Buy Cheap Oregon Auto Insurance in 2024

In the U.S., Oregon isn’t one of the cheapest states on average for auto insurance, which means drivers need to take more time to find cheap auto insurance. The best way to discover which Oregon car insurance company is best for you when shopping for car insurance is to compare average rates at different companies based on your major driving factors and coverage needs. 

For instance, a company that usually has the cheapest Oregon auto insurance may become one of the most expensive companies for drivers with a DUI. To help you through the work of comparing cheap car insurance companies in Oregon, we compiled which companies are the cheapest for various types of drivers, additional saving tips, and more. 

Finding Cheap Car Insurance in Oregon 

Searching for cheap car insurance isn’t as simple as Googling the cheapest car insurance in Oregon. Car insurance companies vary drastically in prices for different drivers and coverage choices. To get an idea of which companies you should start getting quotes from, continue reading to get an idea of all the available options for cheap car insurance in Oregon based on multiple driver needs. 

Cheapest Insurance for Minimum Liability Coverage 

Every driver in Oregon must carry the minimum liability auto insurance required by the state, so it is important to pick a company with cheap rates for basic policies if you opt to carry the minimum insurance policy.

On average, minimum liability insurance costs $53 per month, or $636 a year. However, this average varies greatly from company to company, as you can see below from the average insurance rates by company. 

State Farm auto insurance has some of the cheapest rates in Oregon for minimum liability car insurance, along with Travelers auto insurance and Geico auto insurance. If you’ve decided just to carry minimum liability insurance, you may be able to save hundreds of dollars by sticking to one of the cheapest companies rather than choosing a more expensive one like Allstate. 

Cheapest Insurance for Full Coverage 

Full coverage auto insurance is one of the best options if you desire more protection than just the state-required minimum auto insurance policies. In addition to liability insurance, it also provides collision and comprehensive insurance. 

Of course, more coverage means higher prices. Full coverage car insurance in Oregon costs around $116 per month, or $1,392 a year, but this average rate varies among car insurance companies. 

State Farm and Travelers have some of the cheapest average rates for full-coverage insurance policies. On the other hand, Allstate and Liberty Mutual have some of the most expensive rates on average for full coverage insurance. 

Staying away from the more expensive car insurance companies in Oregon will give you more financial leeway to purchase more coverage. After all, full coverage is the best option for most drivers. Full coverage will also pay for damages from incidents outside of your control, such as weather damage or animal collisions. 

So if you can afford a full coverage policy, you should consider purchasing it over purchasing just a minimum liability insurance policy. Otherwise, you could be unable to afford car repairs after an accident, leaving you without a car until you can save up the money to fix it. 

Cheapest Insurance for Young Drivers 

Due to their relative inexperience with driving, young drivers have higher insurance rates on average. The higher rates help offset the risk of paying out multiple insurance claims that insurance companies will take on by insuring young drivers.

However, taking care to shop around at the different companies in Oregon will help young drivers find the cheapest auto insurance for teenage drivers. 

State Farm, Nationwide, Geico, and other similarly priced companies are some of the most affordable choices for young drivers. It is best to avoid companies like Progressive or Farmers, where average rates are a few thousand dollars more per year for young drivers than the average rates at the cheapest companies. 

We want to note, too, that these rates are for young drivers purchasing their insurance policies. You can stay on your parents’ car insurance as long as you live at home with your parents or are away at college. This is often significantly cheaper.

Parents and guardians can usually also get a student away from home discount if their child attends school at least 100 miles away and doesn’t have a car when at school. Some companies offer good student discounts for teens with at least B+ averages. 

Cheapest Insurance for Bad Credit Drivers 

It may initially seem that bad credit has nothing to do with car insurance rates. However, bad credit scores suggest to insurance companies that the driver has a higher chance of missing payments. And when it comes to auto insurance, missed payments are a big deal.

If drivers don’t pay their missed payments by the end of the insurance company’s grace period, they will be dropped by their insurance company and drive illegally without insurance. 

So if you have a bad credit score, insurance companies will assume that you are more likely to miss payments and charge you more to offset that risk. However, paying more for car insurance can make it harder to fix your credit score, so it’s important to pick a company that offers cheap auto insurance for drivers with bad credit. 

If you have a bad credit score, it is best to avoid companies like Allstate, whose average rate is almost twice that of the cheapest companies for bad credit scores. Instead, better choices of companies for savings would be Geico or Travelers, where the rates are more forgiving for drivers with bad credit scores. 

Cheapest Insurance for At-Fault Accident Drivers

Car insurance rates change after an accident, especially if you are at-fault. An at-fault accident may raise rates by hundreds of dollars, if not more, as you are now considered a high-risk driver by your insurance company.

Below, you can see the average rates at different Oregon companies for drivers with an at-fault accident on their record. 

