You have most likely seen the ads from companies like GEICO and Liberty Mutual promising big savings. So you just need to pick one randomly, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as there are many unknown aspects like the type of vehicle you drive, what level of deductibles you wish to have, if you have any tickets or accidents, and where you live, that all factor into the price you pay. We know insurance is not everyone’s favorite topic, but in this article we will cover some of these factors and will hopefully give you a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance in Seattle.
Determining which companies have the cheapest insurance rates for good drivers will require a bit more effort in order to find the best policy. Each insurer has a proprietary method to set their prices, so we’ll go over the insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in Washington.
It’s important that you understand Seattle insurance rates are based on many factors that will increase or decrease the cost of coverage. Turning one year older, buying higher coverage limits, or getting a couple of tickets can trigger price changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper in comparison to the competition.
Cheap Insurance Rates for Good Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capital | $777 |
| 2 | Grange | $813 |
| 3 | PEMCO | $964 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $981 |
| 5 | Travelers | $1,008 |
| 6 | The Hartford | $1,048 |
| 7 | Mutual Enumclaw | $1,054 |
| 8 | USAA | $1,082 |
| 9 | California Casualty | $1,083 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,109 |
| 11 | Chubb | $1,116 |
| 12 | State Farm | $1,176 |
| 13 | Safeco | $1,192 |
| 14 | American Family | $1,208 |
| 15 | Amica | $1,219 |
| 16 | Liberty Mutual | $1,309 |
| 17 | Farmers | $1,315 |
| 18 | National General | $1,495 |
| 19 | Progressive | $1,525 |
| 20 | MetLife | $1,631 |
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Capital has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Seattle at around $777 a year. Grange, PEMCO, Nationwide, and Travelers also make the cut as some of the best Seattle, WA auto insurance companies.
In the above example, if you currently buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to Capital, you might achieve yearly savings of approximately $204. Washington drivers with Travelers may save as much as $231 a year, and The Hartford customers might see rate reductions of $271 a year.
If you want to find out if you’re overpaying, click here to start your custom quote or click several companies below for low rates.
It’s important to note that these premium estimates are averages for all types of insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration an exact vehicle garaging location for good drivers. So the auto insurance company that fits your situation best may not even be in the top 25 companies in the list above. That affirms the importance of why you need to compare rates from multiple companies using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
One of the more important considerations that are looked at to help calculate the price you pay for insurance is where you call home. Areas with more people or more claims likely pay more, whereas areas that tend to be more rural have the enjoyment of a little cheaper coverage.
The next table shows the highest-priced areas in Washington for good drivers to buy auto insurance in. Seattle shows up at #3 with a yearly premium of $1,405 on average, which is around $117 monthly.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tacoma | $1,427 |
| 2 | Auburn | $1,408 |
| 3 | Seattle | $1,405 |
| 4 | Renton | $1,403 |
| 5 | Federal Way | $1,393 |
| 6 | Lakewood | $1,378 |
| 7 | Kent | $1,350 |
| 8 | South Hill | $1,314 |
| 9 | Shoreline | $1,312 |
| 10 | Everett | $1,288 |
| 11 | Redmond | $1,251 |
| 12 | Sammamish | $1,232 |
| 13 | Bellevue | $1,219 |
| 14 | Marysville | $1,208 |
| 15 | Kirkland | $1,207 |
| 16 | Vancouver | $1,192 |
| 17 | Lacey | $1,122 |
| 18 | Spokane Valley | $1,098 |
| 19 | Olympia | $1,083 |
| 20 | Spokane | $1,060 |
| 21 | Yakima | $1,057 |
| 22 | Kennewick | $1,031 |
| 23 | Pasco | $1,028 |
| 24 | Bellingham | $987 |
| 25 | Richland | $983 |
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Table data uses estimated as the specific geographic location can impact price quotes noticeably.
The vehicle on the policy is one of the largest factors when trying to find cheap car insurance for good drivers. Vehicles with lots of speed or power, poor safety ratings, or an increased likelihood of liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer models.
