Washington Car Insurance
(Quotes, Cost & Coverage)

Get Washington car insurance quotes, cost & coverage fast. Find affordable WA auto insurance including liability, property damage, comprehensive, collision, medical, PIP, uninsured, underinsured, rental car, roadside assistance and more.

WA Car Insurance

If you are like any of the thousands of drivers on the road every day, then it is likely that you or someone in your household has obtained Washington car insurance to both satisfy the legal liability requirements of the Washington, as well as to protect your vehicle, the occupants, and other peoples autos and property.

While getting a WA auto insurance quote is a fairly easy process, especially with the convenience of online shopping, many people still do not understand exactly what types of car insurance are available and how the types differ. Here we'll discuss the main car insurance policy types and optional coverages and also go over examples of what the coverage options insure. This way, the next time you request a Washington car insurance quote, you will be better equipped to make an informed decision.

What Does Washington Car Insurance Cover?

Auto insurance covers three types of liabilities, or losses. They are:

1. Property - damage to or theft of vehicles.
2. Liability - the policyholders liability, or legal obligation for the property or bodily injury of others when the driver is at fault.
3. Injury - the medical treatment, long term care, loss of wages, or even funeral expenses of anyone who is injured in an accident.

Washington requires that drivers have liability insurance. Washington car insurance policies generally are renewed on a biannual or annual basis.

Washington car insurance has many coverages - so it's important to research the options, see what WA requires and what coverages are optional, and how each can protect you in the vent of an accident or other loss. WA auto insurance policies contains at least one or more of the following specific types of coverage and each option is priced separately (this is not an exhaustive list):

Bodily Injury Liability: This type of car insurance coverage protects the policy holder as well as any other drivers listed on the policy by covering medical costs for injuries caused to other motorists. Oftentimes, people will increase the minimum coverage to protect their other assets in the event that an injured motorist sues for additional damages because your automobile insurance will pay up to the limits on the policy - you are out of pocket for expenses that exceed those limits.

Medical Payments or Personal Injury Protection: Should injury to the policy holder or any other occupants of the insured vehicle occur in an accident, this portion of the auto insurance policy will cover the medical bills, lost wages and funeral costs. This option is also known as PIP (Personal Injury Protection).

Property Damage Liability: Property damage liability is the most common type of coverage option and one which is required by law. It covers damage caused by the policy holder (or anyone permitted to drive the insured vehicle) to another vehicle or other type of property such as signs, fences, telephone poles, buildings, etc.

Collision: This type of coverage offers protection for the policy holders vehicle if damage occurs as a result of an collision with another vehicle, object, or even if your vehicle ends up flipping over. Damages caused by potholes are also covered under collision coverage. Even if the policy holder is at fault, collision insurance will cover the repair for damages minus the deductible amount. If the policyholder is not at fault, the insurance company will attempt to recover the costs paid to its policyholder through the other motorists insurance company and if successful, will also reimburse its policyholders' paid deductible amount too.

Comprehensive: Comprehensive insurance covers the cost of theft of the vehicle or damages/repairs caused by anything other than another vehicle or object. Damages such as those caused by fires, natural disasters, bombs, vandalism, or collisions with animals such as deer. This option also covers shattered or cracked windshields. Both collision and comprehensive coverage are usually optional however if a car is leased, many times the lender will require this type of coverage in addition to liability.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: If an accident occurs with an uninsured driver or if the other driver does not have sufficient coverage to pay for the full extent of damages, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage will cover the outstanding expenses. This option also protects the policyholder if involved in a hit and run accident or if hit while a pedestrian.

Gap Insurance: This protects you if your car is totaled and you owe more on the loan or lease than the insurance company pays out. It is usually taken on cars that are 3 years old or less.

Rental Reimbursement: This coverage pays for a rental car if your auto is in the repair shop following a covered comprehensive or collision claim.

Roadside Assistance (Towing & Labor): Much like AAA, this coverage offers a jump start, gas delivery, a flat tire change, even the services of a qualified locksmith of you break down.

What Washington Car Insurance Doesn't Cover

Also know as exclusions, which remove risk from the insurer, car insurance typically does not cover:

• Personal belongings inside your auto. Do if someone breaks into your car and steals your laptop - the window would be covered but the computer would not.
• People who live in the same home as you but are not listed on the policy. A basic car insurance policy generally covers you and other people who don't live with you and who have permission to occasionally use your vehicles. Members of your household must be listed on your policy to have coverage.
• The balance of your car loan is your vehicle is totaled. See gap insurance above.

What Are Washington's Financial Responsibility Requirements?