State Farm tends to have some of the cheaper auto insurance rates in Oregon for drivers with at-fault accidents on their record, whereas Allstate and Progressive are some of the most expensive companies. 

If you are worried about your car insurance rates increasing after your first at-fault accident, you should look into companies that offer accident-forgiveness programs. With these programs, you are forgiven your first at-fault accident, meaning you won’t have rate increases. This can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. 

Some auto insurance companies offer this option for free to drivers who have been with the company for a few years and have been accident-free. You may have to pay a fee to join the accident-free program at other companies.

Regardless of the option, joining an accident-free program can save you a large sum of money after your first accident, as your rates won’t go up. 

Cheapest Insurance for Traffic Ticket Drivers 

Traffic tickets raise a driver’s car insurance rates, as traffic tickets show a driver is at a higher risk of driving recklessly and therefore crashing. Some traffic tickets that will raise your insurance rates include reckless driving and speeding tickets.

So if you have a parking ticket, don’t worry. Non-moving violation tickets like parking tickets won’t raise your auto insurance rates like moving violation traffic tickets. 

However, suppose you have a recent moving violation traffic ticket. In that case, you can expect your car insurance rates to be raised to something similar to the average rates by companies displayed below. 

Allstate has some of the highest average car insurance rates by far for drivers with a traffic ticket on their record. If you have one or more traffic tickets, you should instead consider companies like State Farm to see if you can find savings on your policy. 

Cheapest Insurance for DUI Drivers

A DUI is one of the worst offenses drivers can have on their driving records, as a DUI often raises rates more than traffic tickets, bad credit, or at-fault accidents.

Drivers who have been recently convicted of a DUI need to take the time to shop around for different insurance quotes to see if they can find a cheaper auto insurance rate elsewhere. Otherwise, they could pay a lot for auto insurance after a DUI. 

State Farm has some of the cheapest rates on average for DUI offenders. In comparison, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars more, if not a thousand more, at companies like Allstate. 

Cheapest Cities in Oregon for Insurance 

Your location in Oregon can significantly impact your insurance rates. Multiple factors related to areas, such as crime or weather, can impact how much you are charged for car insurance coverage.

On average, Portland has some of the most expensive auto insurance rates, whereas moving to cities like Eugene will see cheaper car insurance rates. 

While it’s not practical to pick up and move to different cities to get better auto insurance rates, shopping around your city for quotes can help you find which insurance provider is the cheapest.

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Additional Tips for Saving on Oregon Car Insurance 

There are other things you can do to save besides shopping around and comparing rates at different auto insurance companies in Oregon.

In addition to comparing rates for the best car insurance in Oregon, drivers can also do the following: 

• Apply for car insurance discounts. Sometimes, some car insurance discounts won’t be automatically applied to your policy until you apply for them, such as a defensive driving discount or a good student discount. 
• Buy usage-based insurance. If you drive less than 10,000 miles per year, you may want to consider usage-based insurance, where you pay a low daily rate and a tiny per-mile rate for insurance. 
• Choose a cheaper car to insure. The car you own greatly affects how much you pay for auto insurance. Choosing a car with affordable replacement parts that perform well in a crash is a good starting point. 
• Drop non-vital insurance coverages. You can drop extra add-on coverages like roadside assistance. If your car is greatly depreciated in value and old, you may consider dropping full coverage and carrying just minimum liability insurance. 
• Raise insurance deductibles. Upping your auto insurance deductible will reduce your auto insurance rates, as you agree to pay more towards repairs after an accident. 

Following these tips can help you reduce your insurance rates. Just be careful not to go overboard on dropping coverages or raising your insurance deductibles too much to get cheap insurance in Oregon. For example, if your car is newer, you should still carry full coverage to make sure you don’t have to pay for your own car repairs or replacements after an accident. 

You also shouldn’t raise your deductibles beyond an amount you are willing and able to pay out of pocket. Otherwise, you may be stuck waiting for car repairs as you save up the money to pay for them after an accident. 

Oregon Insurance and DUI Laws 

The insurance laws in Oregon will affect how much you pay for car insurance, as states that require more insurance coverage will result in drivers having to pay more. DUI laws can also impact rates, as the requirements for DUI offenders can include carrying expensive high-risk auto insurance. To learn about Oregon’s insurance and DUI laws, read on. 

Minimum Insurance Coverages Required in Oregon 

Drivers who live in Oregon must carry bodily injury liability insurance, property damage liability insurance, personal injury protection car insurance, and uninsured motorist coverage.

Each of these coverages works to protect drivers as follows: 

• Bodily injury liability insurance. If you cause an accident, bodily injury liability insurance will pay for the other parties’ injury damages up to the coverage limit. 
• Property damage liability insurance. If you cause an accident, property damage liability insurance will pay for the other parties’ property damage bills up to the coverage limit. 
• Personal injury protection insurance. If you are in an accident, personal injury protection insurance will pay for you and your passengers’ medical bills up to the coverage limit, regardless of who caused the accident. 
• Uninsured motorist insurance. If the driver who hits you doesn’t have insurance, uninsured motorist insurance will pay for your accident costs. 