The next table estimates car insurance premiums for some of the cheaper automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $1,460 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $1,584 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $1,606 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $1,675 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,697 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $1,729 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $1,734 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $1,820 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Regular Cab 2WD | $1,842 |
| Ford Fusion SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,853 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Extended Cab 4WD | $1,860 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,853 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $1,860 |
| GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $1,886 |
| Nissan Rogue SL AWD | $1,946 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $1,982 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $1,988 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LT Crew Cab Diesel 2WD | $2,012 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Off-Road Package 4WD | $2,020 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $2,051 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $2,081 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $2,086 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $2,125 |
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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 claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and homeowner. Rate quotes do not factor in garaging location in Seattle, WA which can alter insurance rates significantly.
Looking at the data, makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda Accord, and Ford Edge are likely to be the more affordable vehicles to insure for safe drivers.
Tickets and at-fault accidents raise rates
The common sense way to score low insurance rates in Seattle for safe drivers is to drive carefully and not receive tickets or have accidents. The chart below illustrates how violations and at-fault accidents increase insurance prices for each different age group. The premiums assume a single female driver, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
In the prior example, the average cost of auto insurance in Washington per year with no violations or accidents is $1,967. Receive one speeding ticket and the average cost hikes up to $2,230, an increase of $262 each year. Now add in two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of insurance for good drivers jumps again to an average of $4,516. That’s an increase of $2,548, or $212 per month, just for not maintaining a clean driving record!
Get discounts on Seattle auto insurance rates
Insurance companies that offer quotes for good drivers may also give you premium discounts that could reduce prices by as much as 35% or more if you meet certain criteria. Companies and some of their more popular discounts are included below.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for five-year accident-free, federal employee, air bags, emergency military deployment, multi-vehicle, and seat belt use.
- Travelers has savings for continuous insurance, hybrid/electric vehicle, early quote, IntelliDrive, and multi-policy.
- Nationwide has discounts for business or organization, defensive driving, easy pay, Farm Bureau membership, anti-theft, accident-free, and multi-policy.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include switch companies, electronic funds transfer, multi-car, pay in full, bundle discounts, mature driver, and teen driver.
- Esurance policyholders can earn discounts including paid-in-full, safety device, anti-lock brakes, renters, DriveSense, anti-theft, and emergency road assistance.
- State Farm includes discounts for good student, good driver, accident-free, student away at school, Steer Clear safe driver discount, passive restraint, and multiple policy.
- Progressive discounts include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, and online signing.
- Mercury Insurance offers discounts for good driver, multi-policy, accident-free, low natural disaster claims, and anti-theft.
The illustration below shows the difference between yearly insurance costs with and without discounts. The premiums assume a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, Washington state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with multiple policy, anti-theft, multiple vehicle, claim-free, vehicle safety, and defensive driving course discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, theaverage yearly reduction on insurance for good drivers is 28% or $367.
Cost comparison with and without full coverage
Finding cheaper insurance should be important to most drivers, and one easy way to pay less for insurance for good drivers is to only pay for liability coverage. The example below shows the comparison of insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The price estimates are based on no claims or driving violations, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.
As an average for all age groups, physical damage coverage on your policy costs $2,108 per year more than buying just liability insurance. Many drivers will wonder if you should buy full coverage. There is no specific rule of when to phase out comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of coverage is about 10% or more of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s book value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most you would get paid by your company is $5,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying more than $500 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
There are some scenarios where dropping physical damage coverage is not in your best interest. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan requirements. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should keep full coverage in place.
How to find cheaper auto insurance for good drivers
Here are some thrifty ideas that can help Washington drivers get lower-cost auto insurance.
- Do not insure for full coverage
- Drivers with good credit ratings often pay less
- Buy your homeowners policy from the same company as your auto insurance
- Prevent price hikes by avoiding at-fault accidents
- Safer vehicles cost less to insure
- Compare rate quotes frequently
That last idea is certainly necessary, as was stressed in the prior information. Auto insurance prices change frequently, so drivers shouldn’t be resistant to buy a policy from a new company if you can find a cheaper rate. Staying with the same company for years is fine, but it’s not a great idea if that inflexibility results in costing you hundreds every year. It only takes a couple minutes to shop around and find cheaper car insurance for good drivers in Seattle.