Determining which companies have the lowest-priced car insurance rates for 4×4 vehicles involves a little more work in order to find the best policy. Each auto insurer has their own guidelines to set policy rates, so we’ll take a look at the most competitive car insurance companies in San Diego.
It’s important that you understand San Diego, CA car insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can substantially decrease or increase the policy price. Simply having a birthday, having a teenage driver, or having an at-fault accident can cause premium changes that can make some companies more affordable than the competition.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance for 4×4’s
USAA has some of the best car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,109 per year. This is $542 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide would also make the list of some of the best San Diego, CA car insurance companies.
In the above example, if you are a policyholder with CSAA and switched to Wawanesa, you might achieve yearly savings of roughly $77. Policyholders with Nationwide might save as much as $93 a year, and 21st Century policyholders might realize rate reductions of up to $222 a year.
These premiums are averages for all drivers and vehicles in California and and are not calculated with a vehicle location for 4×4 vehicles. So the car insurance company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the list above. That emphasizes why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
One of the more important criteria that help determine the price you pay for insurance is where you live. Regions with larger populations or more claims tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents have the gratification of cheaper auto insurance rates.
The next table sorts the most costly cities in California for 4×4 vehicles to purchase car insurance in. San Diego makes the list at #19 with an annual cost of $1,381 for the average insured, which is about $115 each month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,168 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,711 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 5 | Oakland | $1,687 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 11 | Moreno Valley | $1,551 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,547 |
| 13 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 14 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 15 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 18 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 19 | San Diego | $1,381 |
| 20 | San Jose | $1,381 |
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Rate quotes are estimated as zip code location can alter price quotes substantially.
The type of vehicle you are trying to insure is a significant factor when comparing quotes for low-cost car insurance for 4×4 vehicles. Vehicles with higher performance characteristics, poor passenger safety features, or a high likelihood of having liability claims will cost much more to insure than more economical and safe models. The next table shows coverage rates for some of the most cost-effective automobiles to insure.
| Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $888 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $978 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $1,011 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $1,030 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD | $1,038 |
| Ford Focus SES 4-Dr Sedan | $1,045 |
| Honda Civic LX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,052 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $1,064 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $1,069 |
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $1,072 |
| Ford F-150 Lariat King Ranch 2WD | $1,083 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,089 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Regular Cab | $1,085 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,095 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $1,102 |
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Cost estimates assume single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in specific location information which can influence prices considerably.
Looking at the rates, you can infer that vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler, Honda CR-V, Nissan Altima, and Chevrolet Malibu are going to be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for off-road vehicles.
Full coverage versus liability only rates
Paying a lower price for car insurance is the goal of most people, and one of the best ways to save on the cost of insurance for 4×4 vehicles is to buy liability only. The example below shows the comparison of auto insurance rates with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The premium estimates are based on no claims or driving citations, $250 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are factored in.
If all age groups are averaged, physical damage coverage on your policy costs $2,314 per year over liability only. Lot’s of drivers question if paying for full coverage is a waste of money. There is no set guideline to drop full coverage, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than around 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
There are some circumstances where removing full coverage is not in your best interest. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not consider dropping full coverage.
Discount San Diego car insurance
Auto insurance companies that offer quotes for 4×4 vehicles may additionally offer policy discounts that could lower prices by as much as 25% or more if you are eligible to receive them. A list of companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are outlined below.
- GEICO offers discounts including good student, air bags, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, daytime running lights, emergency military deployment, and anti-theft.
- MetLife policyholders can earn discounts including defensive driver, good driver, claim-free, accident-free, good student, and multi-policy.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for homeowner, multi-policy, online quote discount, online signing, and good student.
- Travelers has discounts for early quote, new car, home ownership, multi-car, multi-policy, IntelliDrive, and driver training.
- SAFECO may include discounts for teen safety rewards, multi-car, bundle discounts, teen safe driver, safe driver, homeowner, and drive less.
- AAA has savings for good student, good driver, anti-theft, multi-car, pay-in-full, and AAA membership discount.
The information below visualizes the comparison of car insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The premiums are based on a female driver, no claims or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with anti-theft, accident-free, multiple policy, vehicle safety, multiple vehicle, and passive restraint discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, theaverage amount saved on car insurance for 4×4 vehicles is 28% or $738.
The illustration below highlights how deductible selection can affect insurance premiums when searching for cheap insurance for 4×4 vehicles. Data assumes a married female driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
The data above shows that a 40-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $408 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $614 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, such as the Age 20 example, can cut $1,008 each year by choosing larger deductibles on their policy. If you do raise deductibles, it will be important to have additional funds in a savings account to allow you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense associated with higher deductibles.