4.8out of 3,000+ reviews

Edited by Tanveen Vohra | Reviewed by licensed insurance agent, Amber Benka
Last Updated February 4, 2022
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While Seattle tends to be a popular destination in Washington, the city of Tacoma has become more and more frequented by travelers in recent years. Named one of the most walkable cities in America, Tacoma still sees its fair share of busy roads. Interstate 5 runs directly through the city center and can be quite busy at all hours of the day. Drivers in Tacoma are encouraged to purchase a comprehensive auto insurance policy, as accidents can happen in the city’s wet weather in the blink of an eye.
Quick Facts
- The average cost of car insurance in Tacoma is $230 per month, or $2760 annually.
- Car insurance in Tacoma is $41 more than the average cost of car insurance in Washington.
- The cheapest car insurance provider in Tacoma on average is Progressive, but you should always compare quotes to find your best personal rate.
Car Insurance in Tacoma, WA
Quotes by Top Companies
Cheapest Car Insurance in Tacoma, WA
Insurance Provider in Tacoma | Quotes |
---|---|
Progressive | $45 /mo |
Nationwide | $114 /mo |
Travelers | $149 /mo |
State Farm | $149 /mo |
The General | $172 /mo |
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Best Car Insurance in Tacoma, WA
Best Companies | Score | Quotes |
---|---|---|
American Family | 89 | $215 /mo |
Nationwide | 89 | $230 /mo |
Safeco | 86 | $207 /mo |
Liberty Mutual | 82 | $321 /mo |
Travelers | 80 | $188 /mo |
Average Car Insurance Cost
Washington Cities | |
---|---|
Seattle | $113/mo |
Spokane | $130/mo |
Vancouver | $109/mo |
Bellevue | $139/mo |
Tacoma | $156/mo |
Washington | $129/mo |
Minimum Car Insurane Requirements in WA
All motor vehicles operated or parked on Washington roadways are required to be insured. The minimum liability car insurance requirements for private passenger vehicles in Washington are as follows:
- $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident for Bodily Injury (BI)
Bodily Injury Liability Coverage protects drivers if their car is involved in an accident that harms another individual. The minimum limits required by Washington state law are $25,000 for the death or injury of a single victim as a result of a car accident and $50,000 for the deaths or injuries of multiple victims. Insurance companies list this type of coverage as 25/50, referring to the dollar limitations of each minimum. In the case of an accident, liability coverage can aid perpetrators with costs involved in a legal proceeding as a result of a crash. Bodily injury coverage is part of the minimum coverage required by Washington law.
- $10,000/accident for Property Damage (PD)
The state minimum amount of Property Damage Liability Coverage required in the state of Washington is $10,000. If an insured driver is determined to be at fault and held liable in a motor vehicle accident, this coverage pays for damage repair to another individual’s property. Property damage coverage will also pay for legal costs if an insured driver is involved in a lawsuit following an accident.
Tacoma Car Insurance Rates by Driver Age
The older you are, the better your insurance rates become in Tacoma. While teen drivers pay the most monthly for insurance in Tacoma at $545, drivers in their 60s pay the least, at $204. Why? The older driver has more experience on the road. There’s an exception to this, however. Drivers in their 70s do pay $5 more per month for insurance than drivers in their 60s. This is because they carry a higher accident risk than the driver who is a decade younger.
Driver's Age | Avg. Monthly Cost |
---|---|
teens | $546 |
20s | $351 |
30s | $255 |
40s | $254 |
50s | $243 |
60s | $205 |
70s | $210 |
80s | $220 |
Tacoma Car Insurance Rates by Driving and Accident History
When you make a driving mistake or take unnecessary risks on the road, prepare for your insurance to go up in Tacoma. Run a red light in this city, and your monthly insurance bill will average $273. While this is only slightly higher than the premium for a driver without any marks against them, every little bit adds up. Those with an at-fault accident on their record pay the most in Tacoma, averaging $316 in monthly insurance premiums.
Driving History | Avg. Monthly Cost |
---|---|
No Violation | $270 |
Speeding Ticket | $282 |
At-Fault Accident | $317 |
Failure to Stop for Red Light / Stop Sign | $274 |
Tacoma Car Insurance Rates by Credit Tier
How good is your credit? If you aren’t already managing it, you probably should be. Credit-based insurance scores help insurance companies determine insurance rates. What does your credit score have to do with insurance premiums? Studies have linked credit score with accident risk. Lower scores reflect a higher risk, which calls for higher insurance premiums. Those with poor credit scores pay $16 more monthly for car insurance than those with excellent scores in Tacoma. That’s $192 a year in savings for drivers whose credit is in better shape.
