Why Did My Travelers Insurance Go Up?

Travelers auto customers saw their largest increases in 2023, when the company was repricing its personal auto book after claim costs outran premiums. In the third quarter of 2023 its domestic auto renewal premium change, the average change in premium on policies that renewed, reached a record 18.2% ². Since then the increases have slowed. Travelers says renewal premium changes in 2025 "remained positive but were lower than in 2024," and in 2026 two state regulators have published Travelers auto rate decreases ^{4 6 7}.

If your Travelers bill went up recently, the reason may be on your own policy (a claim, a ticket, a new car or driver, a move, a lost discount) as much as a company-wide change. A published rate change is an average across a company's existing policyholders, not a forecast for any one renewal. Below is what Travelers has reported to investors and what state regulators have published. We are not affiliated with the insurers named.

Travelers is a public company and reports its personal auto results each quarter. Its annual report explains the basic mechanism: pricing for personal auto "is driven in large part by changes in the frequency of claims and changes in severity," including inflation in the cost of replacing and repairing cars, medical care and settling liability claims ⁴.

In early 2023 those costs were rising. In the first quarter of 2023 the underlying combined ratio of Travelers' personal auto line, a measure of claim and expense costs against premium that leaves out catastrophes and reserve changes, was 103.4, up 4.6 points from a year earlier ¹. A ratio above 100 means the line paid out more than it collected. Travelers executive Michael Klein attributed the increase to "increased vehicle replacement and repair costs, higher bodily injury severity, and to a lesser extent higher frequency" ¹. In the same quarter, domestic auto renewal premium change was 13.9%, up 2.5 points from the fourth quarter of 2022, and Klein said he expected it to be "modestly higher" for the rest of 2023 ¹.

It was. Travelers' third-quarter 2023 earnings release reported domestic automobile net written premiums of $2,022 million, up 16% from $1,743 million a year earlier, and said total personal insurance premium growth was "primarily reflecting higher pricing" in both auto and homeowners ². Renewal premium change in auto rose to "a record high 18.2%" ². Even so, the auto line was still not profitable: Carrier Management, citing Travelers' published auto details, reported an underlying personal auto combined ratio of 100.6 for the quarter and 102.5 for the first nine months, and 103.5 and 105.5 once catastrophe losses were included ³. He said he expected renewal increases to come down "as more of the book reaches rate adequacy," and that repair and replacement trends were moderating ³.

An increase approved or implemented in one year reaches each policy at its next renewal, and a six-month or annual policy can take a full term to reflect it. Travelers' annual report shows domestic auto earned premiums of $6,923 million in 2023, $7,767 million in 2024 and $7,902 million in 2025, while net written premiums were $7,330 million, $7,925 million and $7,745 million in those years ⁴. Earned premium kept rising in 2025 even as written premium dipped, which is consistent with earlier price increases still working through the book.

Company results. For 2025, Travelers reported that domestic auto net written premiums of $7.75 billion fell 2% from 2024, that retention was comparable with 2024, and that renewal premium changes "remained positive but were lower than in 2024" ⁴. It credited part of the improvement in its personal insurance results to "lower losses in the automobile product line" ⁴. In its second-quarter 2026 filing, domestic auto net written premiums were $1.86 billion for the quarter and $3.61 billion for the first half, both down 6% from 2025, with renewal premium changes again lower than a year earlier ⁵.

Georgia. On April 22, 2026, Georgia's insurance commissioner announced approval of a filing by Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company reflecting an overall 10.1% decrease in private passenger auto rates, which the office estimated at about $40 million in premium statewide ⁶.

Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Insurance Department's 2026 rate change report lists two Travelers filings, each with an overall rate impact that is a decrease ⁷:

These are averages for each company's existing policyholders in one state. Travelers sells auto insurance through several legal companies, and each files its own rates state by state, so a decrease for one company in Georgia or Oklahoma says nothing certain about a Travelers policy elsewhere.

If the company's averages have flattened, the likeliest reason for your own increase is a change tied to your policy. Travelers' own guide to rate changes names several ⁸:

• A paid claim. Travelers says that when it makes a payment on a claim, a rate increase at the next renewal is very likely, and that an incident can mean a higher rate for three to five years.
• Your driving record, including traffic violations and how long you have been driving.
• Your vehicle, since newer cars with safety technology can cost more to repair.
• Drivers on the policy, such as a newly added young driver.
• Where you live, since every state regulates insurance rates.
• Market conditions, including repair costs and inflation, which can move premiums even when nothing about you changed.

Discounts that applied last term can also drop off at renewal. Our guide on why discounts disappear at renewal covers the common cases, and how tickets and accidents affect car insurance explains surcharges.

1. Compare the new declarations page with the old one. Check drivers, vehicles, coverages, deductibles and discounts. Our guide to reading a renewal notice shows what to look for.
2. Ask Travelers which factors changed and whether any discount was removed.
3. Find the legal company on your policy. The company name on your declarations page, such as Travelers Personal Insurance Company or The Standard Fire Insurance Company, tells you whose filings apply. Your state insurance department can show you what that company filed. Our explainer on rate filings covers how to read one.
4. Compare quotes from several insurers before the renewal date. You can compare quotes here.
5. Contact your state insurance department with questions about how your policy was rated.

Sponsored link. QuotePitStop is a lead-generation service and is paid by insurance partners when you request quotes.

For causes that apply at any insurer, see why car insurance goes up and why car insurance went up with no accident. For the national direction of prices, see whether car insurance rates are going down. Georgia readers can find more on that state at Georgia. For another large insurer's filings, see why State Farm insurance goes up.

• ¹ Reported: Carrier Management on Travelers' first-quarter 2023 results, for the 103.4 underlying personal auto combined ratio, the 4.6-point rise, the stated causes and the 13.9% renewal premium change, checked October 13, 2026.
• ² Reported: Travelers' third-quarter 2023 earnings release, filed with the SEC, for domestic auto net written premiums of $2,022 million (up 16%) and the record 18.2% auto renewal premium change, checked October 13, 2026.
• ³ Reported: Carrier Management on Travelers' third-quarter 2023 results, for the underlying and reported personal auto combined ratios and the outlook on renewal increases, checked October 13, 2026.
• ⁴ Reported: Travelers' 2025 Form 10-K, for the pricing explanation, domestic auto written and earned premiums for 2023 to 2025, the 2% decline in 2025 and the statements on renewal premium change and auto losses, checked October 13, 2026.
• ⁵ Reported: Travelers' Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2026, for domestic auto net written premiums of $1.86 billion and $3.61 billion, both down 6%, and lower renewal premium changes, checked October 13, 2026.
• ⁶ Official record: Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire release of April 22, 2026, for the approved 10.1% overall decrease for Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company and the $40 million estimate, checked October 13, 2026.
• ⁷ Official record: Oklahoma Insurance Department SERFF rate change report for private passenger auto, January to August 2026, for the two Travelers filings, checked October 13, 2026.
• ⁸ Directional: Travelers' consumer guide on whether a rate increases after a claim, for the list of rating factors and the three-to-five-year period, checked October 13, 2026.