You’ve seen the ads from companies like Progressive and Liberty Mutual that promise dirt cheap rates, so you should just pick the company with the best ad, right?
That is not the case, however, as there are a whole slew of unknown elements such as whether you are married or single, the level of deductible you choose, and your financial responsibility. This article will detail the types of situations that result in high rates and should give you a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance.
Deciphering which insurers offer the lowest-priced car insurance rates for teenagers involves a tad more effort in order to find the most economical policy.
Every insurance company has a proprietary method for filing rates in each state, so let’s rank the car insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Washington. It’s important to know that Washington car insurance rates are calculated based on many things that control the price you pay. Getting older, marrying your spouse, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign may generate price changes that can now make some companies cheaper in comparison to the competition.
Find Cheaper Car Insurance for Teens
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawWAT5qcibChart);function drawWAT5qcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Company’, ‘Rate’, { role: ‘style’ }], [‘Capital’, 761, ‘#338FCF’], [‘Grange’, 838, ‘#2A77AC’], [‘Nationwide’, 952, ‘#23638F’], [‘PEMCO’, 974, ‘#1D5277’], [‘Travelers’, 1028, ‘#184463’]]);var options = {title: ‘Top Five Low-Cost Auto Insurance Companies in Washington’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’, fontSize: 17, bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 300,’chartArea’: {left:0,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},bar: {groupWidth: “90%”},legend: {position: ‘none’},vAxis: {viewWindowMode:’explicit’,viewWindow:{max:1128,min:0}}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});var view = new google.visualization.DataView(data);view.setColumns([0, 1,{ calc: “stringify”,sourceColumn: 1,type: “string”,role: “annotation” },2]);formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);var chart = new google.visualization.ColumnChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibt5cic’));chart.draw(view, options);}
Capital quotes some of the best car insurance rates in Washington at around $761 per year. Grange, Nationwide, PEMCO, and Travelers also qualify as some of the cheaper Washington car insurance companies.
As the example above demonstrates, if you are a policyholder with PEMCO and switched to Grange, you might realize a yearly savings of upwards of $136. Washington drivers with Travelers could save as much as $190 a year, and Mutual Enumclaw policyholders might cut rates by $216 a year.
Remember that these estimates are averaged across all drivers and vehicles and and are not figured with a rate surcharge for teenagers. So the company that fits your age and vehicle best may not even be in the company chart above. That emphasizes why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
We all have different tastes in cars, and the vehicle that is being insured is probably the biggest factor when shopping around for the cheapest auto insurance for teenagers in Washington. Vehicles with more horsepower, poor safety features, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than more economical and safe models.
The next tables estimates coverage prices for a number of the cheapest vehicles to insure in Washington.
Make, Model, and Trim Level | Annual Cost | Semi-Annual Cost | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Ford Focus SE 2-Dr Coupe | $3,776 | $1,888 | $315 |
Honda Accord EX-L 2-Dr Coupe | $3,806 | $1,903 | $317 |
Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $3,014 | $1,507 | $251 |
Hyundai Sonata SE 4-Dr Sedan | $3,776 | $1,888 | $315 |
Kia Optima LX | $3,594 | $1,797 | $300 |
Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $3,324 | $1,662 | $277 |
Toyota Corolla S | $3,506 | $1,753 | $292 |
Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $3,226 | $1,613 | $269 |
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Above prices assume single male driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Table data does not factor in specific zip code location which can revise premium rates considerably.
Make, Model, and Trim Level | Annual Cost | Semi-Annual Cost | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Acura RDX AWD | $3,014 | $1,507 | $251 |
BMW X5 4.8I AWD | $3,778 | $1,889 | $315 |
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid 4WD | $4,444 | $2,222 | $370 |
Chevrolet Traverse LT 2WD | $2,860 | $1,430 | $238 |
Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $2,800 | $1,400 | $233 |
Ford Explorer Limited 4WD | $3,354 | $1,677 | $280 |
GMC Acadia SLE AWD | $3,324 | $1,662 | $277 |
Honda CR-V LX 2WD | $2,800 | $1,400 | $233 |
Honda Pilot EX 4WD | $3,170 | $1,585 | $264 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $3,324 | $1,662 | $277 |
Jeep Patriot Limited 2WD | $3,324 | $1,662 | $277 |
Toyota 4Runner SR/5 4WD | $3,044 | $1,522 | $254 |
Toyota Highlander Limited 4WD | $3,564 | $1,782 | $297 |
Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $3,324 | $1,662 | $277 |
Volvo XC90 3.2 R-Design 2WD | $3,536 | $1,768 | $295 |
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Cost estimates assume single male driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Rates do not factor in specific location which can revise auto insurance rates greatly.
