good on.