Credit Tier | Avg. Monthly Cost |
---|---|
Excellent | $266 |
Good | $287 |
Average | $296 |
Poor | $282 |
Find local Tacoma agents
Pilkey-Hopping & Ekberg
2102 N Pearl St Suite 102,
Tacoma, WA 98406-2550Association of Risk Managers NW
3109 N 29th St,
Tacoma, WA 98407Propel Insurance
1201 Pacific Ave #1000,
Tacoma, WA 98402-4321Hentschell & Associates Inc.
1436 S Union Ave,
Tacoma, WA 98505ALT Insurance Group
1900 D St,
Tacoma, WA 98421Dan Marek Ins.
12909 Pacific Avenue,
Tacoma, WA 98444-5072Taylor-Thomason Ins. Brokers
3401 S 19th St Ste 200,
Tacoma, WA 98405Freedom Insurance Services LLC
4002 Tacoma Mall Blvd,
Ste 102, Tacoma, WA 98409-7702American Underwriters Ins. Agencies,
6429 S Tacoma Way,
Tacoma, WA 98409-4004Gus Paine Insurance
4301 S Pine St #26,
Tacoma, WA 98409-7252
Tacoma, WA DMV Information
Completing your DMV tasks is a fairly easy process because the city has two locations for residents. One is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while the other offers 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. hours along with Saturday hours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Additional locations can be accessed if you’re willing to take a short drive, and some services can be completed through the mail.
Public Transportation in Tacoma, WA
Public transportation in the greater Tacoma area is fairly robust, with a bus system that operates in and around the city. If you’re trying to get around in the downtown area, the Tacoma Link light-rail is a smart choice, although the city is easy to navigate on foot as well. Rideshare options like Uber or Lyft are also available, and if you’re considering calling a traditional taxi service, expect wait times of at least 30 minutes.

Most Patriotic City
Tacoma
Beginning in 2018, Insurify launched the Most Patriotic Cities Awards, which salute the community in each state with the highest percentage of individuals who currently serve in the military or identify as armed service veterans.
Bremerton won Insurify's Most Patriotic Cities Award for the state of Washington. The city encompasses the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as well as the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap.
How to get the best and cheapest car insurance in Tacoma, WA
Tacoma is a fairly easy city to navigate from behind the wheel, but if you’re not up for driving, you can still make your way from A to B with the ease of public transportation options. Beautiful scenery and an affordable cost of living have made Tacoma’s popularity soar in recent years, so it’s only a matter of time before this city becomes more and more congested.
If you live in Tacoma and you’re curious whether you can save on your auto insurance, visit Insurify today. Simply answer a few easy questions and you’ll be able to compare quotes from the nation’s top insurance companies. Most drivers find that they save more than they thought they could with Insurify.
FAQs - Tacoma, WA Car Insurance
Compared to Seattle, auto coverage in Tacoma is quite affordable. Your rate will depend on a number of factors, including your driving history and the type of coverage you desire, but most residents are pleased to learn that premiums tend to fall below the national average. Washington drivers do not have to purchase collision coverage when they enroll in auto insurance, although due to the frequently wet weather in the area, it’s advised, as accidents can happen quickly. Keep in mind that you must enroll in $25,000 for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage coverage. Getting caught results in a fine and the suspension of your driving privileges. Despite this, Washington is high on the list when it comes to uninsured drivers. It’s always best to enroll in auto insurance before you get behind the wheel.
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Methodology
The car insurance quotes displayed are based on an analysis of Insurify’s database of over 40 million quotes from 500 ZIP codes nationwide. To obtain representative rates, Insurify’s data science team performs frequent comprehensive analyses of the factors car insurance providers weigh to calculate rates including driver demographics, driving record, credit score, desired coverage level, and more.
Insurify’s analysis also incorporates the Insurify Composite Score (ICS) assigned to each insurance provider. The ICS is a proprietary rating that weighs multiple factors reflecting the quality, reliability, and health of an insurance company. Ratings used to calculate the ICS include Financial Strength Ratings from A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch; J.D. Power ratings; Consumer Reports customer satisfaction surveys and customer complaints; mobile app reviews; and user-generated company reviews.
