Quick Fix: Why has my car insurance skyrocketed overnight?

Hi, I'm Lauren Fix, longtime automotive journalist and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Welcome back to "Quick Fix," where I answer car-related questions you submit to me.

Today's question comes from Danny in Wiley, Texas.

Hi, Lauren.

Three years ago, I moved my family from Southern California to northeast Dallas suburbs. And we couldn't be happier. We left California in California and haven't looked back.

That said, it was recently time for my insurance renewal, and I had been with AAA — a primary California insurance provider who also services Texas — for 20-plus years.

They were raising our rates by nearly 50%. We were two drivers with two vehicles and zero tickets or accidents.

Yes, our rates were climbing from $4,000 to $6,000 annually, WTF. This has never happened before.

And then we bought a new car and decided we would keep the other two, and they quoted me $9,500, nearly $10,000 a year. Whoa, we had a double take. I spent two hours on the phone with AAA, and in the end, they landed on "our rates have just increased."

Is this really the case, or is it BS?

Note: We have since moved to State Farm, gotten better coverage, and all three vehicles are paying about $4,500 annually. What do you think?

A lot of us feel your pain, Danny. I think we can narrow the rate hike down to a few culprits, from data mining to disaster — but the important thing is you shopped around for a better deal.

Let's check it out in the video below:

Got a car-related question? Email me at [email protected].