Best Cheap Car Insurance for Drivers Under 21 in Washington

I’m sure you’ve seen the catchy commercials from insurers like Progressive and Allstate claiming huge savings. So you should just pick one randomly, right?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as there are a whole slew of unknowns like your credit score, if you have any tickets or accidents, and the deductible level you need, that all factor into the price you pay. We will touch on the best ways to pay less and should give you some help in finding cheaper rates.

The car, truck, or SUV needing coverage is probably the most important factor when comparing quotes for the best cheap auto insurance for drivers under 21 in Washington. Vehicles with lots of speed or power, poor safety features, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost more to insure than more modest models.

The information below features car insurance costs for a handful of the more afforable vehicles to insure in Washington.

Data rating is based on single male driver age 18, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Price information does not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can lower or raise premiums considerably.

Based upon the table data, you can conclude that models like the Honda Accord, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler, and Chevrolet Traverse should be some of the more affordable vehicles to insure for minors. Car insurance rates will be more expensive just due to the fact that there is more liability risk for drivers under 21, but in general those particular models will tend to have the cheapest car insurance rates that you’ll find.

One of the many things that is used by auto insurance companies to calculate the annual cost of car insurance is where you keep your vehicle in Washington. Areas with a lot of weather claims or more people like Tacoma, Renton, and Seattle likely pay more, whereas more rural areas get the luxury of paying less.

The next table illustrates the highest-priced places in Washington for drivers under 21 to purchase auto insurance in.

Prices are approximated as the specific geographic location can raise or lower premiums substantially.

The illustration below demonstrates how choosing different deductibles can impact insurance premiums when trying to find cheap insurance for drivers under 21. The premiums assume a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.

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As shown above, a 40-year-old driver could reduce rates by $242 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $366 by using a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, such as the Age 20 example, have the ability to save as much as $796 or even more by selecting a higher deductible.

When raising deductibles, it will be important to have additional funds in a savings account to allow you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense that deters many people from opting for higher deductibles.

How to get discounts on Washington car insurance

Auto insurance companies that provide the best cheap auto insurance for drivers under 21 in Washington may also offer rate discounts that could potentially reduce rates by 40% or more if you meet eligibility requirements. A few popular companies and their offered discounts are included below.

• GEICO may have discounts that include emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, daytime running lights, defensive driver, and anti-lock brakes.
• Travelers policyholders can earn discounts including student away at school, payment discounts, IntelliDrive, hybrid/electric vehicle, and early quote.
• Farm Bureau discounts include driver training, safe driver, 55 and retired, good student, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and youthful driver.
• Liberty Mutual offers discounts including new move discount, new graduate, safety features, new vehicle discount, and exclusive group savings.
• American Family may include discounts for Steer into Savings, bundled insurance, TimeAway discount, good driver, air bags, early bird, and defensive driver.
• Progressive has discounts for homeowner, continuous coverage, online signing, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, online quote discount, and good student.

The diagram below illustrates the difference between annual premium costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The rates are based on a male driver, no violations or accidents, Washington state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with good student, passive restraint, vehicle safety, paid-in-full, anti-theft, and continuous coverage discounts applied. When discounts are applied, the the amount saved on insurance for drivers under 21 is 28% or $721.

google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawDiscqcibChart);function drawDiscqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘Male Driver No Discounts’, ‘Male Driver with Discounts’],[‘Age 18’, 4987,3571],[‘Age 30’, 1833,1329],[‘Age 40’, 1821,1317],[‘Age 50’, 1653,1197],[‘Age 60’, 1603,1159]]);var options = {title: ‘Insurance Rate Comparison for Drivers Under 21’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 500,’chartArea’:{left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’},colors: [‘#6791b9’, ‘#98bee2’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle in Washington’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibdisc’));chart.draw(data, options);}

Who has the cheapest insurance quotes for minors?

There are many different ways to shop for and buy insurance in Washington, but the most common are through a non-exclusive or independent agent, an exclusive agency like Auto-Owners or State Farm, or direct either online or via phone. Each way has the same basic steps, but they differ in how they provide rate quotes.

Independent insurance agencies have contracts with multiple insurance companies and can provide price quotes from all of them. These agents do not write with just one company and can provide you with more rate quotes, which can give you better odds of saving money. If your premiums go up, your policy can be easily switched to a different company and you stay with the same agent.

A captive or exclusive agent is usually restricted to a single insurance company, examples being an Allstate or Liberty Mutual agent. Exclusive agents are unable to provide multiple price quotes, so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do.

Drivers who opt to buy insurance direct skip the middleman (the agent) and instead shop buying direct from a company like Esurance or Geico. Buying insurance direct may be good for consumers who do not need advice for asset protection and understand the exclusions of a policy.

So which way is best to buy the best cheap auto insurance for drivers under 21 in Washington? It would be easy to say buying from a direct car insurance company results in the best prices because there is no agent taking a commission, but unfortunately, that is not always true. A good argument could also be made that buying from an independent agent results in the best rates since there are more companies to choose from, but that idea is not necessarily true either. In many circumstances, the exclusive agents have coverage prices that are the cheapest.

Because of the variability of insurance rates, the one way to get rock-bottom rates is to get quotes and compare. If you have the time, get rate quotes from all three in order to have enough rates to compare. For a list of insurance companies with low rates, click here to view.

How to find cheaper auto insurance for drivers under 21

Here are some thrifty suggestions that can help drivers locate cheap coverage.

• Bundle home and auto and earn a discount
• Better credit rating means better rates
• Safe vehicles cost less to insure
• Avoid at-fault accidents and claims
• Do not pay for full coverage if not needed
• Compare rates regularly to ensure the best deal

That last idea is notably necessary, as was noted in this write-up. Rates change frequently, so don’t be afraid to buy a policy from a new company if a better deal can be had. Loyalty to a specific company is fine, but it’s not recommended if that loyalty ends up costing hundreds every year. Spend a few minutes and shop around to find cheaper car insurance for drivers under 21.