Make, Model, and Trim Level | Annual Cost | Semi-Annual Cost | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LT Crew Cab 4WD | $4,266 | $2,133 | $356 |
Chevrolet Silverado LS Crew Cab 2WD | $3,806 | $1,903 | $317 |
Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab SLT 4WD | $3,834 | $1,917 | $320 |
Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 2WD | $3,778 | $1,889 | $315 |
Dodge Ram Crew Cab TRX 4WD | $3,834 | $1,917 | $320 |
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Super Cab 4WD | $3,354 | $1,677 | $280 |
Ford F-250 XL Super Cab Turbo Diesel 4WD | $4,082 | $2,041 | $340 |
GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $3,536 | $1,768 | $295 |
GMC Sierra SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $3,324 | $1,662 | $277 |
Toyota Tundra Regular Cab 2WD | $3,380 | $1,690 | $282 |
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Data based on single male driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Table data does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can increase or decrease coverage rates noticeably.
Finding the cheapest auto insurance for teenagers in Washington is important to most people, and one of the quickest ways to find cheaper insurance is to only pay for liability coverage. The diagram below visualizes the comparison of yearly insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage. The data is based on no violations or accidents, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.
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As an average, full coverage on your policy costs an additional $1,242 per year more than insuring for liability only. Many drivers will wonder if buying full coverage is a waste of money. There is no written rule for dropping comp and collision coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of coverage is 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some situations where only buying liability is not a good plan. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you have to carry full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should maintain full coverage.
If you want the best auto insurance for teen drivers in Washington, four of the larger companies to compare rates for are Progressive, Geico, State Farm, and Allstate. The data below ranks some of the ratings and options that are available for policyholders.
Progressive | Geico | State Farm | Allstate | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Customer Satisfaction | 3rd | 1st | 4th | 2nd |
Price Rank | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 4th |
Policy Discounts | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | 1st |
Handling of Claims | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st |
Uber and Lyft insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Mechnical breakdown | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Roadside assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Accident forgiveness | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
New car replacement coverage | No | No | No | Yes |
Rating based on usage | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Insure in Washington | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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There are many ways to find affordable car insurance in Washington, but the most popular are through a captive (or exclusive) agency like State Farm or Allstate, an independent or non-exclusive agent, or from a direct company like Progressive or Geico. All three ways are similar, but it’s important to understand the differences in how they function.
Independent agents have contracts with multiple insurance companies and can compare coverage rates with each one. These types of agents will give you more rates, which can help you get better odds of saving money. If the agent locates a cheaper price, your policy can be easily switched to a new company without you having to go to a different agency.
An exclusive ageny is usually restricted to one insurance company, a couple examples are a State Farm or Farmers agent. These agents usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies, so unless you get quotes from other companies, you cannot determine which is cheapest.
If you want to buy car insurance direct, you skip a local insurance agent and instead buy direct either online or via phone. Shopping for car insurance direct may be preferred by consumers who do not have a need for a risk management assessment and have an above average understanding of what coverages, limits, and deductibles they need.
Which way is best to buy the cheapest auto insurance for teenagers in Washington? Most drivers assume that shopping direct saves money because you bypass the agent, but that generally is not the case. We could also assume that an independent agency is the best way to go since they have access to many companies, but again, it’s not a sure thing. In the right set of circumstances, the exclusive agents have price quotes well below independent agents AND direct companies.
Since car insurance rates vary so much, really the best method to ensure you are not overpaying for car insurance is to compare lots of quotes. Take some time and get prices from all three types in order to have the best selection to choose from. For a list of companies offering online discounts, click here to view.