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Drivers of Switching in Autoinsurance: Evidence from Observable and Exogenous Consideration Sets

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  • Helena Perrone
  • Fabricio Valiati

Abstract

This paper studies switching behavior and its determinants in auto-insurance markets using a dataset that includes information on policyholder choices and their consideration sets, including alternative contract prices. We show that disregarding consumers' consideration sets and the price of alternative offers, especially the premium offered by the previous insurance at renewal, leads to an overestimation of choice inertia and an understatement of consumer price responsiveness. We also find that previous claim history is a primary determinant of switching behavior, even after controlling for premium differentials and observed and unobserved characteristics of the contract and insurers. Our empirical evidence is consistent with choice inertia driven by learning about the true quality of the firm's service.

Suggested Citation

  • Helena Perrone & Fabricio Valiati, 2025. "Drivers of Switching in Autoinsurance: Evidence from Observable and Exogenous Consideration Sets," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2025_646, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_646
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    insurance; price disperison; switching costs; choice sets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L4 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies
    • K2 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law

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