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How does one find the cheapest Washington auto insurance quotes online? What factors are used to determine Washington car insurance rates in the first place? What are the State of Washington's minimum required auto insurance coverage amounts? Understanding the answers to these questions can make all of the difference in the world between having a great rate with the protection that you need and making a costly mistake. Read on to learn some quick and easy ways to better understand your Washington auto insurance policy and hopefully save yourself some money in the process!

Automobile insurance can be a very difficult thing to understand in today's world. There are many types of coverage that a person has to have, the requirements change from state to state and most importantly nowadays the car insurance business is basing the rates on credit reports! Although that doesn't make sense to a lot of people it is important to understand that premiums and rates don't make sense to many Americans. Most people buy insurance not knowing of their options and they don't take the time to read about the industry and the things they can do to save some money. Before purchasing auto insurance you must know that the minimum requirements change from state to state, that there are many different ways in which you can save money even when your coverage is not that expensive and that your type of car will affect your rate more than your driving record.

The state of Washington in the Northwest of the United States is one of those states that people take for granted. Since the state is the most Northern state on the West coast of this country, people don't think that many people live there. The truth however, is much different. According to the United States Census Bureau there are approximately 6,395,798 people living in this cold Northern state. This might be a surprise to many, but what is even more shocking is that the population has increased 8.5% since the year 2006. It is also important to highlight that experts predict that the population will increase in the next couple of years.

Another assumption of people through the United States is that most of the population in this state can be found in the populated city of Seattle, Washington. That unfortunately for the people making this claim, is also a myth. According to the United States Census Bureau, Seattle only held about 560,000 people in the year 2003. This means that residents of this state are scattered all around and this is one of the reasons that people in Washington paid a higher average in automobile insurance premiums than the nation's average in the year 2003.

Other reasons for the higher premiums in this state are the damages caused to the cars by the weather. Snow can do little things such as messing up the car's paint and make dents on the body of the vehicle, but it can also freeze the engine and give you many battery problems. Another assumption about the high rates in Washington can be linked to how dangerous the roads are when it snows. In freezing weather the roads become icy and drivers are more likely to lose control of their cars under these conditions.

To prevent chaos and just like any other state in the country, Washington has a mandated coverage that all residents need to have before sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle. The mandated coverage for people living in this state is called a 25/50/10 coverage. Although it can be a little confusing, with a little bit of explaining a person will know exactly what we are talking about. A person driving on the roads of this Northern state must have $25,000 of bodily injury per person and $50,000 for bodily injury in total after an accident. In addition to this the person must also have a $10,000 property damage liability coverage to make sure they can pay damages after an accident. Because Washington uses what is called a "tort system," one of the people involved in the accident must always be found at fault. After this takes place the person who had fault in the accident and his or her insurance company will be responsible of paying for the damages caused by the accident.

It is important to understand that people in this state do not have Personal Injury Protection (also called PIP) as one of their mandatory coverage. PIP helps pay for medical expenses to you and the passengers of your vehicle if you get into an accident. The law also does not require a person to have uninsured/underinsured motorist (also called UM/UIM) coverage which pays for your damages in the event that you get into an accident with a person that doesn't have insurance, or that doesn't have enough insurance to cover for the accident. It is important to mention however, that a person can call their insurance company and ask for these types of coverage to be added to their policy.

Although the weather is not good when it comes to automobile insurance and the rates in Washington are over the nation's average, there are still many different ways in which a person can save some money on their Washington auto insurance policy. Perhaps the most important thing a person must do before deciding on signing a policy is to shop around for the best price. Once you find the best prices policy you will be starting with the right foot.

If you are doing the shopping online you can go to comparison websites that will give you the quotes from many different insurance companies. Just fill out your information and you will have access to many different quotes (depending on the website you visit). Be sure and closely compare Washington car insurance quotes from top companies alongside one another to see which policy will best meet your specific needs. If on the other hand you are doing the shopping in person make sure to visit about three insurance companies and ask for quotes. Always remember that you are the customer and the agents are trying to get you to sign up with them, so use this to your advantage (don't be afraid to negotiate!).

Last but not least it is important to mention the discounts as money saving opportunities that will allow people in the state of Washington to get lower prices for car insurance. Although discounts vary from state to state and from company to company there are a few that can be found most of the time. The safety feature discount (good one for bad weather states) allows you to get your rate reduced if you have alarms, anti-lock brakes, air bags, automatic seat belts, etc. The good driver discount allows you to save some money if you have had a perfect record for the last three years (no accidents of traffic tickets).

Perhaps the car insurance discount that will be best for people in Washington can be the low mileage discount because the less you drive the less your chances of getting into a car accident (especially in bad weather!). There are many more discounts like the defensive driver course and the good student; but you have to check with your Washington auto insurance company to see if they are available through them.

As you can see people in Washington don't have it too bad when it comes to automobile insurance. Although they have been paying a lot of money in the past, it is never late to start saving money and getting better deals. Always try to look for money saving opportunities because they will always be present. If you live in Washington now you know the mandated coverage, as well as what coverage is optional, and the ways in which you can get a cheaper quote. Just follow this article into success and you will be paying less than expected in car insurance at the end of the day.

Be sure and compare Washington car insurance quotes from top companies side by side in order to find the best deal. Get started finding cheap online auto insurance rate quotes today!