Western Australia (WA) is known for its abundant beauty and diverse landscapes. There’s plenty to see and explore, especially by car, from Fremantle’s lapping waterfront and Perth’s bustling city centre to Margaret River’s famed wineries.
While driving through WA is filled with wonderful views, some roads can be challenging, particularly when it comes to heavy traffic areas or remote landscapes with unpredictable wildlife. Taking out car insurance in WA is important so you can protect your car and keep adventuring.
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You can take out four different types of car insurance which will cover you both in WA and the rest of Australia. You’ll automatically get Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance when you pay for your car’s registration, but you may want to consider other options for extra cover. These include:
Comprehensive car insurance is, as the name suggests, the most wide-ranging form of insurance you can take out for your car. It covers the repair and replacement of your car if it’s affected by fire, theft, accidental damage or certain weather events. It can also cover the repair and replacement costs of any vehicles or property that are damaged in an accident where you’re at fault.
Third Party Property Damage insurance protects you against damage, liability costs and repairs to other vehicles or property in an accident. There’s no cover for repairs and replacements for your car with this type of insurance, including if it’s damaged by weather events such as fire or flood. It also doesn’t cover the cost of replacing your car should it be stolen.
This type of car insurance covers any third-party property that you damage in an accident, as well as the repair or replacement costs for your vehicle caused by theft or fire. Depending on the policy, it may also cover damage to your vehicle caused by an at-fault, uninsured driver, although repairs may only be covered up to a specified limit.
Every vehicle on Australian roads must have Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance. It’s the minimum level of car insurance in WA and is automatically included into your car registration each year. This type of insurance covers you if you’re ever responsible for someone else’s injury or death from a car accident that you cause. CTP insurance doesn’t cover damage to vehicles or property, including your own. If you do get into an accident and only hold this level of cover, you may still have significant out-of-pocket expenses.
Keep in mind that cover differs between insurers and it’s always important to read your policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to know exactly what you’ll be covered for.
While some car insurance features can come at an additional cost to your premiums, they can be worth taking out for that extra level of care if the unexpected were to happen out on the roads. Some features insurers may offer include:
The cost of comprehensive car insurance varies, depending on your insurer and personal circumstances. Some factors that commonly impact the amount you pay include the age of the driver, the type of vehicle you’re driving, where you park the car overnight (e.g. Perth or elsewhere in WA) the excess you agree on and your claims and driving history. Find out which other factors may impact your premium by reading about how car insurance is calculated.
Comprehensive car insurance is optional for all WA drivers; the only cover that’s compulsory for drivers is CTP. Other levels of cover will give you added protection against repair costs and theft, but this will come at an additional cost.
Our table provides you with a clear snapshot of the difference between each type of car insurance.
| Insurance type | Damage to your car | Damage to another person’s car or property | Damage or loss caused by theft | Injuries or death to other people in an accident |
| Comprehensive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Third Party Fire and Theft | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Third Party Property Damage | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CTP | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Please note: there are other factors that can affect your ability to claim, no matter the level of car insurance you take out. It’s therefore important that you read your policy’s PDS to be aware of any specific exclusions or conditions in your cover. | ||||
While WA is generally a safe place to call home, there are some variables that can influence the price of car insurance premiums.
WA is home to many different environments, from the coast along Perth, Broome and Albany to rural Western Australian towns like Kalgoorlie and Newman. As such, you may notice your car insurance premiums increase or decrease depending on where you park your car for example. Other factors include:
If you find that the cost of your insurance is more than you were expecting, there are ways to reduce your car insurance premium.
No matter which state you live in, there will always be someone breaking the law, whether you’re in a dense urban population like Perth or a quiet WA Outback town. According to the National Motor vehicle Theft Reduction Council, there were 3,924 car thefts in WA during 2020-2021.1 Being covered by the right level of insurance would ensure you were covered under these circumstances.
There are a few things you can do that could reduce the minimum premiums you pay on your car insurance:
Car insurance premiums can be affected by the type of vehicle you drive, as well as any modifications that may impact the car’s driving safety. Your age and driving history may also impact your premiums. Car immobilisers, antilock brakes, alarms and other anti-theft features may actually reduce your car insurance premiums.
Furthermore, parking your car in a locked garage as opposed to a busy street can help reduce the cost of your cover, especially if you’re parked in an area that has a high rate of theft or vandalism.
Read more about how car insurance is calculated.
Moving house may affect your car insurance premiums. For example, if you move to a WA postcode that has higher rates of theft, or a busy city centre like Perth where car accidents occur more frequently, you may notice a rise in your premiums, especially if you’ve come from an area of WA that’s relatively safer.
Lodging a claim, no matter who was at fault, can affect the cost of your car insurance. Both at-fault and no-fault claims may likely increase your premiums, but to varying degrees.
Since younger drivers are generally at a higher risk of car accidents, many insurance companies will charge them a higher premium as well as an additional young driver excess should they need to claim. If you’re an older driver but someone younger uses your car, you may still need to pay additional insurance to cover them. You should advise your insurer of any other driver who will use your car and be sure to review your policy’s PDS to know exactly how you’re covered.
While most insurers can cover your car against hail damage (depending on the type of cover), it can be harder to get cover for cars with pre-existing hail damage. If insurers do provide cover for hail-damaged cars, their premiums may be more expensive. For further information, read car insurance for hail damage.
If you’re travelling across WA for work and need your tools covered, car insurance can provide some cover for tools and personal contents usually an optional extra, which will likely incur a higher premium.
1 Theft Watch – 12 months to June 2021. National Motor vehicle Theft Reduction Council. 2021.
As Compare the Market’s resident expert in car insurance, Stephen works hard to make sure consumers have the facts when it comes to their car insurance, including what’s covered and how comparing policies can benefit them.
Stephen has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, and is an Allied Member of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) and helps review general insurance content on Compare the Market to ensure it accurately breaks down complex insurance topics.
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