Determining which insurers offer the best car insurance rates for 4×4 vehicles will require a little more work than just comparing a company or two. Each insurance company has a different formula to determine premium rates, so we will examine the most competitive car insurance companies in Seattle, WA.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for 4×4’s
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capital | $777 |
| 2 | Grange | $847 |
| 3 | Nationwide | $952 |
| 4 | Travelers | $998 |
| 5 | PEMCO | $1,004 |
| 6 | The Hartford | $1,048 |
| 7 | Mutual Enumclaw | $1,054 |
| 8 | Chubb | $1,083 |
| 9 | California Casualty | $1,083 |
| 10 | USAA | $1,092 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,098 |
| 12 | State Farm | $1,130 |
| 13 | American Family | $1,196 |
| 14 | Amica | $1,219 |
| 15 | Safeco | $1,228 |
| 16 | Liberty Mutual | $1,270 |
| 17 | Farmers | $1,355 |
| 18 | Progressive | $1,465 |
| 19 | National General | $1,480 |
| 20 | GEICO | $1,673 |
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Capital quotes some of the best car insurance rates in Seattle at around $777 per year. This is $635 less than the average rate paid by Washington drivers of $1,412. Grange, Nationwide, Travelers, and PEMCO also make the cut as some of the cheapest Seattle, WA insurance companies.
As shown in the table above, if you currently buy coverage from Travelers and switched to Grange, you may realize savings of approximately $151. Customers with PEMCO could save as much as $157 a year, and The Hartford policyholders might see rate reductions of $201 a year.
To get a fast rate comparison, click here to start a quote or click several companies below for low rates.
These estimates are averages for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not calculated with an exact zip code location for 4×4 vehicles. So the company that can offer you the best rate may not even be in the top 25 companies shown above. That helps illustrate why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
The make and model of vehicle you are seeking coverage for is probably the most important factor when comparison shopping for low-priced auto insurance for 4×4 vehicles. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, a plethora of safety features, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than higher performance models. The data below features insurance costs for a selection of the most economical automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $1,594 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,751 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,768 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,802 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $1,890 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $1,897 |
| Ford F-150 XL Crew Cab 2WD | $1,953 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $1,990 |
| Toyota Camry SE | $1,996 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Crew Cab 4WD | $2,024 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $2,030 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $2,027 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $2,032 |
| Kia Optima LX | $2,027 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $2,095 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ Crew Cab 2WD | $2,103 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $2,127 |
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Table data assumes single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-policy. Premium costs do not factor in your specific Seattle, WA location which can lower or raise auto insurance rates significantly.
Looking at the numbers, you can assume that vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Prius, Ford Escape, and Dodge Grand Caravan will be the cheaper vehicles to insure for off-road vehicles.
For off-road vehicles, one of the more important things that determine auto insurance rates is where you choose to live. Areas with a lot of weather claims or more people will most likely pay more, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims profit from lower rates.
The information below rates the highest-priced areas in Washington for 4×4 vehicles to purchase auto insurance in. Seattle ranks #8 with a yearly premium of $1,349 for coverage, which is around $112 monthly.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakewood | $1,434 |
| 2 | Tacoma | $1,427 |
| 3 | Renton | $1,389 |
| 4 | Federal Way | $1,379 |
| 5 | Kent | $1,378 |
| 6 | Auburn | $1,366 |
| 7 | South Hill | $1,354 |
| 8 | Seattle | $1,349 |
| 9 | Shoreline | $1,326 |
| 10 | Marysville | $1,258 |
| 11 | Redmond | $1,251 |
| 12 | Everett | $1,250 |
| 13 | Kirkland | $1,243 |
| 14 | Bellevue | $1,206 |
| 15 | Sammamish | $1,196 |
| 16 | Vancouver | $1,157 |
| 17 | Lacey | $1,122 |
| 18 | Olympia | $1,105 |
| 19 | Spokane | $1,071 |
| 20 | Spokane Valley | $1,054 |
| 21 | Kennewick | $1,041 |
| 22 | Yakima | $1,037 |
| 23 | Pasco | $1,028 |
| 24 | Bellingham | $1,017 |
| 25 | Richland | $1,013 |
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Rate quotes are comparative as the specific Seattle residence address can affect auto insurance rates significantly.
