Best Tacoma, WA Auto Insurance in 2024

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Scott W. Johnson

Licensed Insurance Agent

Scott W Johnson is an independent insurance agent in California. Principal Broker and founder of Marindependent Insurance Services, Scott brings over 25 years of experience to his clients. His Five President’s Council awards prove he uses all he learned at Avocet, Sprint Nextel, and Farmers Insurance to the benefit of his clients. Scott quickly grasped the unique insurance requirements of his...

Licensed Insurance Agent

Michael Leotta

Insurance Operations Specialist

Michael earned a degree in Business Management with an insurance focus, which led to a successful 25-year career in insurance claims operations and support. He possesses a high-level of business acumen across multiple areas of the insurance industry. Over the course of his career, he served in multiple roles supporting claims operations including: Claims Specialist, Claims Trainer, Claim Automatio...

Insurance Operations Specialist

UPDATED: Aug 2, 2024

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.

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Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.

In the market for cheap auto insurance in Tacoma, WA? With AutoInsuranceEZ.com, you could get the most affordable insurance rates for your area. To find free car insurance prices available from the best providers today, input your local zip code within the quote box here.

Tacoma sits in the shadow of Mt. Rainer, offers tourists and locals a beautiful view of the Cascade Range, and is only a short distance away from the picturesque Olympic Mountains. The nearby deep water harbor has been an important part of Tacoma’s economy from its early settlement all the way to the present day economy. Various publications have awarded Tacoma such titles as the “City of Destiny” and one of “America’s Most Livable Communities”.

  • Fun fact: Is that a triskelion you’re wearing? Because this city is #5 (98403) on the list of “Top 101 zip codes with the largest percentage of Celtic first ancestries (pop 5,000+)”. Discover more about Tacoma.

Auto Insurance Coverage Requirements in Washington

Driving legally in Tacoma requires:

Coverage Requirements Most Common
Bodily Injury Liability 25,000/50,000 100,000/300,000
Property Damage Liability 10,000 50,000
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Not required 100,000/300,000
Medical Payments Not required 10,000
Collision Not required 500 deductible
Comprehensive Not required 100 deductible

The Bodily Injury Liability requirements in Washington are higher than in most other states, but other than that and Property Damage Liability, you won’t be required to purchase multiple forms of coverage – not by your state, at least. But if you are financing a relatively new vehicle, your lender may require a more comprehensive policy.

Your typical Washington car insurance policy can end up costing the average driver somewhere in the neighborhood of $125 each month. However, there are special deals happening in Tacoma right now which can lower your rates down to $42/mo*!

Auto Insurance by Credit ScoreLegend: Excellent Credit Poor Credit State Farm Farmers American Family Capital Allstate 10203040506070$27$73$34$59$33$51$23$54$49$74

State Farm

Farmers

American Family

Capital

Allstate

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

$34

$35

$37

$46

$59


If you’re a relatively average driver, you’re going to want to get a quote from either State Farm or Farmers before you shop anywhere else, because those two companies are offering the lowest prices for average drivers in Tacoma. However, if you have several accidents or a poor credit score, you might get a better deal by shopping around.

Organizations which underwrite auto insurance policies evaluate different variables when determining insurance rates, especially driving experience, accident claims, type of vehicle owned, driving distance to work, and multiple cars and drivers. Also remember that premiums can alter from company to company. To ensure you are still paying the cheapest rate, do a comparison of cheap Tacoma auto insurance premiums over the internet.

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Major Car Insurance Factors in Tacoma

You could feel a little bit powerless when your car insurance agency is estimating your quote; let’s be honest, a lot of the elements they calculate aren’t issues you will be able to adjust or control. Thankfully, however, there are various things that you may be qualified to modify for improved discounts, including:

Your Zip Code

Auto insurance agencies need to know your geographical area (or the spot where you are going to be driving frequently) to be able to determine the likelihood of an accident. All of it comes down to a simple idea: the larger the population, the more vehicles there will be while travelling, and therefore the more prospects you might have to get in a crash with or even be hit by an additional car or truck. The populace of Tacoma is 203,446 plus the common household income is $50,807.

Auto Insurance by Zip CodeLegend: Bellevue Seattle Spokane Tacoma Vancouver State Farm Farmers American Family Capital Allstate 510152025303540455055$26$29$21$34$26$32$38$29$35$30$37$47$28$37$29$38$43$36$46$40$52$53$40$59$47

State Farm

Farmers

American Family

Capital

Allstate

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

$26

$29

$21

$34

$26

$32

$38

$29

$35

$30

$37

$47

$28

$37

$29

$38

$43

$36

$46

$40

$52

$53

$40

$59

$47

 

Automotive Accidents

Even though Tacoma has a sizeable population of over 200,000 residents, the chart below shows that there were quite a few fatal accidents in recent years. This could be artificially raising your rates in your zip code. To find out more, contact your insurance agent and ask about any Safe Driver discounts.

Fatal Accidents in Tacoma, WALegend: Tacoma Fatal accident countVehicles involved in fatal crashesFatal crashes involving drunk personsFatalitiesPersons involved in fatal crashesPedestrians involved in fatal accidents 51015201014412201

Fatal accident count

Vehicles involved in fatal crashes

Fatal crashes involving drunk persons

Fatalities

Persons involved in fatal crashes

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents

5

10

15

20

10

14

4

12

20

1

 

Auto Thefts in Tacoma

Residing in a large urban center (Chiefly any which has a substantial rate of crime) increases your probability of becoming a victim for auto theft. In cases where your overall locale features high statistics of auto theft claims filed, you are likely to spend a lot more for auto insurance to be able to counterbalance these expenses. The full number of taken vehicles in Tacoma rose to 2,024 during the year 2013.

