Washington State Ranks #30 For Cheapest Auto Insurance

With a newly licensed 16-year-old driver in my house (he DID get a 100% on his driving test!) I am bracing for the hit my wife and I are about to take on our monthly/yearly automobile insurance premium.

If you have already raised teen aged drivers, I do not expect your sympathy. In fact, if anything, you have mine. You fully know the pain I'm about to begin experiencing. I talked to my local agent to alert her that my son was about to become a newly licensed driver. She told me to expect an increase between $100-200 dollars a month! Because he gets decent grades, he will get a slight discount for being a good student (3.0+ GPA).

That said, like everyone, it seems like insurance takes more and more of our collective income with each year that passes by. Do we, here in the state of Washington, have it worse than the rest of the United States? Better? Our good friends at WalletHub.com have, again, done the heavy lifting and crunched the numbers to find out who benefits from the cheapest car insurance in the country and who is taking it in the shorts.

According to the analysis of the data, Washingtonians rate in the middle of the pack, chiming in at #30 for the most inexpensive car insurance, averaging $714 dollars per year in premiums for an individual.
Oregon fares worse at #35, California at #38. If you're willing to relocate to find lower premiums, you won't have to go to terribly far. Our neighbors to the east in Idaho are the sixth cheapest and Montana is the 11th cheapest. Scroll over this handy, dandy interactive map to compare our state versus others.

WalletHub.com's findings revealed the following, as well:

1. Pemco
2. USAA
3. State Farm
4. Geico
5. Chubb

For the record, on average, 16 year-olds pay 379% more than 55 year-olds. I just turned 50 myself. Yay.
If you learn visually, check the findings of their recent survey of motorists (see: below).

When looking for lower rates, it is advisable to shop around and get multiple quotes.