Secured with SHA-256 EncryptionCheapest Car Insurance In Washington
Shopping for the best and cheapest car insurance in Washington can be a fun and engaging experience when using all the tips listed in this article.
You can find a great policy that meets your individual or family needs by understanding what each insurer covers and by becoming familiar with all the factors that may influence what you pay for your premium.
There are many variables insurance brokers consider when pricing out your car insurance in Washington, including your gender, age, driving record, and safety of the vehicle you wish to insure. Your cost may also be determined by the area in which you reside and where you park your car.
Whether you live in the City of Yakima or near the casinos of Suquamish, comparison shopping for rates before talking to an insurance agent can help you find the biggest bang for your hard-earned dollars.
Cheapest Car Insurance In Washington
Here are the top 4 providers of the cheapest car insurance in WA:
Progressive Car Insurance
Serving 18 million drivers, Progressive offers discounts for safe drivers and “bundling” (buying auto insurance along with homeowner’s or other policies) discounts.
Progressive provides roadside assistance, fast online quotes, and a name your price option.
Compare Rates with Progressive
USAA
USAA offers a ten percent rate reduction to customers who bundle their auto policies with homeowner’s plans.
Flexible payment plans, a broad array of discounts, and the ability to manage your policies from your phone all make USAA convenient for users.
Travelers
Travelers report an average savings of $547 to new customers with money-saving discounts such as driver training, good student, hybrid/electric vehicle, and multi-student policies.
More than 13,000 agents cover customers with the Travelers umbrella worldwide.
Esurance
Backed by the long-established Allstate company, Esurance provides reliable account management tools that permit account changes, enrollment in discount plans, and a way to track savings.
With competitive premiums and accident forgiveness, Esurance’s coverage counselors have a solid reputation.
What Is The Average Cost of Car Insurance In Washington?
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the average cost paid by Washington drivers in 2017 was $969 annually.
This amount is higher than the surrounding states of Oregon and Idaho, but lower than the nationwide average of $1009.38 for the same period.
| Average Cost of Car Insurance in Washington | $968.80 |
| Oregon | $904.83 |
| Idaho | $679.89 |
| Countrywide Average | $1,009.38 |
What you pay for automobile insurance in Washington is determined by several factors, some of which are not under your control.
However, understanding how insurers calculate the cost of your policy can help you keep your premiums down.
Traffic
The NAIC explains that traffic density is the number of vehicle miles per mile of roadway in a state and the number of vehicle miles traveled per registered car.
When insurers price out your automobile policy rate, traffic density, along with accident rates in Washington, can impact your premiums. Higher-than-average fatal accident rates usually result in higher average premium payments.
The Washington State Department of Transportation 2015 Collision Summary Report states that one person died on Washington’s roads every 16 hours, with crashes related to distracted driving occurring every 12 minutes.
However, the fatal accident rate in Washington is 0.80 per 100 million vehicle miles and 0.07 per 1,000 registered vehicles, making it lower than the national average of 1.08 per 100 million vehicle miles and 0.13 per 1,000 registered vehicles.
Vehicle Theft
When looking for the cheapest car insurance in Washington, consumers should be informed about vehicle theft rates in that state. According to the Insurance Information Institute, Washington is number four in the list of top ten states for car thieves.
There were 32,286 cars thefts in Washington in 2016. Your automobile policy may be somewhat higher than expected due to this variable.
In 2017, the ten most frequently-stolen cars were:
- Honda Civic
- Honda Accord
- Ford Pick Up (full size)
- Chevrolet Pick Up (full size)
- Toyota Camry
- Nissan Altima
- Toyota Corolla
- Dodge Pick Up (full size)
- GMC Pick Up (full size)
- Chevrolet Impala
To further control your insurance rates, you may wish to choose a different make or model than those on the list above.
Population Density
While population density doesn’t have a direct effect on your insurance premiums, it stands to reason that if there are more drivers and vehicles on your local roadways, there may be more accidents and theft. The population density in Washington is 106 people per square mile, and this is higher than Oregon at 41 and higher than the nationwide average of 90 persons per square mile.
