Wouldn’t life be great if we could just give you the name of the single best company in Portland that has the best deal on coverage for 17 year olds? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as there are a whole bunch of unknowns like citations or tickets, your credit score, if you own a home, and if you have ever let your coverage lapse, that all go into determining the rate you pay. The information below will cover the best ways to find cheap auto insurance and will hopefully give you some help in finding cheaper rates.
The vehicle model driven is a significant factor when comparison shopping for the best cheap auto insurance for 17 year olds. Vehicles with average performance, advanced safety features, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models. The list below estimates insurance costs for a selection of the most affordable automobiles to insure.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $5,877 |
| Honda Accord LX-P 4-Dr Sedan | $5,885 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $6,323 |
| Toyota Prius | $6,385 |
| Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD 2-Dr | $6,589 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $6,597 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Super Cab 4WD | $6,652 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $6,772 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $6,910 |
| Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $6,973 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $6,981 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $6,973 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $6,978 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Off-Road Package 4WD | $7,036 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $7,359 |
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Data assumes single male driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Oregon minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Estimates do not factor in specific zip code location which can lower or raise insurance rates substantially.
Based upon these rates, you can assume that models like the Honda CR-V, Honda Accord, Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, and Jeep Wrangler are most likely going to be some of the more affordable vehicles to insure for teen drivers. Rates will be more costly just because there is more exposure for 17 year olds, but in general those vehicles will most likely have the best insurance prices compared to all other vehicles.
Finding dependable, affordable insurance is not easy, and deciding which companies have the best car insurance rates for 17 year olds may require even more shopping around. Each insurance company has a unique approach to set their prices, so we need to take a look at the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in Portland, OR.
It’s important that you understand Portland car insurance rates are impacted by many things that can increase the price of your policy. This price variation is why drivers need to compare lots of rates when trying to get the most budget-friendly car insurance rates for 17 year olds. Insurance rates consist of many risk factors and can change substantially, so the best company two years ago may now be one of the more expensive options.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for Teens
Grange has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Portland at around $687 each year. This is $791 less than the average policy premium paid by Oregon drivers of $1,478. Country, Oregon Mutual, USAA, and Travelers also rank well as some of the lowest-priced Portland, OR auto insurance companies.
As the example above demonstrates, if you are a customer of USAA and switched to Country, you could realize an annual savings of in the vicinity of $119. Drivers with Travelers may save as much as $130 a year, and State Farm customers might reduce rates by $218 a year.
These rates are averaged for all types of insureds and vehicles and and are not calculated with a specific vehicle garaging location for 17 year olds. So the company that can offer you the best rate may not even be in the top 22 companies in the list above. That is why you need to get quotes using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
For teen drivers, one of the big considerations that are looked at to help calculate insurance cost is where you live. Areas with more people or more claims are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims tend to receive slightly lower rates.
The illustration below rates the most expensive places in Oregon for 17 year olds to purchase car insurance in. Portland is ranked at #2 with the yearly price of $1,484 for the average policy, which is around $124 each month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gresham | $1,558 |
| 2 | Portland | $1,484 |
| 3 | Lake Oswego | $1,420 |
| 4 | Oregon City | $1,402 |
| 5 | Forest Grove | $1,401 |
| 6 | Newberg | $1,377 |
| 7 | Tigard | $1,376 |
| 8 | Keizer | $1,365 |
| 9 | Aloha | $1,363 |
| 10 | West Linn | $1,362 |
| 11 | Beaverton | $1,356 |
| 12 | Woodburn | $1,346 |
| 13 | Hillsboro | $1,339 |
| 14 | Salem | $1,306 |
| 15 | McMinnville | $1,299 |
| 16 | Tualatin | $1,299 |
| 17 | Redmond | $1,260 |
| 18 | Bend | $1,236 |
| 19 | Roseburg | $1,196 |
| 20 | Corvallis | $1,178 |
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Prices are estimated as zip code location can alter premium rates noticeably.
Get discounts on Portland car insurance rates
Insurers that offer quotes for 17 year olds may provide special discounts that may potentially lower prices by 35% or more if you can meet the requirements. A list of car insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer can be found below.
- Farm Bureau offers discounts including multi-vehicle, renewal discount, driver training, multi-policy, youthful driver, safe driver, and 55 and retired.
- Liberty Mutual has savings for good student, safety features, newly married, hybrid vehicle, new graduate, and multi-policy.
- State Farm offers discounts for student away at school, passive restraint, anti-theft, accident-free, defensive driving training, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and Drive Safe & Save.
- Auto-Owners Insurance may have discounts that include safe vehicle, group or association, paperless, student away at school, safe driver, company car, and multiple vehicles.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for multi-policy, anti-lock brakes, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, good student, and federal employee.
- SAFECO may offer discounts for anti-theft, homeowner, teen safety rewards, drive less, and accident prevention training.
The chart below visualizes the comparison of premium costs with and without some available policy discounts. The data assumes a male driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, Oregon state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with paid-in-full, passive restraint, anti-theft, good student, vehicle safety, and paperless filing discounts applied. With discounts applied, theaverage amount saved on car insurance for 17 year olds is 28% or $654.
Car insurance companies ranked
Finding the highest-rated insurance provider is difficult considering how many choices there are in Portland. The company rank data shown below can help you decide which car insurance companies you want to consider comparing rates with. The ratings below are for companies that write coverage in many states, so companies without a large exposure are not taken into consideration for this list.
Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Providers in Portland Ranked by Customer Service
- GEICO
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- The General
- Progressive
- Allstate
- AAA Insurance
- American Family
- Nationwide
- Liberty Mutual
Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Providers in Portland Ranked by A.M. Best Rating
- USAA – A++
- Travelers – A++
- GEICO – A++
- State Farm – A++
- The Hartford – A+
- Esurance – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Progressive – A+
- The General – A-
The benefit of shopping around
Portland car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that will increase or decrease the policy premium. Simply improving your credit, having a teen driver, or having an accident can trigger price changes that can now make some companies more affordable than the competition. Not only may your situation change, but insurance companies change rates at least once a year in order to offset underwriting gains or losses. Higher than normal claims can cause high rates, while better underwriting may result in lower-cost Portland car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the graph below shows the cheapest car insurance in Portland, OR for a 40-year-old female driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and solid credit. If we compare prices based on her current risk profile, Grange might quote the lowest car insurance rates in Portland at $973 each year. This is $505 less than the average premium paid by Oregon drivers of $1,478. Oregon Mutual, Country, Travelers, and USAA round out the rest of the most affordable Portland, OR auto insurance companies.
Now let’s give the driver in the first example an accident surcharge, poor credit, and a few blemishes on her driving record. Because each company uses their own calculation for determining rates in each state, analyzing rate quotes may now show a different ranking of the cheapest car insurance companies in Portland as shown below.
Amica now has the best insurance rate in Portland, OR with GEICO, Country, Mutual Enumclaw, and Oregon Mutual completing the list. This example demonstrates why it is important to shop around when trying to find the lowest auto insurance quotes for 17 year olds.
Car insurance prices are determined by many risk factors and change frequently, so the most economical option when you bought your policy may now be costing you a lot of money.