Credit Scores and ZIP Codes Make Car Insurance Pricier in New York

The same dynamic plays out across the country. Only California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts bar insurers from using drivers’ credit scores to set premiums. Everywhere else, a low credit score will likely raise your car insurance price, and your ZIP code could multiply the damage. (Insurers use a special “credit-based insurance score” for pricing, but it’s calculated in a very similar way to your normal credit score.)

Insurance companies say they should be allowed…