Margate got its name in 1961 from developer Jack Marqusee, who combined the first letters of his own surname with “gateway” — because this stretch of western Broward County was meant to be the entry point for the suburban growth pushing inland from the coast.

More than sixty years later, Margate is a built-out city of roughly 60,650 people packed into nine square miles laced with 30 miles of drainage canals, and both the gateway location and the canal network still show up in what residents pay for car insurance.

Margate Auto Insurance at a Glance

  • Full coverage average: about $238–$275/month ($2,856–$3,300/yr)
  • Minimum coverage average: about $94–$98/month ($1,128–$1,176/yr)
  • Florida statewide average: $236/month full coverage, $139/month minimum
  • Required: $10,000 PIP + $10,000 property damage liability
  • Population: roughly 60,650 in central Broward County
  • Geography: nine square miles, about 30 miles of canals

What Margate Drivers Actually Pay

Full coverage car insurance in Margate runs about $238 to $275 a month, roughly $2,856 to $3,300 a year, landing close to Florida's statewide full-coverage average of $236. Minimum liability tracks near $94 to $98 a month, about $1,128 to $1,176 a year, in the same range as the state's $139-a-month minimum-coverage figure once ZIP-code variation is factored in.

Unlike some Broward suburbs that run well above or below the state line, Margate's numbers sit close to the middle — a reflection of a city without one dominant rating factor pulling premiums sharply in either direction.

A City Built to Be a Gateway

When Marqusee incorporated Margate in 1961, western Broward County was still mostly farmland and Everglades fringe. The plan was straightforward: build a residential gateway that would funnel growth inland from the coast, and name the city after exactly that function.

That role never really went away. Margate still sits on the corridor drivers use to move between coastal Broward and its inland suburbs, and roads built to carry through-traffic tend to see more of the low-speed, high-frequency collisions that keep a rating territory's claims count from ever dropping too low.

Thirty Miles of Canals, One Insurance Line Item

Margate's nine square miles hold an estimated 30 miles of canals, part of the drainage network that keeps this low-lying part of Broward County liveable in ordinary weather. During heavy tropical rain or storm surge, canal-adjacent streets flood faster than higher ground nearby.

  • Comprehensive coverage: flood damage to a parked or driven vehicle is a comprehensive claim, not a liability one — and comprehensive is optional unless a lender requires it.
  • Canal-front streets: homes and driveways closest to a canal carry the highest practical flood exposure during a named storm.
  • Hurricane season timing: confirming comprehensive coverage is active before storm season starts beats finding out it lapsed after a claim.

A liability-only policy skips comprehensive coverage entirely, which means flood damage from a canal overflow isn't covered at all. Our minimum vs. full coverage guide breaks down exactly which coverage layers respond to storm and flood risk.

Margate vs. Coral Springs and Tamarac

Coral Springs, just north, prices around top-rated school zones that pull in larger families and more teen drivers. Tamarac, to the southeast, carries an older, longer-tenured driver base tied to its retirement-community roots. Margate doesn't share either city's standout demographic pressure, which is a large part of why its range sits close to the Florida average instead of running well above or below it.

How Margate Drivers Can Lower Their Premium

  • Get quotes from multiple carriers at every renewal — Margate spans several ZIP codes with different claims histories that can shift a quote by hundreds of dollars.
  • Bundle auto with homeowners or renters insurance, which typically pays off in a majority-residential city like this one.
  • Confirm comprehensive coverage is active if you live near a canal, since that's the coverage that actually responds to storm and flood damage.