Quick quiz: Which state wins the award for cheapest average car insurance premium? Maine. They come in at an average of $889 per year.

And what about the most expensive? Louisiana! Go figure. Their car insurance coverage comes in at an average of $2,536 per year.

Georgia falls in the top ten most expensive states for car insurance – with an average of $1,694. This figure has doubled since 2006! Insurance costs, like everything else, seem to only continue to increase, but there are some great calculators on the Web that can help you to navigate these important financial decisions.

We all know that if you live in the United States and you drive a car, you have to provide proof of your financial responsibility. Purchasing car insurance is one of the easiest ways to verify your ability to pay for damages if you are in a car accident, and of course, there are many variables to consider when buying such coverage:

• Do you have an alarm system?
• What other safety features does your car have?
• How many cars do you drive and own?
• What are the make, model, and year of your vehicle(s)?
• How is that driving record of yours?
• Ultimately, what kind of coverage do you need? The bare minimum – or the policy that covers all the bells and whistles?

When you purchase liability insurance in the state of Georgia, you must have $25,000 per person in coverage for bodily injury. Also required, at minimum, is $50,000 per accident for bodily injury if more than two people are involved, and lastly, you will need to have at least $25,000 of coverage, per accident, for property damage. These figures represent the bare minimum; it’s wise to consider having additional coverage, as well.

There are some fantastic insurance calculators that can help you figure out how much you will need to spend, what is considered a fair rate, exactly which facets of a policy you must have, and which one your could do without. The process can be a whole lot easier than Google-searching for hours on end.

The AARP crew has a great calculator that's easy and interactive. You simply click on the state where you live, and then answer the questions such as: How many drivers will be using this vehicle? What are their ages? Do each of the drivers have health insurance? And what’s the annual gross income of your household? From there, you’ll start to click on different options you want, and – voila! You will start to get a feel for what an appropriate cost will be.

Take that data, and start comparing on another calculator from Yahoo Autos. You’ll quickly realize that the varied websites will often ask many of the exact same questions, but just watch how the annual premiums vary! You will usually be asked to start with plugging in your zip code and other key pieces of data, and the results pop up pretty quickly. Often the sites are driven by insurance companies, but that is not always the case.

One particular website that is not tied to any particular company, carinsurancecalculator.info, has an abundance of easy-to-understand data and insight that may be perceived as being a bit more trustworthy. But after sharing all of the required data, it becomes clear that they all operate in just about the same way. This car insurance calculator website provided additional definitions, explanations of what is truly required, what is honestly suggested, and descriptions of what can happen if you opt for just getting the cheapest coverage.

Make sure to do a yearly check! Your individual data changes, right? Age, driving record, good student credits, etc., can all make a difference. And if you don’t drive a lot and you have a great driving record, it might be worth considering having a higher deductible. This can drive the yearly premium way down, and that puts more money in your pocket – right where it should be.

Your chances of attaining the best policy for the lowest cost increases exponentially if you are empowered with as much data as you can get, and these calculators make it downright easy and efficient.