North Dakota drivers pay less, on average, for auto insurance coverage than motorists in any state, a report by a national group of insurance regulators says.

North Dakota's insurance commissioner, Jim Poolman, said Thursday he hoped to use the information to prod companies into expanding their offerings beyond auto insurance, to homeowners and other types of coverage.

"This is a good place to do business, and we want to use the information to go out and recruit more companies to do other types of insurance business here," Poolman said.

The recently published report by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a group based in Kansas City, Mo., compiles insurance information from 2001.

It ranks North Dakota 51st, behind the 50 states and the District of Columbia, in the average expense of auto insurance for a customer. The annual figure is $497.79, compared to a national average of $717.70.

The figure measures the cost of coverage that North Dakota motorists choose to buy, Poolman said. State law requires drivers to carry liability insurance, but many do not purchase other types of coverage, such as insurance for windshield damage, or for repair costs from an accident.

A combined average policy, which includes liability, collision and comprehensive auto coverage, costs $633.78 annually in North Dakota, compared to an average national cost of $817.43, the report says. The combined average ranks North Dakota 47th in the nation.

In New Jersey and New York, which are the most expensive states for auto insurance, the average cost of combined coverage is $1,182 and $1,161.

"Even though we have had catastrophic storms across the state, hail damage on vehicles and other wind-storm claims, we still remain very, very competitive … when it comes to insuring vehicles," Poolman said.