Who Has Affordable San Diego Auto Insurance Quotes for Used Cars?

One of the many components that determine auto insurance rates is where you keep your vehicle in San Diego. More populated areas tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.

The table below ranks the highest-priced areas in California for used cars to purchase car insurance in. San Diego ranks #23 with an annual rate of $1,340 for car insurance, which is approximately $112 each month.

Premium costs are approximated as specific San Diego garaging address can raise or lower insurance rates noticeably.

The vehicle you are buying coverage for is one of the main factors when trying to find the most affordable car insurance for used cars. Vehicles with average performance, advanced safety features, or a track record of few liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than high performance models. The information below shows car insurance costs for a number of the most budget-friendly vehicles to buy coverage for.

Above prices assume single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and claim-free. Premium amounts do not factor in San Diego, CA location which can impact coverage rates significantly.

Based upon the table data, we can expect makes and models like the Honda CR-V, Ford F-150, Ford Edge, Chevrolet Impala, and Honda Accord are most likely going to be a few of the most affordable vehicles to insure for pre-owned vehicles.

Figuring out which company quotes the lowest-priced car insurance rates for used cars involves a bit more effort than just comparing rates from one or two companies.

Each auto insurance company has a different formula to determine premium rates, so we need to take a look at the lowest cost car insurance companies in California. It’s important to know that San Diego, CA car insurance rates are based on many factors that can increase the price you have to pay for coverage. Simply having another birthday, buying another vehicle, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can trigger price changes that may make certain companies cheaper in comparison to the competition.

Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Used Cars

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USAA has some of the lowest car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,121 a year. Century National, Wawanesa, Nationwide, and CSAA also make the cut as some of the best San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.

As depicted above, if you are a policyholder with Century National and switched to USAA, you might see a yearly price reduction of in the vicinity of $57. Insureds with Wawanesa might save as much as $60 a year, and Nationwide insureds might reduce rates by $92 a year.

It’s important to note that these policy rates are averages across all drivers and vehicles and and are not figured with a specific location for used cars. So the auto insurance company that fits your needs best may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That’s why you need to get auto insurance quotes using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.

The example below shows how different deductible levels can change annual premium costs when quoting cheap insurance for used cars. The prices are based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are factored in.

The chart above illustrates that a 30-year-old driver could cut expenses by $476 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $712 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, such as the Age 20 example, can save as much as $1,008 every year by using higher deductibles when buying full coverage. When raising deductibles, it will now be necessary to have additional funds in a savings account to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense that deters many people from opting for higher deductibles.

Ending up with a high-quality insurance provider can be a challenge considering how many companies provide coverage in California. The ranking data in the lists below can help you select which auto insurance companies you want to consider putting your business with.

The ratings below only include large insurance companies, so smaller companies are not taken into consideration for the list. To get rate quotes from these top-rated insurers and more, click this link.

Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Companies in San Diego Ranked by Claims Service

1. AAA of Southern California
2. State Farm
3. Esurance
4. AAA Insurance
5. Progressive
6. Liberty Mutual
7. GEICO
8. Allstate
9. Titan Insurance
10. The Hartford

Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Companies in San Diego Ranked by Customer Service

1. AAA of Southern California
2. GEICO
3. State Farm
4. The Hartford
5. Mercury Insurance
6. The General
7. Progressive
8. Allstate
9. AAA Insurance
10. American Family

Full coverage versus liability-only

Saving money on car insurance is probably important to most drivers, and one way to lower the cost of insurance for used cars is to buy only liability coverage. The example below illustrates the comparison of car insurance rates with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in California. The information is based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, single marital status, and no policy discounts are applied.

If we average all the age groups together, physical damage insurance costs an extra $2,772 per year more than insuring for liability only. Many drivers may wonder if buying full coverage is worth the expense. There is no definitive formula to drop comp and collision coverage, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than about 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s replacement cost is $4,500 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most you would receive is $3,500 after you pay the deductible. If you are currently paying more than $350 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.

There are some conditions where removing full coverage is not a good plan. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to keep full coverage to satisfy the loan requirements. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should keep full coverage.

Can you find cheaper San Diego car insurance?

San Diego car insurance rates are influenced by many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the cost of coverage. Improving your credit score, adding a teenager to your policy, or getting a ticket for careless driving may generate price changes that can make some companies cheaper than competitors.

Not only that, but insurers change the rates they charge in California multiple times each year to help ensure profitability. Unexpectedly high claims may cause higher rates, while better underwriting can result in cheaper San Diego car insurance rates.

As an example, the data below shows a variety of companies that have the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 45-year-old male driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and good credit. If we look at prices based on his personal risk profile, USAA might quote the most affordable car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,180 per year. This is $471 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are also on the list of the top five cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.

In the next rate comparison, we’ll give the driver from the first set of rates a claim or two, slightly worse credit, and an imperfect driving record. Because each company has their own unique process to determine rates, analyzing rate quotes may now result in a different ranking of the cheapest companies as shown below.

Grange now has the lowest car insurance rate in San Diego, CA with GEICO, Mercury, Allied, and Progressive now rounding out the top five. This demonstrates why it is so important to do a thorough rate comparison to find the lowest car insurance quotes for used cars. Car insurance prices consist of many risk factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the most economical company two years ago may now be one of the higher cost companies.