The words “bargain” and “auto insurance” really don’t belong together, in particular when looking for the cheapest car insurance for teachers. To help control this cost, let’s lead off by showing you a few of the factors that can significantly affect insurance rates, and see if we can help you reduce the price of the next policy you buy.
For teachers and educators, one of the big considerations that are looked at to help calculate the price you pay for insurance is where you keep your vehicle. More densely populated places tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with less congestion benefit from having to pay less for coverage.
The next table shows the highest-priced areas in California for teachers to buy auto insurance in. San Diego comes in at #23 with a yearly premium of $1,368 for coverage, which is about $114 monthly.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,541 |
| 9 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 10 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 12 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 14 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 15 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,474 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
| 18 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | San Jose | $1,381 |
| Quote Best Rates Go | ||
Premium amounts are comparative as zip code location can impact prices noticeably.
Finding dependable, cheap auto insurance is not easy, and deciding which company has the cheapest car insurance rates for teachers will take even more shopping around.
Each auto insurer uses slightly different criteria for establishing rates, so we need to take a look at the car insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in San Diego, CA. It’s important that readers know that San Diego, CA car insurance rates are based on many factors which can significantly increase or decrease the policy premium. That is why it is critical to do a thorough rate comparison when trying to find the best auto insurance rates for teachers. Insurance prices consist of many different factors and change frequently, so the cheapest rate the last time you checked may now be an over-priced policy.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance for Educators
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 2 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 3 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,198 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 8 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 10 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,558 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,590 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 16 | State Farm | $1,750 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,756 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
| Get a Custom Quote Go | ||
USAA may offer some of the most affordable car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,155 annually. This is $496 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide are also some of the lowest-priced San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
As the example above demonstrates, if you currently buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to Century National, you may realize an annual savings of about $48. Customers with 21st Century could save as much as $188 a year, and Grange policyholders might reduce rates by $313 a year.
These premiums are averaged for all drivers and vehicles and are not factoring in an exact vehicle garaging location for teachers. So the car insurance company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That underscores the importance of why you need to get quotes using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
The car, truck, or SUV requiring coverage is a large consideration that determines if you can find economical coverage for teachers. Vehicles with lots of horsepower, a lack of modern safety features, or a track record of large liability claims will cost more to insure than safer models.
The next table ranks auto insurance rates for a number of the most cost-effective automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Toyota Prius | $935 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,002 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 2WD | $1,021 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,037 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $1,060 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $1,073 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Crew Cab 4WD | $1,080 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,087 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4WD 4-Dr | $1,089 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,131 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,146 |
| Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab Laramie 4WD | $1,165 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $1,167 |
| Honda Civic DX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,202 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Navigation | $1,206 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $1,225 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,235 |
| Start Your Quote Go | |
Data assumes single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and claim-free. Prices do not factor in specific San Diego, CA garaging location which can raise or lower price quotes substantially.
Looking at the numbers, you can figure that models like the Toyota Prius, Toyota Tacoma, Ford Explorer, Ford Escape, and Honda CR-V are going to be some of the cheaper vehicles to insure for teachers and educators.
Car insurance rates are higher with tickets and accidents
The recommended way to maintain the cheapest car insurance prices in San Diego for teachers and educators is to be a good driver and avoid tickets and accidents. The information below demonstrates how speeding tickets and fender-benders can affect insurance costs for each different age group. The rate quotes are based on a single female driver, full coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
The data charted above shows the average cost of car insurance in San Diego per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $2,386. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $3,182, an increase of $796 each year. Then add in two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the yearly cost of car insurance for teachers jumps again to an average of $6,489. That’s an increase of $4,103, or $342 per month, just for not driving safely!
Should you buy full coverage?
Reducing the cost of car insurance is important to most people, and a good way to buy cheap insurance for teachers is to not insure for full coverage. The diagram below compares auto insurance costs with and without full coverage. The data assumes no claims or violations, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
As an average, full coverage on your policy costs an additional $2,467 per year over and above liability coverage. At some point, every insured wonders if full coverage is worth the money. There isn’t a written rule that works best for making the decision to drop comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of having full coverage is about 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
Best car insurance company in San Diego
Ending up with a good quality insurance provider is hard considering how many companies there are to choose from in California. The company ratings below may help you decide which companies to look at purchasing from.
These ratings include the largest companies in the United States, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in California are not included in these rankings. If you’d like to compare prices from these and other top-rated companies, click here.
Top 10 Major Auto Insurance Companies Overall in San Diego
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
Top 10 Major Auto Insurance Companies in San Diego Ranked by A.M. Best Rating
- USAA – A++
- Travelers – A++
- State Farm – A++
- GEICO – A++
- Esurance – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Mercury Insurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Titan Insurance – A+
How to find more affordable car insurance for teachers
The list below details some thrifty ideas that can help San Diego drivers locate more affordable coverage.
- Avoid preventable accidents
- Clean up your credit
- Buy a safer vehicle
- Pay less by remaining claim-free
- Be a safe driver
- Keep rates low by comparing prices once a year
The last tip is extraordinarily significant, as we stressed in this write-up. Insurance prices can be changed at any time, so don’t be tentative to change to a new company if a more affordable rate is found. Being loyal to a particular company is commendable, but we do not recommend it if that loyalty results in overpaying money that could be spent on other things. It only take a few minutes to shop around to find cheaper car insurance for teachers in San Diego.