Wouldn’t it be excellent if we could look into our crystal ball and tell you the company that has the cheapest policy rates for safe drivers? It’s just not that easy, however, as there are many unknown factors like what deductibles to use for physical damage coverage, the amount of liability coverage you want, and your credit score, that all impact the cost of coverage. We are going to cover some of these topics and hopefully give you enough understanding to have some help in finding cheaper rates.
The type of vehicle you are seeking coverage for is one of the main factors that determines whether or not you find the best auto insurance for safe drivers. Vehicles with lower performance, a great safety record, or a track record of few liability claims will cost much less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The information below estimates auto insurance prices for some of the more affordable vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $1,785 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $1,788 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,794 |
| Ford F-150 XL Regular Cab 4WD | $1,788 |
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,802 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $1,848 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,891 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $1,897 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $1,891 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,897 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport Package 4WD | $1,925 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,942 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,956 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $1,982 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,993 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Rear Entertainment | $1,998 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $2,127 |
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Data based on single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, safe-driver, and multi-policy. Premium costs do not factor in specific location information which can raise or lower premiums significantly.
Looking at the data, we can expect makes and models like the Ford Escape, Jeep Wrangler, and Dodge Grand Caravan should be the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for good drivers.
For good drivers, one of the big components that are used to help calculate the annual cost of car insurance is where your car is garaged. Areas with more people or even just a higher incidence of claims will most likely have higher rates, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates have the benefit of cheaper car insurance.
The information below ranks the most costly cities in Washington for safe drivers to buy auto insurance in. Seattle comes in at #3 with an annual rate of $1,405 for the average insured, which is around $117 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tacoma | $1,441 |
| 2 | Federal Way | $1,435 |
| 3 | Seattle | $1,405 |
| 4 | Lakewood | $1,378 |
| 5 | Auburn | $1,366 |
| 6 | Shoreline | $1,352 |
| 7 | Kent | $1,350 |
| 8 | Renton | $1,348 |
| 9 | South Hill | $1,300 |
| 10 | Marysville | $1,258 |
| 11 | Bellevue | $1,256 |
| 12 | Everett | $1,250 |
| 13 | Kirkland | $1,231 |
| 14 | Redmond | $1,201 |
| 15 | Vancouver | $1,192 |
| 16 | Sammamish | $1,184 |
| 17 | Olympia | $1,116 |
| 18 | Spokane | $1,104 |
| 19 | Spokane Valley | $1,098 |
| 20 | Lacey | $1,089 |
| 21 | Yakima | $1,068 |
| 22 | Bellingham | $1,007 |
| 23 | Kennewick | $1,001 |
| 24 | Pasco | $998 |
| 25 | Richland | $993 |
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Prices are comparative as the vehicle garaging location can change auto insurance rates greatly.
The illustration below shows how choosing a deductible can increase or decrease insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for safe drivers. Data assumes a married female driver, full coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.
As shown above, a 30-year-old driver could lower their policy premium by $316 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $476 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Youthful drivers, like the age 20 example, could reduce their rates $672 or even more just by choosing higher deductibles when buying full coverage.
If you do decide to increase your deductibles, it will be important to have additional savings on hand to enable you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense that deters many people from opting for higher deductibles.
Cost of full coverage in Seattle
Buying cheaper car insurance is probably important to the majority of vehicle owners, and an effective way to buy cheap insurance for safe drivers is to only pay for liability coverage. The information below shows the difference between car insurance costs with and without full coverage. The premiums are based on a clean driving record, no claims, $250 deductibles, drivers are single, and no policy discounts are applied.
If averaged for all ages, full coverage on your policy costs $1,553 per year more than just insuring for liability. That raises the question if physical damage coverage is worth the money. There is no clear-cut rule of when to exclude physical damage coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are some scenarios where dropping physical damage coverage is not in your best interest. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you are required to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not eliminate full coverage.
Shop around and save
Seattle car insurance rates are impacted by many factors which can substantially change the cost of coverage. Improving your credit rating, buying a home, or getting caught speeding can cause premium changes resulting in some rates now being affordable when they were higher priced.
Additionally, insurance companies file new Washington auto insurance rates as needed to ensure their profitability. Unexpectedly high claims can cause additional price hikes, while profitable underwriting may cause lower-priced Seattle car insurance rates.
The bar chart below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in Seattle, WA for a 45-year-old male driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and good credit. If we compare prices based on his current situation, Capital might quote the best car insurance rates in Seattle at $1,084 annually. This is $328 less than the average rate paid by Washington drivers of $1,412. Grange, Nationwide, PEMCO, and Travelers also make the list of the top five cheapest Seattle, WA auto insurance companies.
Now let’s give the driver from the first set of rates an accident surcharge, slightly worse credit, and a few traffic violations. Since each company uses their own formula to determining premium rates, comparing prices may result in a different set of companies as shown below.
USAA now has the best car insurance rate in Seattle, WA with The Hartford, Chubb, California Casualty, and Allied now being in the top five. This example illustrates why Seattle drivers need to compare lots of rates to find the most economical auto insurance quotes for safe drivers. Insurance prices are calculated by many factors and change dramatically, so the best option when you last compared rates may now be an over-priced policy.