Need car insurance in Western Australia? Know the requirements and find the right cover.
There are three steps to getting car insurance in WA.
- Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance. This is mandatory medical insurance for accidents on the road. CTP insurance in WA is automatically built into your car registration costs.
- Choose your damage and liability cover. In addition to CTP cover, you need to choose the type of car damage and liability insurance that works for you.
- Compare and buy online. Once you’ve found the right policy, compare it with other options and buy online. Your car is now fully insured, and you’re good to go.
Ready to compare car insurance policies for Western Australia?
What types of car insurance can I get in WA?
While CTP protects you from the cost of medical expenses incurred because of an accident, it will not cover the cost of damage of other cars or property. This is where standard car insurance comes in. For everyone, the best car insurance in WA will be a policy that delivers the right blend of cost and cover for their needs.
| Third party property | Third party property, fire and theft | Comprehensive | |
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| Personal liability |
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| Protection for your car |
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- Personal liability: Personal liability expenses result from damage to cars or other drivers in an accident. Any type of car insurance with personal liability cover will include cover for this.
- Protection for your car: Different policies will deliver varying types of protection. Get protection from fire and theft - the two most common hazards - with a fire and theft policy. Alternatively, choose wide-ranging cover with comprehensive car insurance or highly affordable personal-liability-only insurance with a third party property policy.
A good first step is making sure you're considering the right kind of cover.
- Find car for business and personal use
- Compare commercial car insurance policies
- Find car insurance for drivers over 50
- Don't drive a lot? You might want Pay As You Drive car insurance
- Carry passengers for pay? You probably need rideshare car insurance
How much does car insurance cost in WA?
The more likely you are to make a claim, the higher your premiums will be. Premiums are affected by your age, your gender, your driving history, how likely your car is to be stolen and many other factors that are known to impact accident rates.
- WA has middle-of-the-road car insurance prices relative to the rest of Australia. It’s not the cheapest state, but it’s far from the most expensive.
Rounded average annual cost of comprehensive car insurance for recent model cars in WA
| Under 25 | 25 to 29 | 30 to 44 | 45+ | |
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- Stamp duty: Different financial services are taxed at different levels around Australia. In WA, the stamp duty tax is 10% of premiums. This fee is typically added to the cost of your premiums.
What car insurers can I access in WA?
You can access a similar range of car insurance in Perth, regional WA and the rest of Australia. This makes sure you can be covered all around the country. The finder.com.au car insurance panel lets you compare options from some of the nation’s top insurers, so you can compare features side by side and get quotes to find cover that works for you.
Start comparing and getting quotes, or read on to learn more about picking the out the right cover.
Why is the cost of car insurance different in Perth to the rest of Western Australia?
Insurers consider a range of different factors when setting car insurance premiums. These include:
- The make and model of the car
- The driver's age, gender and previous driving history
- The range of anti-theft features on your car or garage, and whether the car is parked under cover or not
- Your location
All the factors can make a significant difference, but location can be especially important because it affects a wide range of risk factors. In the heart of Perth, for example, all the other traffic on the roads can significantly increase the change of vehicle collisions, compared to other parts of the state.
Other drivers can also affect your car insurance, because they all contribute to other overall risk levels and accident statistics. Western Australia's long distances and wide ranges, for example, might be constricting to micro-sleeps while driving, and other dangerous behaviour behind the wheel, and Western Australia in particular seems to have riskier drivers.
Meanwhile, drivers in country areas are naturally at much greater risk of hitting kangaroos, and might also tend to drive longer distances on a regular basis. Cars in some parts of Perth might also be at higher risk of theft or vandalism. In these locations, parking in a locked garage overnight and installing anti-theft measures might significantly reduce your car insurance premiums, while it might not make as much of a different in regional WA.
The effect of these is largely down to how different insurers consider the risks, so it can pay to shop around for an insurer that offers favourable premiums for your situation. Many other factors are also subject to similar variations.
For example, one insurer might have an especially cost-effective repair and spare parts network for one particular brand, and therefore might offer lower premiums for drivers of those kinds of cars.
There are so many factors in play that it's difficult to say which one has the best value for money car insurance in WA. The perfect option for one person might not be suitable for someone else. In many cases, however, there are several ways to reduce your premiums.
How to lower the cost of car insurance in WA
There are a range of steps you can take to reduce the cost of car insurance.
- Reconsider your cover needs. If you have an old or beat-up car, it might not need comprehensive cover.
- Look for online discounts. Simply by buying online you can find significantly cheaper car insurance.
- Increase your excess. A higher excess can significantly reduce your car insurance premiums.
- Check your car insurance options. There are a range of options to choose form, such as excess-free windscreen and glass replacements. They might raise costs however, so you may want to look for cover that doesn't automatically include it.
- Shop around. If your car insurance premiums are increasing, there might be a better option somewhere else. It might be worth switching car insurance instead of renewing.
What should I look for in a car insurance policy?
Consider how some of the insurers differ to get a sense of what your ideal car insurance policy might look like, and get quotes to compare on price.
Australia Post
Australia Post car insurance can combine an effective level of protection with affordability, thanks to flexible value-adding policies that include extras such as free trailer cover, rental vehicle costs following theft and more, depending on your chosen policy.
Australia Post car insurance is the right option for individuals that want extra benefits to suit their chosen policy without necessarily needing to pay more for them.
QBE
You can tailor QBE policies to your needs. Options like excess-free windscreen and glass protection, or protection for your no-claims bonus can give you more peace of mind. All QBE car insurance policies also let you choose your own repairer to make sure you can access the service you need. Comprehensive policies include cover for vehicle tools and personal effects as well as other benefits.
QBE car insurance policies are best suited to people who look forward to tailoring their car insurance policies for more cover.
Budget Direct
Budget Direct prioritises value for money in car insurance and keeps costs down by maintaining eligibility requirements and only insuring safer drivers. For the right applicant, Budget Direct is an effective choice with lower prices and equivalent protection.
Budget Direct car insurance policies are the right choice for safer drivers, or people who’d like to find cost-effective cover by opting out of unwanted extras.
Youi
Youi strives to offer well-tailored car insurance by making policies easy to customise. This lets you find new ways to lower costs or more ways to find additional cover as needed. Opt out of the benefits you don’t want to pay for, such as unnecessary trailer cover, and select protection you do need, such as cover for campervan contents or other benefits.
Youi car insurance may be able to deliver additional flexibility for those who need it, bringing more value for your money.
Dodo
Low prices and good service are two of Dodo’s main focuses. All Dodo car insurance policies carefully match features to prices, resulting in a range of cost-effective options across different policies.
For those who appreciate simplicity and affordability, as well as a useful, but not overwhelming, level of customisability, Dodo car insurance might be the right option.
Woolworths
Features such as competitor price matching and conditional discounts for different customers can sometimes make Woolworths feel like a small insurer, despite being a major name. For more ways to save money and earn additional bonuses, without compromising the efficacy of your car insurance policy, Woolworths may be worth considering.
Bargain hunters and people who are keen on looking for discounts and managing their policies may be able to find more benefits with Woolworths.
Virgin Money
Virgin Money has two different comprehensive car insurance policies to better suit more people, so you don’t need to choose between affordability and protection. Existing Virgin customers may be able to access more rewards and other bonuses by holding policies with Virgin Money.
If you’re tempted by comprehensive car insurance but don’t want to pay for features you don’t need, or are an existing Virgin customer who’d like more ways to earn discounts and rewards, it is worth considering Virgin Money car insurance.
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