Who Has The Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes in Portland, OR?
Who Has The Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes in Portland, OR?
Compare Car Insurance Rates in Portland, OR
The average cost of car insurance in Portland is $1,432 per year, or $119 per month, for a minimum-coverage policy.
In Portland, we found that State Farm had the best prices for a minimum coverage car insurance policy, at an average of just $772 per year. Drivers who prefer full coverage will also find the best rate at State Farm, with a typical price of $1,772 annually.
Portland is one of the most expensive cities in Oregon for insurance. We found that it's 24% more expensive to buy a car insurance policy there than in other cities, due in part to high rates of auto theft.
The best way to find affordable car insurance prices is to get several free quotes from competing insurers — every company calculates rates differently, so you can save a lot of money by getting multiple quotes.
Cheapest auto insurance in Portland: State Farm
Drivers looking for the best rate on a state-minimum policy should start with State Farm, which had the best prices of any insurer we looked at. It charged a very affordable $772 per year for a 30-year-old driver with a good driving record.
That's 46% cheaper than the average car insurance quote across every insurer, and $128 cheaper than Progressive, which had the second-best price overall.
Compare Car Insurance Rates in Portland, OR
Remember that minimum coverage is the cheapest policy you can buy, so it doesn't provide much protection. People who drive a lot, have a high net worth or own a newer or more valuable car should consider upping their coverage beyond the minimum.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $772 |
| 2 | Progressive | $910 |
| 3 | American Family | $1,306 |
| 4 | Allstate | $1,403 |
| 5 | COUNTRY | $1,490 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Cheapest full coverage car insurance in Portland: State Farm
For drivers who want or need a full coverage policy, State Farm is still the way to go. They offered a typical rate of $1,734 per year for our sample driver, which was $291 cheaper than the second-cheapest option.
Eligible drivers looking for the best possible price should also take a look at USAA. It had the best rate of any insurer we looked at, but it's only available to people who've either served in the military or had a parent or spouse who has.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $1,734 |
| 2 | COUNTRY | $2,023 |
| 3 | Progressive | $2,275 |
| 4 | American Family | $2,870 |
| 5 | National Indemnity | $3,240 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Besides the minimum legally required coverages, full coverage includes the following:
- Comprehensive coverage: Pays for damage to your car not caused by a crash, such as hail or vandalism. Also covers theft.
- Collision coverage: Pays for damage to your car after a crash, regardless of who was at fault.
Cheap car insurance for drivers with prior incidents
Having a less-than-perfect driving history may mean you'll pay more for car insurance than if you have a clean record. It also makes it even more important to shop around for the best rates; in this situation, finding the best deal for you could save you thousands of dollars per year.
Find the best rates if you've:
Cheapest car insurance in Portland after an accident
One major cause of higher car insurance rates is being at fault in an accident, because insurers have found that drivers who have been at fault in one crash are more likely to be at fault again in the future.
State Farm had the best rates for drivers after an at-fault crash in Portland; it charged our sample driver just $2,277 per year. That's less than half the typical rate across all insurers.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $2,277 |
| 2 | COUNTRY | $2,757 |
| 3 | Progressive | $3,830 |
| 4 | American Family | $4,602 |
| 5 | National Indemnity | $4,969 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Cheapest car insurance for people with a speeding ticket: State Farm
Getting a speeding ticket can be frustratingly expensive for a momentary slip, and it can impact your car insurance rates, too.
In our research, State Farm had the best prices for drivers with a speeding ticket in Portland. It offered a typical rate of $1,915 after one speeding ticket, which is nearly 50% cheaper than the average across all insurers.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $1,915 |
| 2 | COUNTRY | $2,653 |
| 3 | Progressive | $3,122 |
| 4 | American Family | $3,423 |
| 5 | National Indemnity | $3,948 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: State Farm
If you've been convicted of a DUI, one of the most serious driving offenses, you're likely to see a big increase in car insurance rates. On average, we found that a Portland driver with one DUI will pay $4,550 for a full coverage policy — that's 56% more than a driver without one.
We found that State Farm had the best rates for a DUI driver. They only raised our sample driver's rates by $181 per year.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $1,915 |
| 2 | Progressive | $2,731 |
| 3 | COUNTRY | $3,094 |
| 4 | Allstate | $5,083 |
| 5 | American Family | $5,360 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Drivers with DUIs on their record in Oregon may also need an SR-22 form. In this case, we recommend letting each insurer know when you request quotes, as it could impact your costs.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with poor credit: State Farm
Your credit score isn't necessarily indicative of your driving skills, but having bad credit can still make your insurance rates go up.
