Top 10 Washington DC Car Insurance Companies

If you�re going to drive a registered vehicle on the streets of the District of Columbia, otherwise known as Washington D.C., you will need to be able prove the capability to pay for any hurt or property damage you may cause while doing so. Compare car insurance with our FREE ZIP code search!

This capability for most people involves being able to show proof of automotive insurance, and at a minimum it needs to be able provide up to $25,000 per individual who is hurt by your actions while driving.

There�s a bit more detail involved than just that criteria, but generally you need to be able to financial restore people back to their status quo if the accident is your fault.

Having insurance in the District of Columbia is a good idea too. Washington D.C. ranked in the top three of the most dangerous places to drive in the U.S., according to Allstate Insurance.

This status was based on accident statistics and the D.C. area having a higher crash rate than the national average and all other states.

Companies

For Washington D.C. a number of insurance providers are available and able to sell auto insurance coverage. However, not every one of these providers is the best agency to work with. Further, not every insurance company may be willing or able to provide the specific insurance policy every case desires for coverage in D.C. as home territory.

Based on a 2009 study, the following D.C. operating auto insurance providers had the most measurable statistics with regards to customer service. While there were more than 50 providers tracked providing insurance in the Washington D.C. area, only the following eight companies listed below provided enough statistics to compare properly:

Company Year Premiums $m’s Complaints Complaint Ratio

Liberty Mutual Group 2009 7.24 1 0.13
Erie Insurance Group 2009 4.54 1 0.22
Unitrin Group 2009 0.36 1 2.76
United Service Automobile Association Group 2009 18.94 2 0.1
Bankers Independent Insurance Company 2009 4.03 2 0.49
State Farm Group 2009 51.19 5 0.09
Nationwide Corporation Group 2009 15.28 6 0.39
Geico Group 2009 89.31 8 0.09

Clearly, based on the comparison above, Liberty Mutual, Unitrin and Erie Insurance scored much better in customer service and the least amount of complaints than their competitors. Two that are well known via marketing scored far lower than the group leaders, despite their marketing and advertising on television as well as print media.

Top Car Insurance Companies List

The following are some of the best car insurance companies in Washington DC:

Liberty Mutual Group – a nationwide insurer that provides insurance coverage for auto, home, and life estate planning. Liberty’s services can be found in all 50 states, sold through insurance agents and brokerages. Established in 1912, Liberty provides insurance protection both to private individuals and businesses covering all kinds of needs.
Erie Insurance Group – started as a auto insurance provider as early as 1925, Erie has expanded into the general markets of insurance (home, business, auto, and life), and today operates in 11 states, predominantly favoring the East Coast and Washington D.C.
Unitrin Group – also known as Unitrin Direct Auto Insurance, works as a subsidiary of Kemper Corporation. The company is large with 6 million active policyholders and $8 billion in coverage assets to address policy claims. Unitrin works in all 50 states, providing coverage for vehicles both for private and business policyholders.
United Services Automobile Association Group – better known as USAA, United Services offers insurance products to all current and former military service members and their relatives. USAA’s products include auto, home, life, and property insurance coverage. The company also provides banking and investment services as well. USAA operates in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia.
Bankers Independent Insurance Company – A younger insurance company that began in 1985, Bankers Independent works as a smalltime insurance player based out of Pennsylvania. The company works with a small asset base of $25 million with $10.2 million in reserve.
State Farm Group – State Farm insurance operates as a largescale insurance provider working in all 50 states and Washington D.C. Products offered include auto, home, life, and various insurance products in between. The State Farm logo sticker is as common on the back of covered cars as other familiar car insurance names.
Nationwide Corporation Group – Nationwide has been in the insurance as well for a significant amount of time, with operations dating back to 1925. Today, the company operates in insurance and banking as well as financial services for investment. Similar to the other big players in the industry, Nationwide sells insurance policies in all of the states as well as Washington D.C.
Geico – easily identified with the green, gecko lizard on its television commercials, Geico focuses much of its marketing on vehicle insurances for cars, motorcycles, boats and ATVs. However, not so well known, Geico also offers insurance products on flood, life, property, and homeowner’s coverage. Largely accessible nationwide, Geico services cover and can be found in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia.

Tips

Whichever provider you may choose, remember that having some kind of adequate auto insurance is a requirement in Washington D.C. If you get caught without any insurance, you will be subject to at least a civil penalty. This financial charge by the municipality will be at least $30 for not being able to show insurance proof and $150 if you don�t have it all.

However, the charge doesn�t stop there. If you don�t secure insurance within a month of being caught, an additional penalty charging $7/day will be incurred until proof can be substantiated.

Keep in mind that auto insurance providers can be rated a number of ways that may influence customer service ratings or comparisons. So just looking at very general statistics above does not tell the whole story. Washington D.C. insurers are subject to the same issues as insurers elsewhere in the nation, including complaints that have to do with:

Denied claims
Taking too long to process a settlement
Insufficient payout amounts on claims
Pressure to use the insurer�s mechanic for repairs instead of an independent repair shop
Inadequate repairs from the referred mechanic
Expensive and increasing premium costs for the same service
Exorbitant increases of premiums after an accident is recorded
No personal touch to services, everything seems bureaucratic
Billing problems

In most of these cases, the customers don�t realize the issue with the particular insurance provider until they get into the situation where coverage is needed. Then the problems generating the complaints seem to surface.�For those doing comparisons of Washington D.C. auto insurance providers, the best approach involves a bit of research, much of which can be done online.

A great source for understanding whether a company treats people wrong or well involves consumer opinion reports. Some of that information is provided above specific to D.C. providers, but there are a number of other reports available on the Internet. Additional, paid information sites can provide data as well, but these all should be treated as indicators or signals to look at a company closer if statistics point out potential problems. For example, it may just be that a particular insurer has been seeing a rash of insignificant claims which is not what auto insurance is intended to deal with.

Repair shops in the D.C. area are also going to be a good resource. Given the nature of their business, mechanics are going to be familiar with which auto insurers provide quick processing and fair settlements versus those that are being cheap or nickel-and-diming every transaction, to the loss of the customer.

In many states a regulatory agency exists that is in charge of insurance providers. These government agencies frequently keep reports on the number of complaints and problems people have with particular insurance companies. Again, many of these reports can now be found on the Internet at the agency�s website.

Finally, using sites that give you detailed cost comparisons of D.C. providers can give you a detailed window on who is charging outrageous insurance prices versus those that are in the middle of the pack or low. Don�t just choose a provider based on price. Combine the quote information with the other data you collect above and then make a decision whom to go with if they offer a coverage type you are looking for.

No insurance provider in Washington D.C. or elsewhere for that matter will be a perfect provider forever. So once you do have a policy, make a point to review that agreement and premium price every other year, also comparing it with services offered by competitors.

You may find that at some point it�s worth the trouble to jump ship to another company. Or you may find that you�re still in a good position with the provider you have. It�s worth the review both to your wallet and your coverage when you may actually need to file a car insurance claim.