The words “low-priced” and “insurance” really shouldn’t be used together, in particular when you are searching for the best price on coverage for drivers over age 70. Let’s lead off by showing you some of the things that determine auto insurance premiums, and find a way to take a little off the next policy you buy.
For older drivers, one of the more important factors that are looked at to determine car insurance rates is where you keep your vehicle. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims likely pay more, whereas less populated areas have the enjoyment of a little cheaper coverage.
The next table sorts the most expensive cities in California for drivers over age 70 to buy car insurance in. San Diego makes the list at #20 with a yearly premium of $1,381 on average, which is approximately $115 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 7 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 8 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 9 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
| 10 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 11 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,532 |
| 13 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 14 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 15 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 20 | San Diego | $1,381 |
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Annual rates are estimated as vehicle location can raise or lower auto insurance rates noticeably.
Shopping around for cost effective auto insurance is not the easiest thing to accomplish, and figuring out which company quotes the cheapest insurance rates for drivers over age 70 will involve more quotes for comparison. Each company has a unique formula to determine premium rates, so we’ll go over the overall cheapest insurance companies in San Diego, CA.
It’s important to understand that California insurance rates are influenced by many factors that will increase or decrease the policy price. That is why California drivers need to compare as many rates as possible when trying to find the cheapest car insurance quotes for drivers over age 70. Insurance prices consist of many different factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the most economical option six months ago may now cost much more than other companies.
Find Cheaper Car Insurance for Age 70+
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 3 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 4 | Century National | $1,214 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,263 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,379 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,433 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,496 |
| 9 | GEICO | $1,513 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 11 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 12 | Allstate | $1,559 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
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USAA offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,121 each year. CSAA, Wawanesa, Century National, and Nationwide also rank well as some of the cheapest San Diego, CA car insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are a customer of CSAA and switched to USAA, you could realize a yearly savings of in the vicinity of $65. Drivers with Wawanesa might save as much as $71 a year, and Century National customers might realize rate reductions of up to $93 a year.
Be aware that those policy prices are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and are not factoring in a specific location for drivers over age 70. So the insurer that fits you best may not even be in the list above. That emphasizes why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
The car, truck, or SUV requiring insurance is probably the largest consideration when shopping for the lowest-priced insurance for drivers over age 70. Vehicles with lower performance, good safety features, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost much less to insure than fast, unsafe models.
The information below ranks car insurance rates for a selection of the cheaper vehicles to insure.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,006 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $1,014 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $1,020 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $1,051 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $1,082 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,098 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,127 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,174 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $1,189 |
| GMC Sierra SL Extended Cab 2WD | $1,194 |
| Ford F-150 FX4 Super Cab 4WD | $1,205 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 4WD | $1,213 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Off-Road Package 4WD | $1,205 |
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Above prices assume single male driver age 70, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, and claim-free. Information does not factor in specific location which can change premium rates substantially.
By looking at the data, we can expect models like the Honda Accord, Hyundai Elantra, Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler, and Ford Escape are most likely going to be the most affordable vehicles to insure for older drivers. Rates will trend higher because there is more claim exposure for drivers over age 70, but in general those specific models will probably have the lowest insurance rates available.
The information below illustrates how your deductible choice can influence yearly insurance costs when trying to find cheap insurance for drivers over age 70. The prices are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
In the chart above, a 50-year-old driver could pocket $308 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $466 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the age 20 example, could lower their rates as much as $1,026 every year just by using higher deductibles. When insureds make the decision to increase the deductibles on their policy, it is essential to have additional funds squirreled away to satisfy the extra out-of-pocket expense. That is the one disadvantage of using higher deductibles.
Full coverage rates compared to liability only
Reducing the cost of insurance should be important to most vehicle owners, and a great way to buy cheaper insurance for drivers over age 70 is to only pay for liability coverage. The illustration below shows the difference between auto insurance rates with full coverage and liability only. The data is based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no other discounts are factored in.
If all age groups are averaged, physical damage coverage on your policy costs an extra $3,444 per year over having just liability coverage. That is a significant amount which raises the question if physical damage coverage is worth the money. There is no written rule of when to eliminate physical damage insurance, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is more than about 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some situations where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good plan. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should keep full coverage on your policy.
Ending up with a highly-rated insurance company is hard considering how many different insurance companies sell coverage in California. The company rank data displayed below may help you decide which auto insurance companies to look at when comparing insurance rates for drivers over age 70.
The ratings below are only made up of the largest companies in the United States, so companies that have a smaller presence will not be included in this list. If you would like to check rates and find the cheapest rates for drivers over age 70, just click here.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 98 | 100 | 100 | 94% | A++ | 98.6 |
| American Family | 98 | 89 | 100 | 86% | A | 95.4 |
| AAA of Southern California | 91 | 94 | 97 | 92% | A+ | 94.1 |
| State Farm | 88 | 93 | 96 | 90% | A++ | 92.4 |
| The Hartford | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89% | A+ | 91.7 |
| AAA Insurance | 88 | 89 | 95 | 91% | A | 91.2 |
| GEICO | 84 | 93 | 93 | 89% | A++ | 90.3 |
| The General | 89 | 91 | 89 | 88% | A- | 90 |
| Titan Insurance | 90 | 87 | 91 | 95% | A+ | 89.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 91 | 93 | 87% | A+ | 89.5 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Here’s why you should compare rates often
San Diego, CA insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can significantly increase or decrease the cost of your policy. Turning one year older, buying a home instead of renting, or having an accident can produce rate changes that can cause some rates to be more affordable than before.
And not only may your rating factors change, but auto insurance companies modify rates at least once a year in order to protect their financial rating. Larger than normal claims may cause increased rates, while lower claims can cause lower-priced San Diego car insurance rates.
The chart below compares the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 45-year-old female driver with no prior accidents, a clean driving record, and a good credit rating. If we estimate prices based on her current rating profile, USAA may have the most affordable car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,187 annually. This is $464 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide are also included in the best San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
In the next rate comparison, we’ll give the driver from the first example a chargeable accident, a lower credit score, and an imperfect driving record. Because each insurer uses a different method for determining rates, comparing insurance quotes most likely will result in a completely different list of the cheapest companies as shown below.
Grange now has the lowest price on auto insurance in San Diego with Allstate, Progressive, Mercury, and Allied also being competitive. This example illustrates why it is critical to compare as many rates as possible when trying to get the most affordable car insurance quotes for drivers over age 70. Car insurance prices are made up of many things and change dramatically, so the cheapest rate when you bought your policy may now be quite expensive.