The best way to buy cheap auto insurance in Oregon is to maintain a clean driving record, regardless of any other factors. Age, gender, and multiple policies play a part, as do geographic location, prior insurance coverage, good credit, and other statistical indicators.

There are two basic distinctions between companies providing insurance in Oregon: standard and preferred. Standard companies insure high-risk drivers; preferred companies insure preferred drivers—those with good records and prior insurance. Many companies have both a preferred and a standard division. Farmers is a preferred company, but the Farmers Insurance Group includes Mid-Century Insurance, a standard company. Mid-Century prices are much higher than Farmers’ prices. Progressive Insurance is standard, but offers competitive rates to good drivers.

Prior insurance weighs heavily. Most companies hold the view that lack of prior insurance means lack of driving experience or driving without insurance, which is not only illegal, but risky. A driver lacking proof of prior insurance will automatically go to a high-risk division, as will a driver with numerous tickets or accidents.

Unmarried males under 21 go to high-risk rates. Female drivers under 21 should shop around, if they have clean records and good grades. Grades are an indicator of responsibility, and many companies offer discounts. Older drivers find shopping for cheap insurance difficult, as well; an Over 55 Defensive Driving course offers a discount, but after age 69, rates rise with each decade of age.

Oregon requires $25,000/$50,000 in auto liability. The lowest coverage equals the lowest rate. Rates vary widely according to geographic location: if the car is garaged in Multnomah County (Portland Metro), with its freeways, heavy traffic and proportionally higher accident rate, insurance costs are higher than in sparsely populated Baker County. In Coos County, small-town and rural, a full-coverage, $100,000/$300,000 policy on an average sedan may be purchased by a good driver for around $250-$300 for six months. Rates are comparable among State Farm, Travelers, Grange, and other preferred companies. The same policy will cost about $400-$450 in Portland.

Credit scores are given strong consideration in Allstate and some other companies, making them less competitive for good drivers with poor credit.

Put simply, the cheapest auto insurance in Oregon is offered to a middle-aged driver with excellent credit, prior insurance, and no tickets or accidents in three years, who insures both home and auto in the same company. And lives in the country.