Reckless driving habits raise Seattle car insurance rates
The obvious way to snag the most affordable car insurance premiums in Washington for off-road vehicles is to be a good driver and have a clean driving record. The chart below shows how violations and at-fault fender-benders raise auto insurance rates for each different age group. The costs are based on a married male driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
The data in the chart shows the average cost of auto insurance per year with no violations or accidents is $1,057. Factor in two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $1,447, an increase of $390 each year. Next add two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of car insurance for 4×4 vehicles increases to an average of $3,081. That’s an increase of $2,024, or $169 per month, just for not being more responsible behind the wheel!
Discounts on Seattle car insurance
Insurers that sell policies for 4×4 vehicles may also offer policy discounts that may potentially lower prices by as much as 35% if you are eligible for them. A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer include:
- Progressive may include discounts for good student, online signing, online quote discount, continuous coverage, homeowner, and multi-policy.
- SAFECO offers premium reductions for drive less, safe driver, bundle discounts, anti-theft, and accident prevention training.
- American Family offers discounts including Steer into Savings, multi-vehicle, good student, defensive driver, and air bags.
- MetLife has discounts for good driver, multi-policy, claim-free, good student, and accident-free.
- GEICO has savings for good student, defensive driver, driver training, air bags, and military active duty.
- The Hartford offers discounts for air bag, anti-theft, driver training, vehicle fuel type, bundle, defensive driver, and good student.
The example below compares car insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The price estimates are based on a male driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, Washington state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multiple policy, multiple vehicle, homeowner, accident-free, vehicle safety, and claim-free discounts applied. When taking advantage of discounts, theaverage amount saved on car insurance for 4×4 vehicles is 28% or $385.
The illustration below highlights how deductible choice can increase or decrease insurance costs when researching cheap insurance for 4×4 vehicles. The rate quotes are based on a married male driver, full coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
In the chart above, a 40-year-old driver could pocket $246 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $370 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, like the 20-year-old example, could save as much as $820 every year just by using higher deductibles.
If you do decide to increase your deductibles, it will be important to have enough savings set aside to offset the extra out-of-pocket expense. That is the one drawback of using higher deductibles.
Compare quotes and save
Seattle car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can significantly increase or decrease the policy price. Simply having another birthday, buying a home instead of renting, or having a fender bender can trigger price changes that can cause some rates to be more affordable than the competition. Not only may your situation change, but car insurance companies change the rates they charge in Washington as often as every quarter in order to offset underwriting gains or losses. Higher than normal claims may cause more expensive premiums, while lower claims may cause more affordable Seattle car insurance rates.
For example, the bar chart below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in Seattle, WA for a 45-year-old female driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and a good credit history. If we compare prices based on her current situation, Capital has the lowest car insurance rates in Seattle at $1,117 annually. This is $295 less than the average price paid by Washington drivers of $1,412. Grange, Nationwide, PEMCO, and Travelers are the remainder of the top five cheapest Seattle, WA auto insurance companies.
In this next rate comparison, we will give the driver from the first set of rates a chargeable accident, poor credit, and a traffic citation. Since each insurance company has their own unique process to set policy rates, getting updated rate quotes may now present a significantly different list of the cheapest Seattle car insurance companies as shown below.
Mutual Enumclaw now has the cheapest price in Seattle with California Casualty, USAA, Grange, and Chubb completing the list. This example demonstrates why drivers need to spend some time comparing rates when trying to get affordable car insurance rates for 4×4 vehicles. Prices are made up of many things and can increase or decrease at any time, so the best price two years ago may now be quite expensive.