In Portland, State Farm has the best insurance prices for bad credit. Its average rate was $2,568 per year for full coverage, which was $422 cheaper than COUNTRY Financial, the second-cheapest option.
See our full guide on how to get car insurance with bad credit.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $2,568 |
| 2 | COUNTRY | $2,990 |
| 3 | Progressive | $3,108 |
| 4 | Geico | $3,555 |
| 5 | National Indemnity | $3,686 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Cheapest car insurance for married drivers: COUNTRY Financial
Car insurance companies often give married drivers a lower rate for car insurance because they tend to take fewer risks behind the wheel.
For married Portland drivers, we found that COUNTRY's rates were the most affordable, at $1,680 for a one-year full coverage policy. That's a savings of $343 off of COUNTRY's normal rates.
Note that these rates don't factor in multi-car discounts, which can bring down the rates for married drivers even more.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | COUNTRY | $1,680 |
| 2 | State Farm | $1,734 |
| 3 | Progressive | $1,920 |
| 4 | American Family | $2,870 |
| 5 | National Indemnity | $2,959 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Cheapest car insurance for young drivers: State Farm
Teenagers typically pay the most for car insurance of any group, as they're less experienced behind the wheel and get in crashes much more often.
We found that State Farm has the best rates for 18-year-olds in Portland, with a typical price of $2,319 for a minimum coverage policy.
That's more than $1,000 cheaper per year than the second-cheapest option, COUNTRY, and about half the average cost citywide.
Younger drivers can often reduce what they'll pay for car insurance by qualifying for a good student discount.
Rank | Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | $2,319 |
| 2 | COUNTRY | $3,327 |
| 3 | Geico | $4,348 |
| 4 | Allstate | $4,489 |
| 5 | American Family | $4,884 |
*USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Best auto insurance companies in Portland, Oregon
For more on the best insurance companies in Oregon, see our full review of Oregon insurance companies.
While finding a cheap rate for car insurance is great, it's also crucial that you have an insurer you can count on. We found that USAA, American Family and State Farm were the best-reviewed insurers in the Portland area. These companies had very highly rated service in our national survey of insurer quality.
Average car insurance cost in Portland, by ZIP code
One factor that can impact your car insurance rates is where in Portland you live. We found that rates can differ by as much as $724 for full coverage or $446 for minimum protection, depending on which ZIP code you live in. Here's the full breakdown of rates by ZIP code in Portland.
ZIP code | Full coverage | State-minimum coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 97201 | $2,653 | $1,261 |
| 97202 | $2,899 | $1,427 |
| 97203 | $2,971 | $1,450 |
| 97204 | $2,878 | $1,407 |
| 97205 | $2,772 | $1,321 |
Auto theft statistics in Portland
Car theft is very common in Portland when compared to other cities in Oregon. More than 6,400 cars were stolen in Portland in 2019, at a rate of 9.7 cars stolen per 1,000 residents. That's worse than any other city in the state, even when controlling for population, and nearly double the rate of Salem, Oregon's second-biggest city.
Theft rank (five biggest cities) | City | Population | Motor vehicle theft | Motor vehicle theft per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 662,114 | 6,432 | 9.71 |
| 2 | Gresham | 110,692 | 1,043 | 9.42 |
| 3 | Salem | 175,867 | 842 | 4.79 |
| 4 | Eugene | 173,183 | 606 | 3.50 |
| 5 | Hillsboro | 110,549 | 210 | 1.90 |
Motor vehicle theft data was pulled from the FBI 2019 Oregon Crime Report.
Minimum car insurance requirements in Portland, Oregon
Oregon has relatively comprehensive car insurance requirements compared to most other states, requiring liability insurance, uninsured motorist protection and personal injury protection. Below, you can see the full breakdown:
- $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person
- $50,000 of bodily injury liability per accident
- $20,000 of property damage liability
- $25,000 of uninsured motorist insurance per person
- $50,000 of uninsured motorist insurance per accident
- $15,000 of personal injury protection
The liability portion is likely too small for most drivers. If your car is worth over $3,000 or less than 10 years old, we strongly recommend you add comprehensive and collision insurance, as well.
Methodology
To determine the best rates in Portland, we collected quotes from nine of the largest insurers in Oregon. Our sample driver was a 30-year-old man who drove a 2015 Honda Civic EX. Unless otherwise stated, the driver had average credit and received rates for a minimum coverage policy.
In instances where our sample driver was comparing rates for a full coverage policy, the following limitations were used:
Coverage type | Study limits |
|---|---|
| Bodily liability | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Personal injury protection | $10,000 |
| Property damage | $25,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Comprehensive and collision | $500 deductible |
ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your own quotes may be different.
Sources:
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.