According to the WA Department of Motor Vehicles:

Oregon law requires that automobile policies provide a minimum level of liability coverage. There are two main reasons for this requirement. First, it ensures that motor vehicle drivers can respond to damages in liability. Second, it ensures that all motor vehicle accident victims are compensated for injuries that they sustain. Every auto insurance policy issued in Oregon must provide coverage for at least:

• $25,000 for bodily injury to or the death of one person
• $50,000 for bodily injury to or the death of two or more persons
• $10,000 for property damage to the property of others

Liability insurance compensates a person other than the policy holder for personal injury or property damage. Comprehensive or collision insurance does not meet vehicle financial responsibility requirements.

How Much Does Washington Car Insurance Cost?

How much does Washington car insurance cost? The average price of auto insurance varied widely based on certain factors. The premiums vary depending on the company and their underwriting rules, and it depends on the coverages and deductible selected. Following are some of the main factors that go into the price of a policy:

• Geographical location - The more dangerous your WA location is the higher premiums you will pay as there is a higher probability for claims. If you live in a highly populated urban area (like Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco), accidents and insurance claims happen more often and rate are higher.
• Age - Typically drivers under 25 pay more because statistically shown to be inexperienced behind the wheel, easily distracted and to crash more often. They are on of the riskiest category of drivers to insure.
• Gender - Data shows males are more likely to crash, hence men's premiums are higher.
• Marital status - Married people have been found to be less of a risk to insurers than singles, including divorced or widowed drivers.
• Years of driving experience - Inexperienced drivers pose more risk. That is why under 25 have some of the highest rates.
• Driving record - Drivers with a clean driving record qualify for better rates and can be eligible for a safe driver discount.
• Claims history - More claims = more premium. Insurers actually count frequency (how many claims in a time frame) more than severity (how large the claim was).
• Credit history - The better credit you have, the lower your rates. Most insurers look at credit and weight it heavily.
• Previous insurance coverage - Continual auto insurance history (or at least for the last 6 months) can help get you a better rate.
• Vehicle type - Purchase price, theft rate, cost of repairs, accident rate and safety tests weigh heavily in car insurance cost.
• Vehicle use - A vehicle used to commute work poses more of a risk than the car you only take out of the garage on the weekends.
• Miles driven annually - The less you drive, the less risk you have of being in an accident.
• Coverages - The more coverage you choose with higher limits, the more it will cost you since the insurer is taking on additional risk.
• Deductibles - The deductible is your out of pocket cost before your policy kick in. Lower deductible = higher premium, and higher deductible = lower premium.

And Washington car insurance premiums after a DUI/DWI will always cost more.

WA Auto Insurance Quotes

Request a Washington Car Insurance quote in Auburn, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Burien, Camas, Des Moines, Edmonds, Everett, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kennewick, Kent, Kirkland, Lacey, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Longview, Lynnwood, Maple Valley, Marysville, Mercer Island, Moses Lake, Mount Vernon, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Pasco, Port Angeles, Pullman, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Richland, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane Valley, Spokane, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Yakima and all other cities in WA.

Washington Insurance Rules & Regulations

In Washington State, there are certain types of insurance that you should be aware of. We will be covering the limits and regulations of insurance within the state. You should be aware of these because if you operate a business, there may be certain types of insurance that you are required to carry. In addition, even if you do not have a business, there may be certain types of insurance regulations that you should familiarize yourself with. We will be taking a close look at insurance regulations for both personal and commercial here.

WA Commercial Insurance

For business liability insurance, what you should be aware of is that Washington does not require businesses to carry business liability insurance in order to operate. Washington is a pure comparative fault state which means that an insurance adjuster must first assess fault and name the adjuster or a court will reduce the award proportionate to the fault of the plaintiff. Businesses may carry business liability insurance in order to protect themselves against these types of claims.

However, Washington does require anyone who employs at least one person full-time or part-time to carry Worker's Compensation insurance to protect them if they are injured on the job. Washington does not require any type of disability insurance for businesses nor do they require commercial vehicles to carry commercial auto insurance.

Washington Personal Insurance

There are two types of personal insurance that you should be aware of. The first is auto insurance requirements. In Washington State, you are required to carry $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury coverage. You are also required to carry $10,000 in property damage as well as uninsured/underinsured bodily coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.

There are two life insurance regulations to be aware of in Washington State. First, be aware that there is no free look period like there is in most states. If you sign up for life insurance, you are not able to cancel within 10 days in order to get a refund on your policy premium. However, there is a law that requires timely payment on insurance claims in the state of Washington. In fact, the state requires that the beneficiaries account start accruing interest on the day of death. That means that insurance companies will have to pay more for each day that they fail to pay the benefit. There is also a misrepresentation law when it comes to life insurance in Washington.

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