3 of the best and worst companies for car insurance. Brand loyalty and even good driving rarely have as big an impact on your premiums as all those slick, big-budget ad campaigns would have you believe.

Since car insurance is regulated at the state level, there are 50 different pricing structures across the country, according to Consumer Reports. Some states require insurance companies to provide transparent pricing. In the many states that don’t, drivers are left to guess — or take their carrier’s word for it — as to why they pay the rates they do .