The words “cheap” and “auto insurance” probably shouldn’t be used together, especially when you are looking for the best car insurance rates for 18 year olds. To help control this cost, let’s get started by showing you some of the things that have an impact on insurance prices, and find a way to reduce the price of your next policy.
Finding decent, low-priced car insurance is confusing at best, and deciding which companies offer the most affordable car insurance rates for 18 year olds will require even more work.
Each auto insurance company has a proprietary formula for establishing rates, so we’ll take a look at the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in Seattle.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for Teens
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capital | $777 |
| 2 | Grange | $813 |
| 3 | Nationwide | $961 |
| 4 | PEMCO | $1,004 |
| 5 | Travelers | $1,038 |
| 6 | USAA | $1,060 |
| 7 | Mutual Enumclaw | $1,065 |
| 8 | The Hartford | $1,090 |
| 9 | Chubb | $1,094 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,098 |
| 11 | California Casualty | $1,105 |
| 12 | State Farm | $1,130 |
| 13 | American Family | $1,172 |
| 14 | Amica | $1,206 |
| 15 | Safeco | $1,228 |
| 16 | Liberty Mutual | $1,296 |
| 17 | Farmers | $1,369 |
| 18 | National General | $1,480 |
| 19 | Progressive | $1,510 |
| 20 | MetLife | $1,681 |
| View More Rates Go | ||
Capital quotes some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Seattle at around $777 annually. This is $635 less than the average premium paid by Washington drivers of $1,412. Grange, Nationwide, PEMCO, and Travelers are also some of the cheapest Seattle, WA insurance companies.
As shown in the table above, if you are a customer of PEMCO and switched to Capital, you may realize savings of roughly $227. Drivers with Travelers could save as much as $261 a year, and USAA insureds might lower prices by up to $283 a year.
To compare your rates to other Washington insurance companies, click here to start your custom quote or feel free to get quotes from the companies below.
Remember that these estimates are averages across all drivers and vehicles and and are not figured with an exact location for 18 year olds. So the auto insurance company that has the lowest price for you may not even be in the list above. That underscores the importance of why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
For teen drivers, one of the big components that determine the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you keep your vehicle. Areas with increased crime or more people are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with less congestion have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.
The following table ranks the highest-priced areas in Washington for 18 year olds to buy an auto insurance policy in. Seattle is ranked #6 with an annual cost of $1,349 for car insurance, which is around $112 each month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tacoma | $1,427 |
| 2 | Federal Way | $1,393 |
| 3 | Kent | $1,391 |
| 4 | Lakewood | $1,378 |
| 5 | Auburn | $1,366 |
| 6 | Seattle | $1,349 |
| 7 | Renton | $1,348 |
| 8 | Shoreline | $1,312 |
| 9 | South Hill | $1,300 |
| 10 | Everett | $1,276 |
| 11 | Marysville | $1,245 |
| 12 | Kirkland | $1,231 |
| 13 | Bellevue | $1,219 |
| 14 | Redmond | $1,214 |
| 15 | Sammamish | $1,184 |
| 16 | Vancouver | $1,181 |
| 17 | Lacey | $1,111 |
| 18 | Olympia | $1,105 |
| 19 | Spokane Valley | $1,065 |
| 20 | Spokane | $1,060 |
| 21 | Yakima | $1,057 |
| 22 | Kennewick | $1,011 |
| 23 | Pasco | $988 |
| 24 | Bellingham | $987 |
| 25 | Richland | $983 |
| Start a Quote Go | ||
Premium amounts are comparative as specific Seattle zip code can impact prices significantly.
The vehicle driven is one of the primary factors that determines if you can find economical insurance for 18 year olds. Vehicles with lower acceleration and performance, good safety features, or a positive history of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than fast, unsafe models. The list below ranks insurance prices for some of the more affordable vehicles to buy coverage for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $5,148 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $5,156 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $5,205 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $5,356 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $5,553 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $5,563 |
| Toyota Prius | $5,607 |
| Ford F-150 XL Super Cab 2WD | $5,704 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 2WD | $5,760 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $5,765 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $6,051 |
| Ford Edge SEL 2WD | $6,057 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $6,108 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $6,117 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD | $6,108 |
| Start Your Quote Go | |
Cost estimates assume single female driver age 18, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Price estimates do not factor in garaging location in Seattle, WA which can change premium rates noticeably.
By looking at the data, you can expect makes and models like the Ford Escape, Hyundai Elantra, Honda CR-V, and Jeep Wrangler will definitely be the cheapest vehicles to insure for teen drivers. The cost of auto insurance will be more costly just because there is more claim risk for 18 year olds, but in general those vehicles will have the best rates available.
Insuring your vehicle with a highly-rated company is difficult considering how many companies are available to choose from in Seattle. The company information shown below could help you select which providers you want to consider when comparing auto insurance rates for 18 year olds. The ratings below are only comprised of large, nationwide insurance companies, so companies that focus mainly on Washington business will not be included in this list.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 98 | 100 | 100 | 94% | A++ | 98.6 |
| American Family | 98 | 89 | 100 | 86% | A | 95.4 |
| State Farm | 88 | 93 | 96 | 90% | A++ | 92.4 |
| The Hartford | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89% | A+ | 91.7 |
| AAA Insurance | 88 | 89 | 95 | 91% | A | 91.2 |
| GEICO | 84 | 93 | 93 | 89% | A++ | 90.3 |
| The General | 89 | 91 | 89 | 88% | A- | 90 |
| Titan Insurance | 90 | 87 | 91 | 95% | A+ | 89.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 91 | 93 | 87% | A+ | 89.5 |
| Allstate | 85 | 90 | 92 | 88% | A+ | 89.3 |
| Nationwide | 87 | 88 | 84 | 90% | A+ | 88.7 |
| Liberty Mutual | 84 | 87 | 93 | 88% | A | 88.5 |
| 21st Century | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88% | A | 86.7 |
| Esurance | 85 | 80 | 95 | 87% | A+ | 85.9 |
| Safeco | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Liability only or full coverage
Finding cheaper car insurance should be important to the majority of drivers, and one good way to find cheaper insurance for 18 year olds is to not buy comprehensive and collision coverage. The illustration below illustrates the comparison of yearly insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Washington. The costs are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
As an average for all age groups, full coverage on your policy costs $2,266 per year more than buying just liability insurance. Many of you may wonder if buying full coverage is a good investment. There is no definitive formula for excluding physical damage coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than around 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some circumstances where removing full coverage is not in your best interest. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not buy liability only.
Tips for finding economical car insurance for 18 year olds
Here are some of the recommended thrifty suggestions that can help Seattle drivers locate low-cost car insurance.
- Increase the comprehensive and collision deductibles on your policy
- Do not get into accidents
- Do not get traffic citations
- Do not pay for full coverage on older vehicles
- Avoid filing small claims
- Comparison shop at least once a year
That final tip is extraordinarily important, as we noted in the prior information. Prices charged by car insurance companies can change considerably in a year, so drivers shouldn’t be reluctant to change to a new company if a cheaper price is available. Many drivers have brand loyalty and that’s fine, but it’s not recommended if your bullheadedness ends up costing you a fortune every year. If you have a few minutes, now is a great time to compare prices to find cheaper insurance for 18 year olds in Seattle.