Your auto insurance cost will depend on many different factors including the coverage you choose, your age, where you live, and your driving history.
Some people get the bare minimum coverage, while others prefer the comfort and security of more protection. Let us help you find the coverage you want at a price you can afford.
Get a free quote to see how much you could save.
To accurately compare auto quotes across insurers, you'll want to select the same set of coverages, limits and deductibles for each quote.
Choose your coverage
Consider your state's requirements and any specific coverage types you might want, like collision or comprehensive.
Consider your limits
Think about your personal needs as well as state laws when choosing your coverage limits.
Select your deductible
Coverage can come with a deductible, or the amount you'll pay toward a claim.
Washington state only requires Liability insurance. Car liability insurance pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others. A good rule of thumb is to buy enough liability insurance to cover what can be taken from you in a lawsuit.
Uninsured Motorist coverage (UM) is mandatory in some states but optional in Washington. Uninsured motorist insurance pays for you and your passengers’ medical bills and other expenses if someone crashes into you and they don’t have enough (or any) liability insurance.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is also equired in some states but not in Washington. This coverage will cover injury claims for you and your passengers up to the limits you chose.
Collision and Comprehensive insurance is usually required by the bank if you have a car loan or lease. They are two separate coverage types often sold together. Collision and comprehensive insurance pay for your vehicle repair bills due to problems such as car accidents, car theft, fires, floods, severe weather, falling objects, vandalism and collisions with animals.
Yes, state law sets the minimum amount of auto insurance coverages but you may want more. We can help you find the coverages you want at a price you can afford. We try to make it easy for you to customize your car insurance.
Required auto insurance coverages.
These pay for damages or injuries to other people and/or their property caused by an accident you're found at fault for.
Washington state only requires:
The amount of protection for these coverages can be increased above state minimums. You may want to consider the kind of cars you typically see around town. If you're in an area where people drive expensive cars, do you have enough coverage to fix or replace one (or more) of them if you cause an accident?
Additional car insurance coverages.
Although not required by the state, these coverages provide you with an extra layer of protection. These coverages normally take care of damages and/or injuries to you:
Would you be able to pay to repair or replace your vehicle if it's damaged from an accident? If someone in your car was hurt in an accident, do you want your car insurance to help pay the medical bills?
Extra car insurance coverages
These cover expenses that may not break the bank if you had to pay them out of pocket but are nice to have.
If your car is in the shop for 3 weeks after a covered accident, would you need a rental car? At $40 or $50 a day that expense can add up fast.
The best car insurance is the one that has the coverage you want at a price you can afford. Some drivers might want the most basic Washington car insurance, others might want more coverage, and still others might be looking for an auto insurance company they know they can trust. Let us help you customize your Washington car insurance.
In Washington, it’s against the law to drive without insurance . Washington drivers are required to have at least the following minimum car insurance coverage:
Depending on your budget and your needs, you might want to consider carrying higher limits of liability and other coverages such as Uninsured Motorist and Personal Injury Protection medical. We’ll help you customize your Washington car insurance to get the coverage you want at a price you can afford.
You would not buy a car just by calling a handful of car dealerships and ask for the price of the cheapest car on each lot, and then picking the lowest. Why would you do that when you are buying car insurance?. Decide on the coverages you want then request quotes for that exact coverage. Make notes as to what agent is most helpful, not just being an order taker but giving valuable advice for you to consider when choosing coverages. If your requirements change as you talk with the various agents, go back and update the prior quotes.
To best compare car insurance quotes from various companies, make sure each quote contains the same:
So, do you really need car insurance? Only if you want to protect your assets and drive legally. Your other option is to get friendly with your local bus or uber driver.
Your insurance rates will be affected by both the seriousness of the traffic ticket you received and how many other tickets you have received in the last 3 years. How much depends upon the infraction’s seriousness and your insurer’s rating criteria in Washington. According to OffTheRecord.com, 2300 traffic tickets are issued in Washington state each day. If you are one of the unlucky, your car insurance rates will most likely go up. Every insurer uses different rating factors but, for example, a speeding ticket will probably raise your rates about 10% and a second one will raise it even more than the first. If the speeding tickets were for more than 15mph over the limit then they will increase your rates even more. And, if your company was giving you a discount for safe driving, you will also lose that discount and see a corresponding increase.
A Driving While Suspended ticket will probably raise your rates by at least 20% and a single accident could raise your rates 25% and cost you your accident-free discount, raising rates another 5-10%. So, the more severe the violation and the number of violations will end up driving your insurance rates higher. What to do if your rates go up because of a ticket? It is time to shop around. If you are insured with an independent agent like Mid-Columbia Insurance, we can do the shopping for you and move you to a different company if they are offering better rates. If you are not insured with us, why not? Call today and let us give you a quote! (509)783-5600
Anyone who regularly drives your vehicle should be added as a driver on your policy so there is no question of coverage should an accident happen. Anyone in your household or who has regular access to your car should also be added since almost every policy requires you disclose them and either add them as a driver or exclude them from coverage.