How Much Car Insurance Do You Really Need in Washington and Oregon?

Washington and Oregon both set a minimum amount of liability insurance you need to drive legally. It's rarely enough protection for a family with a house, a paycheck, and savings to lose. Here's how we'd think it through with you.

What is the legal minimum in Washington and Oregon?

Washington requires 25,000 dollars of coverage for injury to one person, 50,000 dollars per accident, and 10,000 dollars for property damage. Oregon requires the same injury limits but 20,000 dollars for property damage, and it adds personal injury protection and uninsured motorist coverage on every personal auto policy.

You'll hear those three liability numbers as shorthand: 25/50/10 in Washington, 25/50/20 in Oregon. The first two are what the policy pays for injuries you cause, per person and per accident. The third is what it pays for property you damage, which usually means the other person's car.

Why is the state minimum usually not enough?

Because those numbers sound big until you price out a real crash. Anything over your limit is yours to pay, and the person you hit can come after your savings, your home equity, and in some cases your wages for the difference.

Take a property damage claim at Washington's minimum:

• You carry the state minimum of $10,000 for property damage
• You rear-end a three year old SUV and total it, at $38,000
• Your policy pays the first $10,000
• The remaining $28,000 is yours

Injury limits work the same way, and they run out faster. One ambulance ride, an emergency room visit, and a short hospital stay can reach $25,000 by themselves, before anyone mentions lost wages or a second injured passenger. So we usually suggest higher liability limits than the state requires. The premium difference is often smaller than people expect, since the extra coverage sits on top of the layer you're already paying for. If you want more protection than an auto policy will write, a personal umbrella policy sits on top of it and picks up where the auto policy stops.

What happens if the other driver is not insured?

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is built for exactly this, and it's the coverage we push hardest for. It pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance, or only carries the state minimum and your injuries cost far more. In both states it's included at limits matching your liability coverage unless you signed a form declining it. Check your own policy, because plenty of people declined it years ago and don't remember doing it.

Both states also have uninsured motorist property damage, which repairs your own vehicle after an uninsured driver hits it. In Washington it comes with your underinsured motorist coverage unless you reject it in writing, and Oregon insurers must offer at least $20,000 of it.

Do you need collision and comprehensive coverage?

That depends on the vehicle, since neither Washington nor Oregon requires them. Liability protects other people; collision and comprehensive protect your own car.

• Financed or leased: your lender almost certainly requires both, so the decision is made for you
• Newer and paid off: usually worth carrying, because replacing the vehicle out of pocket is the risk you are buying down
• Small extras like roadside assistance and rental reimbursement cost little and are worth asking about for the way you actually drive

How we help you pick the limits

Because we're independent, we quote you with several carriers at once and put the numbers side by side, so you can see what 100/300/100 costs compared to 25/50/10 instead of guessing. Most people who raise their limits decide to once they see the difference on paper. We'll also check whether your uninsured motorist coverage is still on the policy, whether bundling your auto and home policies lowers both, and whether you're getting every discount you qualify for. It usually takes about fifteen minutes on the phone.