Twenty-three. That is Abington Township's motor vehicle theft index, against a national baseline of 100. Car insurance here should be a bargain by that logic — and yet full coverage still averages close to what the rest of Pennsylvania pays.
A Below-Average Theft Rate, an Average Bill
Abington's theft index of 23 puts it well ahead of most Philadelphia-area suburbs on that single measure. Comprehensive coverage, the part of a policy that pays out for a stolen car, should in theory cost less in a township with numbers like that.
In practice, comprehensive is only one line item on a bill. Liability, collision, and uninsured motorist coverage all get priced separately, and none of those move just because the theft numbers look good. That is a big part of why Abington premiums still land close to Pennsylvania's statewide averages of $1,471 a year for minimum coverage and $2,473 for full coverage rather than dropping meaningfully below them.
Seven Train Stations, Still a Driving Township
Abington has seven SEPTA Regional Rail stations spread across three lines, and Center City Philadelphia sits under 30 minutes away by train for a lot of residents. That is a real alternative to driving, and it is one reason the township's roads carry less long-haul commuter traffic than some of its neighbors.
But rail access does not erase car ownership. Most households here still keep a vehicle for errands, school runs, and trips the trains do not reach, and insurers price the policy on the car in the driveway, not the train schedule down the street. Drivers who genuinely put low annual mileage on their odometer because they lean on the train can ask an agent about a low-mileage discount — it is one of the few ways transit access actually shows up on the bill.
Old York Road Carries the Claims
Old York Road, signed as PA Route 611, runs the length of Abington as its main commercial spine, threading past shopping plazas, medical offices near Abington Hospital, and several of those SEPTA station crossings. Traffic here mixes local shoppers, cross-township commuters, and pedestrians moving between train platforms and parking lots.
That combination produces more fender-benders and turning-lane collisions than a quiet residential block generates, and it is a meaningful part of why ZIP codes along the corridor tend to price above the township's quieter neighborhoods. A driver garaging a car a half-mile off Old York Road can genuinely see a different quote than one parking right on it.
An Affluent Township Still Splits on Tort Choice
Abington's median household income runs above $103,000, well ahead of Pennsylvania's statewide figure, and one place that shows up is the tort election. Full tort, the state default, preserves the right to sue an at-fault driver for pain and suffering after any injury; limited tort trades that right for a lower premium, with lawsuits restricted to cases meeting a serious-injury threshold.
Plenty of Abington households can absorb the higher full-tort premium and choose to keep the broader legal protection. That is a legitimate call, but it should be a deliberate one made after seeing both quotes, not a box checked without reading it.
- Ask about a low-mileage discount if SEPTA genuinely replaces most of your driving.
- Compare quotes by exact ZIP code — parking off Old York Road can price differently than parking on it.
- Confirm your tort election on your declarations page before assuming which one you have.
- Keep UM/UIM coverage active even in a lower-theft township — it covers what the other driver's policy doesn't.
Deciding between the state minimum and a fuller policy? Our minimum vs. full coverage guide breaks down the trade-offs by vehicle value and driving history.
Abington's low theft numbers are a genuine advantage, but they are not the whole quote. Shop by your exact ZIP code, ask about the low-mileage discount if the train really does most of your commuting, and get the tort choice explained before you sign.