Updated July 2026
What Is Full Coverage Car Insurance Insurance?
Full coverage car insurance is an industry term for a policy that includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage together. Liability covers damage you cause to others. Collision covers your vehicle in a crash regardless of fault. Comprehensive covers non-collision damage like theft, vandalism, hail, or hitting an animal. Washington law requires only liability coverage, but full coverage is the standard when you finance or lease a vehicle.
- You slide through a stop sign on a rainy morning in Spokane and hit another car. The other driver has $8,000 in vehicle damage and $4,000 in medical bills. Your car has $6,500 in damage. Liability pays the other driver's $12,000 in costs. Collision pays your $6,500 repair minus your deductible. Without collision coverage, you pay the $6,500 out of pocket.
- Your car is stolen from a Seattle parking garage and recovered two weeks later with $3,200 in damage to the ignition, door locks, and interior. Comprehensive coverage pays the $3,200 repair minus your deductible. Collision does not apply because no crash occurred. Liability-only policies leave you with the full bill.
- A severe hailstorm causes $4,800 in dents and cracked glass across your vehicle. Comprehensive coverage pays the claim minus your deductible. This is a non-collision event, so collision coverage does not apply. If you carry only liability and collision, you pay the $4,800 yourself.
Who Needs Full Coverage Car Insurance Insurance?
Full coverage is necessary if you finance or lease your vehicle — the lender will require it in the loan agreement. It's also worth carrying if your car is worth more than $4,000 and you can't afford to replace it out of pocket after a crash or theft. Drivers with at-fault accident history benefit because collision coverage pays regardless of who caused the crash.
Calculate your car's current value using Kelley Blue Book or a similar tool. If full coverage premiums over two years exceed your car's value, and you have savings to cover a total loss, liability-only makes financial sense. If you'd need a loan to replace the car, or if your vehicle is worth over $5,000, full coverage protects you from that risk.
How Much Does Full Coverage Car Insurance Insurance Cost?
Full coverage in Washington typically adds $95 to $180 per month compared to liability-only policies, or approximately $1,140 to $2,160 annually.
- Your vehicle's actual cash value — higher-value cars cost more to insure because collision and comprehensive claims pay based on repair or replacement cost.
- Deductible selection — choosing a $1,000 deductible instead of $500 lowers your premium by 15 to 25 percent but increases your out-of-pocket cost per claim.
- Driving record — at-fault accidents and moving violations in the past three years raise full coverage premiums more sharply than liability-only premiums.
- Location within Washington — Seattle and Tacoma have higher comprehensive claim rates due to theft and vandalism, increasing premiums compared to rural counties.
- Credit-based insurance score — Washington allows insurers to use credit history in pricing, and full coverage premiums are more sensitive to credit score than liability premiums.
- Annual mileage — drivers logging over 15,000 miles per year face higher collision risk and pay 10 to 20 percent more for full coverage.