Establishing which companies have the cheapest car insurance rates for immigrants will require more time than just getting one or two price quotes. Each insurance company uses their own formula to establish rates, so let’s examine the most competitive car insurance companies in Portland, OR.
It’s a good idea to be aware that Oregon car insurance rates are calculated based on many things that control the cost of a policy. Simply getting older, getting married, or getting a couple of tickets may prompt premium changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than others.
Best Car Insurance Prices for Migrants
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grange | $687 |
| 2 | Oregon Mutual | $819 |
| 3 | Country | $831 |
| 4 | USAA | $950 |
| 5 | Travelers | $952 |
| 6 | State Farm | $1,029 |
| 7 | Amica | $1,137 |
| 8 | GEICO | $1,144 |
| 9 | Allied | $1,179 |
| 10 | California Casualty | $1,182 |
| 11 | Mutual Enumclaw | $1,188 |
| 12 | Progressive | $1,259 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,301 |
| 14 | 21st Century | $1,324 |
| 15 | American Family | $1,431 |
| 16 | Encompass | $1,574 |
| 17 | Allstate | $1,671 |
| 18 | Farmers | $1,954 |
| 19 | Safeco | $2,172 |
| 20 | Liberty Mutual | $2,458 |
| Get Personalized Rates Go | ||
Grange has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Portland at around $687 each year. This is $791 less than the average rate paid by Oregon drivers of $1,478. Oregon Mutual, Country, USAA, and Travelers also make the cut as some of the best Portland, OR insurance companies.
In the above rates, if you buy coverage from Oregon Mutual and switched to Grange, you might realize yearly savings of roughly $132. Insureds with Country could save as much as $144 a year, and USAA policyholders might see rate reductions of $263 a year.
Understand that those estimates are averages across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and do not factor in a specific location for immigrants. So the insurer that fits you best may not even be in the top 22 companies shown above. That helps illustrate why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own personal information and vehicle type.
One of the more important considerations that are looked at to determine the annual cost of car insurance is your zip code in Portland. Cities with larger populations are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less congestion benefit from having to pay less for coverage.
The next table ranks the most expensive cities in Oregon for immigrants to purchase auto insurance in. Portland comes in at #2 with the annual price of $1,544 for the average insured, which is about $129 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gresham | $1,606 |
| 2 | Portland | $1,544 |
| 3 | Lake Oswego | $1,420 |
| 4 | Oregon City | $1,402 |
| 5 | Forest Grove | $1,401 |
| 6 | Beaverton | $1,370 |
| 7 | Keizer | $1,365 |
| 8 | Aloha | $1,363 |
| 9 | Woodburn | $1,359 |
| 10 | Tualatin | $1,352 |
| 11 | West Linn | $1,348 |
| 12 | Hillsboro | $1,339 |
| 13 | Newberg | $1,337 |
| 14 | Tigard | $1,336 |
| 15 | Salem | $1,320 |
| 16 | McMinnville | $1,286 |
| 17 | Redmond | $1,247 |
| 18 | Roseburg | $1,196 |
| 19 | Bend | $1,188 |
| 20 | Grants Pass | $1,180 |
| 21 | Albany | $1,177 |
| 22 | Medford | $1,169 |
| 23 | Corvallis | $1,167 |
| 24 | Springfield | $1,158 |
| 25 | Eugene | $1,135 |
| Find the Best Rates Go | ||
Rates are estimated as specific location information can change auto insurance rates noticeably.
The vehicle model you are insuring is probably the most important factor when looking for affordable auto insurance for immigrants. Vehicles with lots of horsepower, poor safety features, or a high likelihood of having liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.
The data below shows insurance rates for a handful of the more affordable vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $1,412 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $1,418 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $1,441 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $1,528 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $1,665 |
| Ford Explorer Limited AWD | $1,697 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport Islander Package 4WD 4-Dr | $1,724 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Extended Cab 4WD | $1,784 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LTZ Crew Cab 4WD | $1,792 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,784 |
| Nissan Rogue S 2WD | $1,786 |
| Ford F-150 XL Regular Cab 4WD | $1,811 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,910 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $1,945 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $1,950 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,978 |
| Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab ST 2WD | $1,991 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $2,013 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $2,045 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $2,054 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | |
Data based on single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Oregon minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, and claim-free. Rates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can increase or decrease price quotes considerably.
Based upon the table data, we can tell that cars like the Ford Escape, Hyundai Elantra, Honda CR-V, and Honda Accord are going to be the cheaper vehicles to insure for foreigners.
Rate comparison of full coverage and liability-only
Finding cheaper car insurance is important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one of the best ways to find cheap insurance for immigrants is to not pay for full coverage. The information below shows the difference between insurance prices with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The price estimates are based on no accidents or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Averaged out for all age groups, comp and collision coverage costs an extra $1,345 per year more than just insuring for liability. At some point, every insured wonders if you should buy full coverage at all. There is no set guideline for excluding full coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than around 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
There are a few situations where eliminating full coverage is not recommended. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan requirements. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not buy liability only.
Violations and accidents raise rates
The recommended way to obtain good car insurance premiums in Oregon for foreigners is to be a safe driver and avoid tickets and accidents. The diagram below illustrates how traffic citations and accidents impact auto insurance rates for different age groups of insureds. The premium estimates are based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
In the previous chart, the average cost of car insurance in Portland per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,161. Receive two speeding tickets and the average cost hikes up to $1,644, an increase of $482 each year. Now add in one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for immigrants increases to an average of $2,128. That’s an increase of $966, or $81 per month, just for being a little careless behind the wheel!
How to find budget-friendly auto insurance for immigrants
Here are some thrifty ideas that can help drivers get lower-cost car insurance.
- Improve your credit rating
- Avoid getting citations and tickets
- Drop full coverage on older vehicles
- Prevent rate increases by staying accident-free
- Buy a vehicle with excellent safety ratings
- Increase your deductibles
- Compare rates once a year for cheaper prices
The last tip in the list is extraordinarily significant, as we stressed in this piece. Coverage rates fluctuate considerably, so drivers shouldn’t be resistant to change insurance companies if a better rate can be found.
Having a favorite company is fine, but we do not recommend it if your bullheadedness ends up costing you lots of money. It takes less than five minutes to compare rates and find cheaper car insurance for immigrants in Portland.