With the above insights and ranking methods, Insurify is able to offer car insurance shoppers insight into how various insurance providers compare to one another in terms of both cost and quality. Note, actual quotes will vary based on unique attributes including the policyholder’s driver history and their garaging address.
Insurify Insights
How Tacoma Drivers Measure Up
While most drivers know that car insurance quotes are determined in part by your personal driving history, many may be unaware that rates are also impacted by the average risk of the drivers around you as well. Check out Insurify's latest analysis of driving records in Tacoma, Washington below:
Methodology
Drawing from an internal database of over 4 million car insurance applications, the research team at Insurify analyzes patterns in car ownership and driver behavior - including how Tacoma drivers measure up to their fellow motorists across Washington in areas including speeding, DUIs, and more.
Insurify Insights publishes data-driven articles, trend analyses, and national rankings each week on all factors related to cars and those who drive them.
Honda Accord
Most Popular Car in Tacoma
#17
City with the Most Speeding Tickets Rank in Washington
#29
City with the Most Moving Violations Rank in Washington
#11
City with the Most DUIs Rank in Washington
#17
City with the Most Suspended Licenses in Washington
While car accidents are a sadly unavoidable feature of time spent on the road, rates of accidents do vary from city to city and from state to state. Tacoma drivers rank 17 in the number of car accidents per driver across all cities in Washington.
- Rank within state: #17
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with an accident: 11.52%
- Drivers in Tacoma, WA with an accident in their driving history pay on average 30.04% more than drivers with a clean record
Exceeding the speed limit can endanger others and leave a permanent stain on your driving record. When compared to other cities in Washington, Tacoma drivers rank 17 in the number of speeding infractions per driver.
- Rank within state: #17
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with a speeding ticket: 11.88%
- Drivers in Tacoma, WA with a speeding ticket in their driving history pay on average 30.47% more than drivers with a clean record
While driving while intoxicated is never acceptable, it’s a more common offense than many assume. Tacoma drivers rank 11 in the number of DUI’s per driver across all cities in Washington.
- Rank within state: #11
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with a DUI: 1.75%
- Drivers in Tacoma, WA with a DUI in their driving history pay on average 12.88% more than drivers with a clean record
Some car models are just more popular than others and trends can vary from place to place. The most popular vehicle in Tacoma is the Honda Accord.
The Insurify team classifies rude drivers as those who commit the following driving offenses: failure to yield or failure to stop, improper backing, passing where prohibited, tailgating, street racing, or hit-and-runs. Among all cities in Washington, Tacoma drivers rank 11 in rude driving infractions.
- Rank within state: #11
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with a reckless driving violation: 2.85%
- Drivers in Tacoma, WA with a reckless driving violation in their driving history pay on average 28.76% more than drivers with a clean record.
Having a squeaky-clean driving record is an accomplishment to be proud of. Some cities have safer drivers than others; Tacoma drivers rank 5 in clean driving records across all cities in Washington.
- Rank within state: #5
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with clean record: 77.56%
Failing to yield the right of way isn’t just frustrating for other drivers; it’s dangerous, too. Tacoma drivers rank 8 in failure to yield violations per driver across all cities in Washington.
- Rank within state: #8
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with a failure to yield violation: 0.79%
- Drivers in Tacoma, WA with a failure to yield violation in their driving history pay on average 1200% more than drivers with a clean record
Reckless driving refers to a specific traffic violation: when drivers willfully act dangerously in spite of the risks they’re imposing on both themselves and others. Among all cities in Washington, Tacoma drivers rank 7 in the number of reckless driving offenses per driver.
- Rank within state: #7
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with a reckless driving offense: 0.22%
As auto manufacturers increasingly turn towards producing greener car models, more and more motorists are embracing hybrids and EV’s. Tacoma drivers rank 11 in hybrid and electric vehicle ownership across all cities in Washington.
- Rank within state: #11
- Percent of drivers in Tacoma with a hybrid/electric vehicle: 1.6%
Insurify Insights
Insurify's team of data scientists and content specialists presents Insurify Insights, a series of automotive, home, and health studies focusing on the topics that impact us all. through expert analysis of over 4 million car insurance applications and an array of top data sources, the Insurify Insights team produces new data-driven articles, trend analyses, regional superlatives, and national rankings every week. See Insurify Insights as featured in Forbes, Fox News, USA Today, NPR, and more.