- Washington drivers pay $924 a year in car insurance, on average.
- Many factors influence the amount you'll pay for coverage, including your credit score.
- USAA and State Farm offer the most affordable auto insurance in Washington for drivers with good credit, and GEICO has the cheap car insurance for drivers with poor credit.
- See Business Insider's picks for the best car insurance companies »
In Washington, the average driver will pay about $924 per year for auto insurance coverage. That's fairly affordable, considering that the average American pays $935 per year, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Your premium, or the amount you'll pay for coverage, is influenced by several factors including where you live in the state, your credit score, the type of car you drive, and even how many years you've been driving. Each company will weigh these factors differently in pricing your policy.
That said, it's helpful to shop around and find the best coverage for your money.
The most popular car insurance companies in Washington
The following are the most popular car insurance companies in Washington, based on the percentage of insured Washington drivers who use them:
| Company | Market share (%) |
| State Farm | 15.48 |
| GEICO | 11.57 |
| Progressive | 11.49 |
| Liberty Mutual | 10.45 |
| Allstate | 9.40 |
| USAA* | 8.47 |
| Farmers Insurance | 6.69 |
| PEMCO Mutual Insurance | 5.21 |
| American Family | 4.58 |
| The Hartford | 2.21 |
| Travelers | 1.85 |
| Nationwide | 1.70 |
| Mutual of Enumclaw | 1.51 |
| COUNTRY Financial | 1.50 |
| National General Holdings | 1.44 |
| Sentry | 1.02 |
| MetLife | 0.98 |
| Grange Insurance | 0.93 |
| MAPFRE | 0.51 |
| Amica | 0.46 |
*USAA is only for active military, veterans, and their families.
Data from S&P Global Intelligence
The best car insurance in Washington based on customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction with car insurance providers may factor into your decision. According to J.D. Power, a consumer research company that surveys customers, these are the top car insurance companies in the Northwest region (which includes Washington):
- GEICO
- PEMCO
- Region Average
- Progressive
- The Hartford
- Liberty Mutual
- Safeco
- State Farm
- Allstate
- Farmers
- Travelers
- American Family
The best cheap car insurance based on credit score in Washington
Consumer Reports compiled data on pricing formulas from all auto insurance companies in all states to figure out which companies offered the typical adult driver the best rates. Here are the three best companies in Washington by credit level, and the average premium each company offered a single adult driver.
Drivers with excellent credit, a FICO score of 800-850, will generally see the lowest average premiums, on average.
- USAA car insurance: $644 per year
- State Farm car insurance: $939 per year
- Farmers Insurance: $1,031 per year
These three companies offer drivers with good credit, FICO scores of 670-739, the best affordable coverage, on average:
- USAA car insurance: $781 per year
- State Farm car insurance: $1,151 per year
- Farmers Insurance: $1,320 per year
Drivers with poor credit, FICO scores of 300-579, will generally pay the most for coverage, on average.
- GEICO car insurance: $2,005 per year
- USAA car insurance: $2,126 per year
- Allstate car insurance: $2,165 per year
The best car insurance for drivers with a clean record
For a driver in Washington age 25 or older with no accidents and one vehicle, the following companies provide the best average rates:
| Company | Average monthly insurance premium |
| Progressive | $122 |
| State Farm | $123 |
| Esurance | $133 |
| GEICO | $141 |
| USAA* | $144 |
| Safeco | $147 |
| Allstate | $150 |
| Travelers | $156 |
| Farmers | $158 |
| Liberty Mutual | $171 |
| American Family | $176 |
*USAA is only for active military, veterans, and their families.
Above data obtained from Savvy, based on 2,132 policyholders in the state of Washington
Best car insurance for one or more accidents on record
For a driver in Washington age 25 or older, with one or more accidents and one vehicle, the following companies provide the best average rates:
| Company | Average monthly insurance premium |
| GEICO | $146 |
| Farmers | $159 |
| Progressive | $163 |
| Esurance | $185 |
| Allstate | $204 |
Above data obtained from Savvy, based on 2,132 policyholders in the state of Washington
Washington car insurance rates by city
Below is the estimated average annual premium of auto insurance policies per household in Washington's most populous cities:
| City | Average annual insurance premium |
| Seattle | $1,415 |
| Spokane | $1,275 |
| Tacoma | $1,315 |
| Vancouver | $1,349 |
| Bellevue | $1,527 |
| Everett | $1,322 |
| Renton | $1,414 |
| Kent | $1,375 |
| Federal Way | $1,375 |
| Spokane Valley | $1,314 |
| Yakima | $1,268 |
| Bellingham | $1,263 |
| Kennewick | $1,328 |
| Auburn | $1,399 |
| Pasco | $1,369 |
| Marysville | $1,429 |
| Redmond | $1,548 |
| South Hill | $1,479 |
| Lakewood | $1,274 |
| Shoreline | $1,430 |
| Kirkland | $1,513 |
| Richland | $1,413 |
| Olympia | $1,321 |
| Sammamish | $1,763 |
| Lacey | $1,361 |
| Edmonds | $1,479 |
| Bremerton | $1,254 |
| Bothell | $1,511 |
| Puyallup | $1,390 |
| Lynnwood | $1,351 |
| Issaquah | $1,557 |
| Parkland | $1,265 |
| Longview | $1,179 |
| Burien | $1,360 |
| Mount Vernon | $1,340 |
| Wenatchee | $1,281 |
| Pullman | $1,165 |
| University Place | $1,389 |
| Lake Stevens | $1,519 |
| Walla Walla | $1,241 |
Data from S&P Global Intelligence
Who gets the best cheap car insurance in Washington?
As the numbers show above, there's a general trend: The better your credit score, the cheaper your car insurance. But, that doesn't meant you still can't find the best rate by doing your homework and shopping around.
It might be a good idea to work on raising your credit score— there's a big difference between what you'll pay with poor credit and what you'll pay with good credit in Washington. But, there are also other factors you can't control that go into your price, like your driving record, age, and even your gender in some states.
What you can control is the amount of work you put into finding the best price for you. Get quotes from several different insurance companies and compare them, looking for the most coverage types and the highest limits. Consider the deductible, or the amount you'll pay out-of-pocket if you get into an accident. Generally, the lower the premium, the higher the deductible, so make sure you'll have cash on hand if you go with a cheaper policy.
Shopping around is the best way to find the most coverage for your car insurance dollar in Washington.
Related Content Module: Best Auto Insurance by State