Wouldn’t it be perfect if we could tell you instantly that one special company that has the lowest rates for drivers with a bad driving record? It’s not quite that easy, unfortunately, as there are a whole bunch of unknowns like if you need full coverage or just liability, your date of birth, how high your deductibles should be, and where you live. This article will discuss the things that influence insurance rates and should give you a jump start in finding the best auto insurance in Seattle.
Deciphering which company has the lowest-priced insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record will take a little more effort than just getting one or two price quotes. Every car insurance company uses a slightly different approach for determining rates in each state, so let’s look at the rankings for the lowest cost insurance companies in Seattle, WA.
We do need to point out that Seattle insurance rates are based on many factors that may substantially change the policy price. Getting older, increasing deductibles, or having an accident can trigger price changes resulting in some companies being more affordable than others.
Cheap Insurance Rates for Imperfect Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capital | $761 |
| 2 | Grange | $847 |
| 3 | Nationwide | $981 |
| 4 | PEMCO | $994 |
| 5 | Travelers | $1,028 |
| 6 | Mutual Enumclaw | $1,054 |
| 7 | The Hartford | $1,058 |
| 8 | USAA | $1,060 |
| 9 | California Casualty | $1,105 |
| 10 | Chubb | $1,127 |
| 11 | State Farm | $1,130 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,142 |
| 13 | American Family | $1,172 |
| 14 | Amica | $1,206 |
| 15 | Safeco | $1,216 |
| 16 | Liberty Mutual | $1,270 |
| 17 | Farmers | $1,355 |
| 18 | National General | $1,480 |
| 19 | Progressive | $1,510 |
| 20 | MetLife | $1,647 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
Capital normally has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Seattle at around $761 each year. This is $651 less than the average policy premium paid by Washington drivers of $1,412. Grange, Nationwide, PEMCO, and Travelers also rank well as some of the lowest-priced Seattle, WA car insurance companies.
As shown in the table above, if you currently have coverage with Grange and switched to Capital, you could realize an annual premium reduction of upwards of $86. Insureds with Nationwide may save as much as $220 a year, and PEMCO insureds might lower prices by $233 a year.
Be aware that those policy rates are averaged across all drivers and vehicles and do not take into consideration a vehicle location for drivers with a bad driving record. So the insurer that fits your situation best may not even be in the top 25 companies in the list above. That points out the importance of why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own individual information.
For bad drivers, one of the big criteria that help determine the cost of insurance is where your residence is in Seattle. Areas with high crime rates or more dense population tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims have the luxury of cheap car insurance rates.
The information below shows the most expensive cities in Washington for drivers with a bad driving record to buy an auto insurance policy in. Seattle makes the list at #3 with a yearly premium of $1,391 for the average policy, which is approximately $116 each month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tacoma | $1,427 |
| 2 | Auburn | $1,408 |
| 3 | Seattle | $1,391 |
| 4 | Federal Way | $1,379 |
| 5 | Lakewood | $1,378 |
| 6 | Kent | $1,350 |
| 7 | Renton | $1,348 |
| 8 | South Hill | $1,314 |
| 9 | Shoreline | $1,312 |
| 10 | Everett | $1,288 |
| 11 | Marysville | $1,258 |
| 12 | Redmond | $1,251 |
| 13 | Bellevue | $1,219 |
| 14 | Kirkland | $1,207 |
| 15 | Sammamish | $1,196 |
| 16 | Vancouver | $1,192 |
| 17 | Spokane | $1,104 |
| 18 | Lacey | $1,089 |
| 19 | Olympia | $1,072 |
| 20 | Spokane Valley | $1,065 |
| Find Cheaper Insurance Go | ||
Annual rates are approximated as the specific area where the vehicle is garaged can raise or lower coverage prices significantly.
The example below illustrates how your deductible choice can affect insurance costs when quoting cheap insurance for drivers with a bad driving record. The premiums are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.
As shown above, a 50-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $280 a year by switching their comprehensive and collision coverages from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $422 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, like the 20-year-old, can save as much as $710 every year by choosing a higher deductible. When raising deductibles, it will be required to have plenty of money set aside to allow you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the primary disadvantage of high deductibles.
Discount Seattle insurance
Insurance companies that offer quotes for drivers with a bad driving record may also offer rate discounts that could reduce prices by as much as 30% if you meet certain criteria. Popular insurance companies and the discounts they provide are outlined below.
- GEICO may include discounts for air bags, federal employee, multi-vehicle, good student, anti-theft, driver training, and five-year accident-free.
- MetLife discounts include accident-free, claim-free, multi-policy, good student, good driver, defensive driver
- Progressive may offer discounts for continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, online signing, good student, online quote discount, multi-policy, and homeowner.
- Travelers includes discounts for save driver, multi-car, IntelliDrive, home ownership, good student, and new car.
- SAFECO has savings for safe driver, accident prevention training, drive less, anti-theft, teen safety rewards, and homeowner.
- AAA offers discounts for multi-policy, good student, pay-in-full, AAA membership discount, and multi-car.
The information below illustrates the difference between car insurance costs with and without discounts applied. The prices are based on a female driver, one accident and three citations, Washington state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $250 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with paperless filing, marriage, anti-theft, multiple policy, continuous coverage, and passive restraint discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, theamount saved on insurance for drivers with a bad driving record is 28% or $758.
Why you should be shopping around
Seattle insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can substantially decrease or increase the policy premium. Simply turning a year older, having a teenage driver, or getting a DUI may cause policy rate changes that may make certain companies cheaper than competitors.
And not only may your rating factors change, but car insurance companies change rates every year in order to be able to pay unexpected claims. Significantly higher losses can result in high rates, while a profitable period can cause lower-cost Seattle car insurance rates.
To illustrate this example, the graph below demonstrates which company has the cheapest car insurance in Seattle, WA for a 30-year-old female driver with no prior accidents, a clean driving record, and great credit. When quoting prices based on her personal risk profile, Capital has the cheapest car insurance rates in Seattle at $1,066 per year. This is $346 less than the average premium paid by Washington drivers of $1,412. Grange, Nationwide, PEMCO, and Travelers round out the rest of the most affordable Seattle, WA auto insurance companies.
Now let’s give the driver from the first set of rates an accident claim, a lower credit rating, and a couple of points charged on her driving record. Because each company has a different formula to establish rates, analyzing rates could now result in a significantly different list of affordable companies as shown below.
California Casualty now has the cheapest price in Seattle with The Hartford, USAA, Allied, and Grange now being in the top five. This illustrates why it is critical to spend some time comparing rates to find the most economical auto insurance quotes for drivers with a bad driving record.
Car insurance prices are calculated by many different factors and can change without notice, so the best company when you last compared rates may now be priced much higher than other options.