Washington car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs
Last updated: November 12, 2026
Washington drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 of bodily injury liability and $10,000 of property damage liability. In 2023, insured drivers in Washington spent an average of $1,152.50 on car insurance, 10% below the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes Washington the 25th most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.
Minimum car insurance required in Washington
| Coverage | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $25,000 |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $50,000 |
| Property damage liability, per accident | $10,000 |
You'll often see this written as 25/50/10. The first two numbers are the bodily injury limits in thousands of dollars (per person and per accident), and the last is property damage. Those amounts are the most the policy pays for injuries and damage you cause to others. Anything above them can come back to you personally.
Is Washington a no-fault state?
No. Washington isn't one of the 12 no-fault states listed by the Insurance Information Institute, so the driver who causes a crash, and their insurer, is generally responsible for the other people's injuries and damage. That's why the liability limits above matter so much.
SR-22 rules in Washington
Washington's Department of Licensing (DOL) requires proof of financial responsibility from drivers convicted of certain offenses, drivers who haven't paid crash judgments, and drivers or owners involved in certain crashes. You can meet it with an SR-22 from an approved insurer, a $60,000 certificate of deposit issued by the DOL, or a $60,000 liability bond.
In most cases, you have to keep it for three years from the date you're eligible to reinstate your license. DOL says processing can take 7 to 10 business days.
Read more: what an SR-22 is and how it works.
What drives car insurance costs in Washington
Average spending in Washington rose 8% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:
| Year | Washington average | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $1,068.26 | $1,075.08 |
| 2020 | $1,035.25 | $1,047.76 |
| 2021 | $1,029.51 | $1,060.23 |
| 2022 | $1,048.33 | $1,124.45 |
| 2023 | $1,152.50 | $1,281.60 |
The NAIC's "average expenditure" is total written premium divided by insured vehicles. It isn't a quote, and your own price depends on your driver profile and the coverage you choose.
- Uninsured drivers. An estimated 19.1% of drivers in Washington were uninsured in 2023, higher than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 10th highest rate among the 50 states and D.C. When more drivers are uninsured, insured drivers' own uninsured motorist coverage pays more claims, which pushes up its price.
- Crash deaths. Washington recorded 730 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.21 per 100 million miles driven, higher than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 23rd highest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
- Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 40% of Washington's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 34% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 21% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).
Ways to save on car insurance in Washington
- Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in Washington can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
- Don't drop uninsured motorist coverage to save money. With roughly 1 in 5 drivers in Washington uninsured, it's what pays your injury bills if one of them hits you. How UM coverage works.
- Shop at renewal. Even where prices rise more slowly, your own renewal can jump after a claim, a move or a new car. When to compare.
- Pick a deductible you can actually pay. Raising it lowers your premium, but only if you could cover it after a claim. How deductibles work.
- Ask about discounts. Common ones include safe driver, multi-car, bundling, paying in full, good student and usage-based programs. They're not always applied automatically.
See other states in our car insurance guides by state.
Sources
- Insurance Information Institute, Automobile Financial Responsibility Limits and Enforcement by State (as of July 2024)
- NAIC, 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (June 2025), Table 4: average expenditure
- Insurance Information Institute, Background on: No-fault auto insurance
- Washington DOL, Financial responsibility (SR-22)
- Insurance Information Institute / Insurance Research Council, Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists (2023 estimates)
- IIHS-HLDI, Fatality Facts 2024: State by state
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