Because Oregon requires a greater range of auto insurance coverages, you can expect your basic costs to be a bit higher than if you lived in another state.

The coverage limit required for each of these coverages is as follows: 

• Bodily injury liability insurance: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident 
• Property damage liability insurance: $20,000 per accident 
• Personal injury protection insurance: $15,000 per person 
• Uninsured motorist insurance: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident 

Depending upon your budget and risk level, you may wish to carry a higher limit on some of the required auto insurance companies than what is required by Oregon. 

For example, if you have caused accidents in the past or your area has a high number of expensive vehicles, $20,000 of property damage liability insurance may not be enough protection. And since any costs beyond your insurance company’s limit are your responsibility, carrying higher limits than required ensures you are better protected financially. 

Optional Insurance Coverages in Oregon 

Besides the required Oregon auto insurance coverages listed in the previous section, the majority of insurance coverages in Oregon are optional and up to the driver’s discretion as to what they want to add to their insurance policy.

The exception is if drivers own a car with a lease or loan. In these cases, the lender often has in the contract that drivers must carry comprehensive and collision insurance on the leased vehicle. 

In all other cases, however, the following car insurance coverages will be optional for Oregon drivers. 

• Comprehensive insurance 
• Collision insurance 
• GAP insurance
• Modified car insurance 
• New car replacement insurance 
• Roadside assistance insurance 
• Umbrella Insurance 

Two of the most popular coverages that drivers choose to add to their policies are comprehensive and collision insurance, as these coverages form a full coverage insurance policy when added to the state minimum.

Comprehensive insurance will pay for any of your repairs, from damages from animal collisions, weather, vandalism, falling objects, and more. Collision insurance will pay for your repairs if you crash into another vehicle or a stationary object, such as a mailbox.  

DUI Penalties in Oregon 

A DUI in Oregon shouldn’t be taken lightly, as the penalties for a conviction are steep. Convicted drivers may face some or all of the consequences for impaired driving:

• Community service 
• Ignition interlock device 
• Jail time 
• License suspension 
• Multiple fines and fees 
• Probation 
• SR-22 certificate 
• Substance abuse screening 
• Substance abuse treatment 
• Victim impact panel attendance 

A majority of these penalties also come with additional fees. For example, drivers will have to pay to install and maintain an ignition interlock device, pay for the victim impact panel, and more. On top of all of this, drivers with a DUI will also have to pay much higher rates for auto insurance in Oregon. 

Therefore, the cost of a DUI can add up quickly, in addition to the consequences of being unable to drive for a while and being on probation. And while subsequent DUIs carry continuously harsher penalties, including being permanently forbidden to drive, a first DUI will still financially set drivers back. 

SR-22 Requirements in Oregon 

Certain high-risk drivers may be required to apply for an SR-22 insurance certificate, which is basically just proof that a driver is abiding by Oregon’s laws and carrying the proper insurance. High-risk drivers often need to provide an SR-22 certificate to reinstate their license, registration, and other tasks. 

Some of the high-risk drivers who may need an SR-22 certificate include the following: 

• Drivers who were caught driving without insurance. 
• Drivers who were caught driving with an expired or suspended driver’s license. 
• Drivers with multiple points on their driver’s record. 
• Drivers with serious infractions on their driving record, such as a DUI. 

You must contact your current insurance company if you need an SR-22 certificate to start driving again. However, because SR-22 certificates mean a driver is high-risk, you can expect your auto insurance rates to be higher than before your driving offense. 

Your insurance company may also choose to drop you as a customer if they aren’t comfortable insuring you. However, your insurance company will have to give you adequate notice so that you aren’t abruptly left without car insurance and have time to find a new insurance company. 

If you don’t have an insurance company, you will need to let the companies know that you need an SR-22 certificate when you shop around. Keep in mind that they may choose to reject you or charge a fee for filing the SR-22 certificate.

Finally, if you don’t own a car but need an SR-22 certificate, you must purchase non-owner car insurance. A non-owner car insurance policy meets the requirements of Oregon auto insurance so that you can get the necessary SR-22 certificate. 

The Final Word on Cheap Auto Insurance in Oregon 

Because Oregon requires more insurance coverage than other states in the U.S., you may notice that your insurance rates are slightly higher than in other states. To combat that, drivers need to choose a cheap car insurance company, evaluate their coverage needs, take advantage of discounts, and take other steps. 

If you want to start shopping around for car insurance quotes in Oregon, you can use our free quote comparison tool. It will help you find the cheapest car insurance rates in your area based on your personalized driver information.

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