Basic vs. Comprehensive Auto PolicyLegend: Basic Coverage Comprehensive Coverage State Farm Farmers American Family Capital Allstate 102030405060708090100110$34$75$35$76$37$85$46$54$59$112

State Farm

Farmers

American Family

Capital

Allstate

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

$34

$75

$35

$76

$37

$85

$46

$54

$59

$112

 

Your Credit Score

For many insurance companies, having a less than perfect credit score can raise your rates substantially. Luckily, in Tacoma, companies like Farmers or American Family won’t charge you too much more for having a lower credit score (but the rates will still be higher unfortunately).

Auto Insurance by Credit ScoreLegend: Excellent Credit Poor Credit State Farm Farmers American Family Capital Allstate 10203040506070$27$73$34$59$33$51$23$54$49$74

State Farm

Farmers

American Family

Capital

Allstate

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

$27

$73

$34

$59

$33

$51

$23

$54

$49

$74

 

Your Age

If you are under the age of 25, you are likely paying some of the highest automotive insurance prices available in your area. To try and reduce such an expense, you can try to get discounts targeted toward your age group such as Good Student or Driver Education courses. Other than that, though, the only way to lower your rates is to be patient.

Auto Policy Age ComparisonLegend: 34 Year Old 17 Year Old State Farm Farmers American Family Capital Allstate 255075100125150175200225250$34$150$35$237$37$273$46$141$59$184

State Farm

Farmers

American Family

Capital

Allstate

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

$34

$150

$35

$237

$37

$273

$46

$141

$59

$184

Your Driving Record

The more violations you rack up on your driving record, the more your insurance company will charge you each month to maintain your coverage. They do this as a way to hedge their financial risk in case your next violation results in them having to pay out a repair or replacement claim.

Driving ViolationsLegend: Perfect Record Minor Speeding Ticket DUI/Reckless Driving Major At-Fault Accident State Farm Farmers American Family Capital Allstate 1020304050607080$34$38$38$42$35$59$80$66$37$51$75$54$46$35$51$40$59$67$81$83

State Farm

Farmers

American Family

Capital

Allstate

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

$34

$38

$38

$42

$35

$59

$80

$66

$37

$51

$75

$54

$46

$35

$51

$40

$59

$67

$81

$83

 

Your Vehicle

Driving a less expensive car will definitely save you money on your monthly insurance costs. However, if you must insist on driving around in a luxury vehicle, you must also understand that you need a more comprehensive, and therefore more expensive, insurance policy in order to keep your investment protected properly.

Car Insurance by Make/ModelLegend: 2015 Honda Accord 2012 Porsche Boxster Spyder State Farm Farmers American Family Capital Allstate 102030405060708090100110120$34$99$35$99$37$125$46$118$59$119

State Farm

Farmers

American Family

Capital

Allstate

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

$34

$99

$35

$99

$37

$125

$46

$118

$59

$119

Minor Car Insurance Factors in Tacoma

Some of these factors may also work in your favor towards lowering your monthly rates:

Your Marital Status

In truth, anyone can bundle their automotive insurance policy with other financial products (as long as they are all available from your insurance company). But married people usually benefit most from bundling discounts because they have twice as much to put together.

Your Gender

Some companies charge slightly higher rates for female drivers, while others put that extra expense on the male population of motorists. However, the majority of them don’t even factor gender in anymore when sitting down to calculate your rates.

Your Driving Distance to Work

Commuting around Tacoma might take a little longer than it does in most cities. On average, drivers should anticipate spending at least 15 and up to 20 minutes per commute. Alternatively, shorter trips lasting between 10 and 15 minutes have been reported, but are less common. Around 73% of people will be driving their own transportation alone, while around 14% will carpool.

You can try to drive fewer miles each year in order to save a little money on your premiums, but don’t go out of your way for this particular discount. You’d have to make some pretty drastic cuts – at least 5,000 miles each year or more – just to see a 3-4% discount.

Your Coverage and Deductibles

Most drivers don’t know that they have a lot of control over their deductible. However, before you raise it in order to lower your monthly insurance payment, put a little extra money away in your savings account. If you get into an accident and you suddenly don’t have the money to pay your higher claim, things can get very complicated very quickly.

Education in Tacoma, WA

The highest level of education for many residents in Tacoma is a high school diploma; over 29% of citizens have one. Additionally, around 17% have started the process of earning a bachelor’s degree also, and are at least one year into their college education. These future graduates will have a nice surprise waiting for them at the end of their four years of college: lower rates on auto insurance! Providers usually offer lower-priced policies to highly educated drivers.

Tacoma is well known for its public as well as its private institutions for higher learning. If you want a private university to give you a degree in law, music, or business, consider a degree from the University of Puget Sound or Pacific Lutheran University. For college preparation or occupational training, the Tacoma Community College or Pierce College are both excellent choices.

You should not make it possible for a poor car insurance agency to persuade you into buying a car insurance policy which is not right for you. Yes, the total amount of information needed in order to estimate your individual risk profile might be too much to handle, however comparison sites similar to this may help make your search easier. Simply just key in just a few details below, and we shall take over from there.

How We Conducted Our Car Insurance Analysis

*We calculated our average rate based on the following metrics: a married, 34 year old male with good credit, a 12-month history of maintaining auto insurance, a clean driving record, who owns his own home. Miles driven annually were based on the national average. The average rate was also calculated based on a financed 2015 Honda Accord with a pre-installed anti-theft device.

Sources:

Office of the Insurance Commissioner – Washington State

Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

City-Data.com

Census.gov

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