You’ve seen the ads from companies like Allstate, Nationwide, and Farmers that guarantee the cheapest price, so you just need to pick the company with the catchiest ad, right?
It’s just not that simple, as there are a ton of unknown factors like where you live in San Diego, the number of miles you drive each year, the safety features built into your vehicle, and if you are married or single, that all have an effect on the price of a policy. The content below will cover the types of situations that result in high rates and will hopefully give the reader a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance in San Diego.
The make and model of vehicle you are seeking coverage for is probably the largest consideration when looking for economical coverage for 18 year olds. Vehicles with average performance, good safety features, or low incidents of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models. The data below presents car insurance costs for a handful of the most affordable automobiles to insure.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $2,538 |
| Honda CR-V LX 2WD | $2,546 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $2,738 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $2,746 |
| Toyota Prius | $2,766 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $2,814 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $2,842 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $2,852 |
| Ford F-150 STX Super Cab 4WD | $2,870 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $3,014 |
| Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $3,022 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $3,014 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $3,020 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | |
Data based on single female driver age 18, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Prices do not factor in specific garaging location which can lower or raise prices considerably.
Based upon these rates, we can infer that models like the Hyundai Elantra, Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Jetta, Ford Escape, and Toyota Prius are most likely to be the most economical vehicles to insure for teen drivers. Rates will be more expensive just due to the fact that there is more risk for 18 year olds, but generally speaking those particular vehicles will have the least expensive rates compared to other vehicles.
Deciding which companies offer the most affordable car insurance rates for 18 year olds will involve a little more sweat than just picking a company at random. Each auto insurance company has their own process for determining prices, so to begin we’ll rank the most affordable car insurance companies in San Diego, CA.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for Teens
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,222 |
| 4 | Century National | $1,226 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,263 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Allstate | $1,497 |
| 9 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,529 |
| 11 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 12 | The Hartford | $1,575 |
| 13 | Allied | $1,588 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
| View More Rates Go | ||
USAA may have some of the best car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,121 a year. This is $530 less than the average premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide also make the cut as some of the cheaper San Diego, CA car insurance companies.
As shown above, if you currently have coverage with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you might see an annual savings of in the neighborhood of $106. Customers with 21st Century might save as much as $209 a year, and Grange policyholders might see rate reductions of $290 a year.
Understand that those premium estimates are averages across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not calculated with an exact vehicle garaging location for 18 year olds. So the insurer that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That underscores the importance of why you need to get car insurance quotes using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Get discounts on San Diego insurance rates
Auto insurance companies that offer quotes for 18 year olds may additionally offer premium discounts that may potentially lower prices by 30% or more if you can meet the requirements. The best car insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.
- State Farm discounts include good student, safe vehicle, good driver, accident-free, student away at school, and multiple autos.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for multi-policy, federal employee, good student, anti-lock brakes, membership and employees, multi-vehicle, and defensive driver.
- Progressive offers discounts for continuous coverage, online signing, good student, multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle.
- 21st Century offers discounts including defensive driver, theft prevention, early bird, anti-lock brakes, and 55 and older.
- American Family includes discounts for multi-vehicle, Steer into Savings, air bags, defensive driver, and good student.
- The Hartford policyholders can earn discounts including air bag, good student, anti-theft, defensive driver, bundle, vehicle fuel type, and driver training.
- AAA may offer discounts for good student, good driver, AAA membership discount, multi-car, anti-theft, and education and occupation.
The chart below shows the comparison of yearly insurance costs with and without policy discounts. The rate quotes are based on a female driver, no claims or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $1,000 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with anti-theft, paperless filing, vehicle safety, passive restraint, paid-in-full, and continuous coverage discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, theaverage yearly reduction on car insurance for 18 year olds is 28% or $600.
Driving violations and accidents
One of the best ways to maintain cheap car insurance prices for teen drivers is to be a good driver and avoid getting tickets or having accidents. The chart below highlights how traffic violations and at-fault collisions can influence insurance costs for each different age group. The premiums are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, $500 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
In the previous chart, the average cost of a car insurance policy in California per year with no accidents or violations is $2,396. Factor in two speeding tickets and the average cost hikes up to $3,307, an increase of $911 each year. Then throw in two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for 18 year olds increases to an average of $6,835. That’s an increase of $4,439, or $370 per month, just for not driving carefully!
Tips to find the cheapest car insurance for 18 year olds
Lowering your rates is not difficult, and here are a few penny-pinching suggestions that can help San Diego drivers quote cheap auto insurance.
- Increase physical damage deductibles
- Try to remain claim-free
- Buy safe vehicles
- Do not waste money insuring older vehicles for full coverage
- Improve your credit
- Bundle home or renters insurance to earn a discount on car insurance
- Shop your coverage around for the best deal
The last tip in the list is remarkably vital, as was affirmed in the prior information. Auto insurance prices adjust frequently, so don’t be afraid to buy from a new company if a lower-cost policy is available. Many consumers stick with the same company and that’s fine, but it’s not recommended if that stubbornness costs you major coinage every year. Now is a great time to compare rates and find cheaper insurance for 18 year olds in San Diego.
The professional agents shown below can most likely help you determine which coverages you need, as many people would rather have some advice when trying to find lower insurance rates for teen drivers. It’s not always easy to find the best policy yourself, and a licensed agent can give you satisfaction knowing your policy gives you suitable coverage if you ever need to use it.
To find an auto insurance agency close to where you live, click the link at the bottom.
Anchor General Insurance Agency-Texas
10256 Meanley Dr – San Diego, CA 92131 – (858) 527-3600
Bill Flanigan – State Farm Insurance Agent
8888 Clairemont Mesa Blvd n – San Diego, CA 92123 – (858) 279-2173
Stanley Wong Insurance
4619 Convoy St # C – San Diego, CA 92111 – (858) 569-0383
Leavitt Group – Leavitt Insurance Agency of San Diego
3636 Nobel Dr #100 – San Diego, CA 92122 – (858) 436-2441