What car insurance costs in Washington, D.C.

The District's premium, line by line

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) publishes average premiums for every state and the District, built from what insurers really charged. Its newest figures are for 2023. That year the average D.C. expenditure per insured car was $1,677, up 12% from $1,501 in 2022. Expenditure mixes liability-only cars with fully covered ones; a car carrying liability, collision and comprehensive averaged $1,818.

All three lines run above the national average, but not by the same amount. Comprehensive is about 11% higher and liability about 21% higher. Collision, the coverage that repairs your own car after a crash, is about 43% higher, and no state's 2023 average topped it. The NAIC report gives the numbers, not the reasons. What you pay also depends on your record, your car and where in the city you park it; see how your address affects the price.

What D.C. law makes you carry

A policy on a car registered or principally garaged in the District must include third-party liability of at least $25,000 per injured person and $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 for property damage. That is written 25/50/10. D.C. Law 26-155, the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Amendment Act of 2026, raises the minimums to 50/100/20 from October 1, 2027, adds enhanced underinsured motorist protection that is included unless you waive it in writing, and schedules further increases every ten years from 2037.

• Uninsured motorist coverage is built in. D.C. Code § 31-2406 says policies shall include it at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries and $5,000 for property damage, with a $200 deductible on the property damage part. You can ask for more, up to 100/300 for injuries and $25,000 for property.
• Underinsured motorist coverage must be offered, in amounts up to your uninsured motorist limits. If you turn it down, the insurer doesn't have to offer it again.
• Personal injury protection is optional in D.C., but every insurer must offer it. It pays your own injury costs after a crash, within the policy's terms.

The Insurance Research Council estimates that 23.1% of District drivers were uninsured in 2023, one of the highest shares in the country. That makes the uninsured and underinsured lines worth pricing at higher limits rather than cutting; our guide to limits and deductibles covers the trade-off.

Who signs off on D.C. rates

Private passenger auto rates must be filed with the Commissioner of the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) and must be adequate, not excessive and not unfairly discriminatory. The Commissioner has 90 days after a filing to act. If no decision comes in that window, the rate is deemed approved; if the Commissioner thinks it may be excessive or unfairly discriminatory, the insurer gets notice and a chance for a hearing.

DISB's consumer guidance says the District lets insurers use a credit-based insurance score in auto pricing, but only as one factor among several, next to things like where you live, the driver's age and the vehicle. More on how credit-based scores move a premium.

If insurers turn you down

The District of Columbia Automobile Insurance Plan shares drivers who can't get coverage in the regular market among the insurers licensed to write auto policies in D.C. You need a valid D.C. driver's license and a car registered in the District, and the way in is through an insurance agent or broker. Expect to pay more than in the regular market; our page on assigned risk plans explains how to use one and how to move back out.

How to pay less in the District

1. 1 Price the same coverage at several insurers. Rates filed with DISB still differ by company. Line up two or three quotes with matching limits and deductibles.
2. 2 Look hard at collision. It is the costliest line relative to the U.S. If your car is older and worth little, compare the premium with what a claim could pay; the deductible break-even calculator helps with the deductible choice.
3. 3 Drive less, pay less. If the car sits most days, ask about low-mileage pricing or a pay-per-mile policy, where an insurer offers one.
4. 4 Call DISB if something goes wrong. The department's main line is (202) 727-8000, weekdays 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and its website takes consumer complaints.

Questions drivers ask