When shopping for auto insurance for new drivers, one of the many considerations that auto insurance companies take into consideration when calculating auto insurance rates is where your residence is in Washington. Areas that are more densely populated like Federal Way, Seattle, and Auburn are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas that are not as densely populated get the luxury of paying less.
The following table sorts the most costly cities in Washington for inexperienced drivers in which to purchase auto insurance.
Rank | City | Annual Premium |
---|---|---|
1 | Federal Way | $1,421 |
2 | Lakewood | $1,420 |
3 | Seattle | $1,405 |
4 | Tacoma | $1,385 |
5 | Auburn | $1,366 |
6 | Renton | $1,361 |
7 | Kent | $1,337 |
8 | South Hill | $1,314 |
9 | Shoreline | $1,312 |
10 | Everett | $1,276 |
11 | Redmond | $1,251 |
12 | Marysville | $1,245 |
13 | Bellevue | $1,243 |
14 | Kirkland | $1,207 |
15 | Sammamish | $1,196 |
16 | Vancouver | $1,157 |
17 | Lacey | $1,122 |
18 | Olympia | $1,105 |
19 | Spokane | $1,093 |
20 | Spokane Valley | $1,087 |
21 | Kennewick | $1,041 |
22 | Pasco | $1,028 |
23 | Yakima | $1,026 |
24 | Bellingham | $987 |
25 | Richland | $983 |
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Annual rates are approximated as the specific geographic location can raise or lower premiums substantially.
The vehicle requiring insurance is a large consideration that determines the availablility of cheap car insurance for inexperienced drivers in Washington. Vehicles with lower performance, good safety features, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than higher performance models.
The table below estimates car insurance premiums for a number of the most cost-effective automobiles to buy coverage for.
Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $603 |
Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $628 |
Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $693 |
Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $709 |
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $716 |
Chevrolet Traverse LT 2WD | $723 |
Ford Explorer Limited 2WD | $729 |
Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $735 |
Honda Civic VP 4-Dr Sedan | $739 |
Hyundai Sonata GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $766 |
Toyota Sienna Limited | $774 |
Toyota Prius | $766 |
Dodge Ram Quad Cab TRX4 Off Road 2WD | $778 |
Subaru Forester X Limited Edition AWD | $781 |
Kia Optima SX | $815 |
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Data based on single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, safe-driver, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Price estimates do not factor in specific location information which can influence prices significantly.
Based upon the rates shown, we can expect models like the Honda Accord, Jeep Wrangler, and Ford Escape are most likely going to be the cheaper vehicles to insure for new drivers.
Establishing which company quotes the lowest-priced insurance rates for inexperienced drivers calls for more time in order to find the best price.
Each insurer uses their own formula to set policy rates, so we’ll take a look at the insurance companies with the overall best prices in Washington.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance for Newbies
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Capital | $777 |
2 | Grange | $822 |
3 | Nationwide | $961 |
4 | PEMCO | $994 |
5 | Mutual Enumclaw | $1,034 |
6 | Travelers | $1,038 |
7 | The Hartford | $1,058 |
8 | USAA | $1,082 |
9 | California Casualty | $1,083 |
10 | Chubb | $1,094 |
11 | State Farm | $1,130 |
12 | Allied | $1,131 |
13 | Safeco | $1,192 |
14 | American Family | $1,196 |
15 | Amica | $1,256 |
16 | Liberty Mutual | $1,270 |
17 | Farmers | $1,329 |
18 | National General | $1,495 |
19 | Progressive | $1,510 |
20 | MetLife | $1,681 |
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Capital may have some of the lowest car insurance rates in Washington at around $777 a year. Grange, Nationwide, PEMCO, and Mutual Enumclaw are also some of the more affordable Washington auto insurance companies.
As illustrated above, if you buy coverage from PEMCO and switched to Capital, you may see a yearly savings of in the vicinity of $217. Drivers with Mutual Enumclaw might save as much as $257 a year, and Travelers policyholders might see rate reductions of $261 a year.
To find cheap car insurance for inexperienced drivers in Washington, click here or quote rates from the companies below.
Understand that those premiums are averages for all insureds and vehicles and are not factoring in a price decrease for inexperienced drivers. So the company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be shown in the above rate chart. That illustrates why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own individual information.
The easiest way to score the cheapest insurance rates for new drivers is to be an attentive driver and not get tickets or have accidents. The diagram below illustrates how traffic citations and accident claims impact yearly insurance costs for different age groups. The rates are based on a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.
In the chart above, the average cost of a car insurance policy in Washington per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,693. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost jumps to $2,246, an increase of $553 each year. Then add in one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of insurance for inexperienced drivers jumps again to an average of $2,799. That’s an increase of $1,106, or $92 per month, just for not driving attentively!
Finding cheap car insurance for inexperienced drivers in Washington is probably important to most people, and a good way to buy cheaper insurance is to not buy full coverage. The information below shows the difference between insurance costs with and without full coverage. The data is based on no claims or driving violations, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
If we average all the age groups together, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs an additional $2,108 per year more than just buying liability insurance. That is a large expense which might make you wonder if paying for full coverage is worth it. There is no set guideline to stop paying for physical damage coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than about 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s claim settlement value is $5,500 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $4,500 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying in excess of $450 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some situations where only buying liability is not financially feasible. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should maintain full coverage.
It is possible to find better rates, and here are many money-saving solutions that can help Washington drivers quote low-cost car insurance.
The last suggestion is incredibly significant, as was noted in this article. Prices can change considerably in a year, so drivers shouldn’t hesitate to change to a new company if a lower price can be found.
Many drivers have brand loyalty and that’s fine, but it isn’t a good idea if that dedication is costing several hundred dollars every year. If you have a few minutes, shop around and find cheaper car insurance for inexperienced drivers.
Thanks to the internet, there are a lot of ways to purchase insurance in Washington, but the most prevalent are either through an exclusive insurance agency such as Liberty Mutual or Allstate, an independent insurance agent, or direct online or over the phone from a company like Progressive or Geico.
Each way has the same basic steps, but they differ slightly in how they work.
Independent insurance agents are appointed by several companies and can compare rates with each one. Agents of this type can sell policies from many different companies and can give you a larger rate selection, which can give you a better chance of finding cheaper coverage. If premiums increase, they simply switch companies in-house and you can remain with the same agent.
A captive, or exclusive, agent is contracted to one company, two of the more popular are State Farm and Allstate agents. These agents normally cannot provide multiple price quotes, so they really need to provide good service.
Buying from a direct company means forego a local insurance agent and instead shop direct online or over the phone from a company like Progressive or Geico. Shopping for insurance direct can be good for consumers who have lower risk management needs and know the limitations of their policy.
So comparing independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct, which one works best for finding cheap car insurance for inexperienced drivers in Washington? Our initial answer would be buying from a direct car insurance company yields the cheapest rates since there is no middleman, but that does not always hold true. An argument could also be made that an independent agency is the best way to save because you have more choices, but that assumption is also not necessarily accurate. In many circumstances, the exclusive agents have very competitive rates that are the cheapest.
Because there is so much variation in insurance prices, the best method to not overpay for insurance is to get as many comparison quotes as possible. Put in the effort to get price quotes all three ways to have the best rate selection. For a list of companies offering online discounts, click here to view.