The Best Cheap Washington Car Insurance for 2024

You can't get behind the wheel in Washington without car insurance. Many drivers pay over $2,000 per year for their coverage, but it's possible to score a much lower rate by focusing your search on the cheapest car insurance in Washington. Here are some of the top providers to consider based on several common driver profiles.

• Best for typical drivers: Geico
• Best for drivers with prior accidents: American Family
• Best for drivers with prior speeding tickets: State Farm
• Best for young drivers: State Farm
• Best for senior drivers: Geico
• Best for drivers looking for minimum coverage: Geico
• Best for drivers with poor credit: Geico

Best for typical drivers

The typical 35-year-old female with a clean driving record pays about $1,523 annually for Washington auto insurance while the typical 35-year-old male pays about $1,563 per year. However, drivers who go with Geico can get coverage for a lot less. It charges typical female drivers about $957 per year and males about $828 per year.

Other companies that offer low-cost car insurance in Washington for typical drivers are:

• State Farm, where both males and females with clean records pay about $1,213 per year on average
• Farmers, which charges typical male drivers about $1,360 annually and typical female drivers about $1,317 per year

Best for drivers with prior accidents

Drivers with a single accident on their record see their Washington auto insurance rates climb to about $2,252 per year on average. For this group, American Family led the list of the best car insurance companies in Washington, charging just $1,452 per year.

Drivers with an accident history should also get car insurance quotes in Washington from these companies:

• State Farm, which charges drivers with a single accident about $1,454 on average
• Geico, where drivers with one accident pay about $1,472 per year

Best for drivers with prior speeding tickets

Speeding tickets also raise Washington auto insurance premiums. The average driver with one speeding ticket pays about $1,911 per year. However, State Farm offers some of the best car insurance in Washington for these drivers at about $1,334 per year.

These insurers also offer cheap auto insurance in Washington to drivers with speeding tickets:

• Geico, where these drivers pay about $1,343 annually
• Nationwide, where drivers with one speeding ticket pay about $1,522 per year

Best for young drivers

Young drivers pay about $5,108 per year for Washington auto insurance. This is based on the profile of an 18-year-old male driver with a clean driving record. State Farm offered these drivers the cheapest rate at $3,012 per year on average.

The following companies also offer affordable car insurance in Washington to teen drivers:

• Geico, where 18-year-old drivers pay $3,279 per year on average
• PEMCO Insurance, where teen drivers pay about $3,485 per year

Best for senior drivers

Seniors have some of the lowest Washington auto insurance premiums, averaging about $1,473 per year. Drivers who go with Geico could pay a lot less, though. Its average premium for a 65-year-old driver with a clean record is $875.

The following companies also offer cheap Washington auto insurance to seniors:

• Nationwide, where 65-year-olds pay about $1,039 annually
• State Farm, where the average annual premium for senior drivers is $1,092

Best for drivers looking for minimum coverage

Washington minimum car insurance costs about $611 on average. But drivers who go with Geico get the same coverage for about $307 per year.

The following companies also offer cheap liability car insurance in Washington:

• Progressive, which charges about $387 per year for minimum coverage
• State Farm, which has an average annual premium of $455 for state minimum coverage

Best for drivers with poor credit

Poor credit raises a typical driver's Washington auto insurance premiums to $2,500 per year. These drivers should explore Geico, which offers them coverage for about $1,510 per year on average.

Other options for drivers with poor credit include:

• Nationwide, where drivers with poor credit pay about $1,880 per year
• Grange Insurance, which charges these drivers about $1,966 per year on average

Average car insurance cost in Washington compared to the national average

How much is car insurance in Washington? It's tough to put an exact number on it because there are so many individual factors that determine a driver's rate. Insurers look at their driving history, address, vehicle make and model, and more.

The average annual Washington auto insurance premium is $2,001. This is 27% under the national average of $2,646 per year.

It's a similar situation across other categories such as drivers who have had a speeding ticket. Washington drivers that fall into that category typically are paying 36% less than the national average.

Washington auto insurance laws

Here are some Washington car insurance laws all drivers should know:

Washington is an at-fault state

Washington is an at-fault auto insurance state. This means that in the event of an accident involving two or more vehicles, the driver found to be at fault pays for the medical bills of everyone involved. This is different from no-fault states where each driver bills their own insurer for medical costs, regardless of who caused the accident.

Consequences for driving without insurance in Washington

Drivers who are caught without insurance in Washington could face fines of up to $550. If they cause an accident, their license could also be suspended if they fail to pay for the resulting damages or injuries.

Washington minimum coverage requirements

All drivers in Washington state must have the following types of car insurance coverage:

Bodily injury liability coverage

Drivers must have at least:

• $25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person
• $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident

Property damage liability coverage

In addition, drivers must have at least $10,000 to cover any damage to other people's personal property.

How to get cheap auto insurance in Washington

Try these tips to score the cheapest car insurance in Washington:

• Compare rates from multiple companies. Every insurer weighs the components of your application differently. This results in different premium costs for each driver. The only way to know which offers you the best rate is to get car insurance quotes from several companies.
• Claim all possible discounts. Discounts on car insurance can help reduce monthly premium costs. Some are automatically applied to qualifying drivers while others may require the drivers to opt into a particular program.
• Raise your deductible. Deductibles are the out-of-pocket costs you pay when filing a claim, while premiums are your monthly costs. They're inversely correlated, so raising the deductible usually lowers the premiums.

Other things to consider when looking for car insurance in Washington

Here are some other things drivers should bear in mind when shopping for Washington auto insurance:

Washington sees thousands of auto thefts annually

Washington has the fourth-highest rate of auto thefts in the country, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Yakima, Washington alone saw 1,325 thefts in 2019. State minimum coverage doesn't protect the policyholder's vehicle against theft. Drivers who are worried about this should consider adding comprehensive coverage to their policy. This also protects the policyholder's vehicle against animal-vehicle collisions, weather damage, vandalism, and more.

1 in 5 Washington drivers are uninsured

Washington also has the fifth-highest rate of uninsured drivers in the nation. If you're hit by one of these drivers, odds are good that you'll end up paying for your medical bills and vehicle repairs on your own. To avoid this, consider adding uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. This kicks in if the policyholder is hit by a driver who doesn't have insurance or who doesn't have enough to cover the full cost of the damages.

Need Homeowners Insurance? Check out The Ascent's guide to the best cheap Washington homeowners insurance.