Disposable Income
Citizens of the Evergreen State enjoy a higher disposable income than both surrounding states and the nationwide average. In the 2017 NAIC report, the disposable income rate in Washington was $45,143, compared to $36,445 for Oregon and $33,600 for Idaho. The U.S. average for the same period was $40,859.
Higher income may indicate more higher-priced vehicles in Washington’s roadways, and insurance companies include this in the price you pay for your policy. Also, insurers anticipate that Washington’s residents may have more expensive assets, such as homes, to protect in case of a lawsuit.
Minimum Car Insurance Requirements In WA
According to the Washington State Department of Licensing (dol.wa.gov), each driver must have one of the following: auto insurance, self-insurance, certificate of deposit, or a liability bond.
Minimum insurance requirements in Washington are:
- $25,000 of bodily injury or death of one person in any one accident
- $50,000 of bodily injury or death of any two people in any one accident
- $10,000 of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident
Drivers must always carry proof of insurance in their vehicles while driving in Washington.
Failure to do so is a state traffic infraction while providing false evidence of personal automobile insurance is a misdemeanor.
Reduce The Cost Of Your Car Insurance
Even with its higher population density and disposable income, there are steps you can take to reduce your premiums to get the cheapest car insurance in Washington.
Some of these options may help:
- Inquire about group insurance rates for any organizations or unions you’re a member of
- Ask about low-mileage discounts if you drive infrequently and not too far
- Bundle your auto policy with another insurance product
- Reduce coverage on older, less-valuable cars
- Choose a car that has great safety ratings
- Educate yourself about the basics of auto insurance
- to better communicate with your auto insurance agent
Before you pick up the phone or browse the Internet, you should have some details on hand about your car(s), household, assets that need protection, and driver(s) that will be covered under your personal auto policy.
Create a spreadsheet or list all the pertinent information in a single place:
Vehicle Details:
- Your car’s make, model, and year
- The Vehicle Identification Number
- A full list of safety features included in your car
- Anti-theft devices installed in the vehicle
- A good estimate of annual miles driven using this car
Household Details:
- Where you live
- Where you park your car(s)
- How much liability coverage you need
- An estimated cost of the deductible you wish to pay
- The number of drivers in your home
Driver Details:
- Age of your driver(s). If you are ensuring a teenager, be sure to have that student’s latest school report handy as he or she may be eligible for a good student discount. If you are an older driver, include any information about safe or defensive-driving courses you have completed.
- Driving Record of each driver, including traffic violations with points as well as collisions/thefts.
What Could Increase The Cost Of Your Car Insurance?
There are concrete ways for you to keep down the cost of your automobile policy in Washington. While traffic density and state average income levels are beyond your control, you can make a few habit changes that may help.
- Credit Record: Research shows that drivers with better credit ratings make fewer auto insurance claims and insurance companies may reward you with a lower rate.
- Driving Record: Obey all traffic laws, fight tickets if warranted, and take defensive driver courses after an infraction. In addition to the dangers inherent to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or operating a car when distracted in Washington will quickly add to your personal auto insurance bill.
- Teen Drivers: Review the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) safe teen driving habits with your child before he or she gets behind the wheel. Creating a “Parent-Teen Driving Agreement” may be the first step to ensuring a better driver.
- Senior Drivers: The CDC reports that the risk of injury or death rises with advancing age. Senior fatalities begin to creep upward as age increases, with the highest involvement in fatal accidents recorded on average at age 85. Any of these factors or involvement in motor vehicle accidents may cause an increase in auto premiums.
- Make and Model of Your Car: Your vehicle may be the cause of increased premiums for several reasons, including its cost to repair and replace, need for specialty repairs, and how often thieves steal that make and model.
Shopping For Car Insurance in Washington State
To find the cheapest car insurance in Washington, you need to shop around and find the deal that best fits your needs.
Get at least three quotes from well-established insurers and check the financial stability of these firms using independent rating organizations like Moody’s Investor Services or Standard & Poor’s, ranking and rating firms for more than 150 years.
You may also check to see whether there have been consumer complaints against any of the companies you’re researching.
You can find the cheapest car insurance in Washington by following the steps outlined in this article. Investing a little time and mental energy can pay off for you in the long run when comparing various insurers.
Tidy up some habits and think ahead about who and what you need to protect in case of an accident or car theft.
Read here for more rates from other states.