Comparing rates for cost effective car insurance is confusing at best, and finding out which company quotes the most affordable car insurance rates for young drivers will take even more work. Each auto insurance company uses a different method to determine rates, so let’s begin by taking a look at the car insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in California.
Keep in mind that California car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that will increase or decrease the cost of having a policy. Simply getting older, moving to a new city, or getting a few speeding tickets may cause policy rate changes that can cause some rates to be affordable when they were higher priced.
Cheapest Insurance Rates for Teens
USAA has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,109 annually. This is $542 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide also are some of the cheapest San Diego, CA car insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are insured with Wawanesa and switched to USAA, you might realize yearly savings of upwards of $72. California drivers with CSAA may save as much as $77 a year, and Century National insureds might cut rates by $81 a year.
To find out how your current rates compare, click here to begin a quote or feel free to get quotes from the companies below.
Bear in mind that those estimates are averaged for all drivers and vehicles and do not factor in a specific zip code for young drivers. So the auto insurance company that can offer you the best price may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That’s why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
One of the many criteria that are used to help calculate insurance cost is where you live. Areas with increased crime or more people tend to have more expensive car insurance rates, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims benefit from lower prices.
The table below rates the highest-priced places in California for young drivers in which to buy car insurance. San Diego comes in at #24 with a yearly premium of $1,327 for the average policyholder, which is around $111 monthly.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
| 7 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 8 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
| 9 | Moreno Valley | $1,551 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,541 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 12 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 14 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 20 | Irvine | $1,371 |
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Information shown are estimated as specific San Diego garaging address can impact auto insurance rates considerably.
The make and model of vehicle you are trying to insure is probably the largest consideration when comparison shopping for the best auto insurance for young drivers. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, a great safety record, or a track record of few liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The next table shows car insurance costs for a number of the most cost-effective automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $3,395 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $3,401 |
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $3,426 |
| Toyota Prius | $3,665 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD | $3,821 |
| Honda Odyssey EX | $3,997 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $4,002 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $4,028 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $4,036 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT 2WD | $4,028 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $4,038 |
| Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $4,028 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $4,036 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $4,060 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $4,067 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab 4WD | $4,060 |
| Honda Civic EX 4-Dr Sedan | $4,203 |
| Ford Edge Sport AWD | $4,234 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $4,242 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $4,234 |
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Data rating is based on single female driver age 16, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Rate quotes do not factor in zip code location which can raise or lower premium rates substantially.
Based upon these rates, you can conclude that makes and models like the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Elantra, and Ford Escape should be some of the most affordable vehicles to insure for youthful drivers. The cost of a car insurance policy will tend to be more expensive anyway just because there is more claim risk for young drivers, but generally speaking those particular vehicles will tend to have the lowest prices compared to other vehicles.
Get discount San Diego insurance rates
Insurance providers that sell policies for young drivers may provide rate discounts that can reduce rates by 30% or more if you meet certain criteria. Large car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are included below.
- The Hartford offers premium reductions for vehicle fuel type, anti-theft, driver training, good student, defensive driver, air bag, and bundle.
- American Family has savings for Steer into Savings, good student, air bags, good driver, multi-vehicle, and early bird.
- Progressive includes discounts for homeowner, multi-policy, good student, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and online signing.
- Travelers may have discounts that include early quote, continuous insurance, new car, payment discounts, save driver, and home ownership.
- Farmers Insurance discounts include bundle discounts, early shopping, distant student, multi-car, teen driver, pay in full, and business and professional.
- USAA offers discounts including multi-vehicle, driver training, good student, safe driver, defensive driver, loyalty savings, and new vehicle.
- Liberty Mutual may offer discounts for good student, exclusive group savings, hybrid vehicle, multi-policy, new move discount, and multi-car.
The information below illustrates the comparison of car insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the rates. The rates are based on a female driver, no claims or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second shows the rates with vehicle safety, paid-in-full, paperless filing, passive restraint, anti-theft, and continuous coverage discounts applied. When taking advantage of discounts, theaverage yearly reduction on car insurance for young drivers is 28% or $873.
Full coverage rates compared to liability-only
Paying less for car insurance is important to most vehicle owners, and one of the best ways to pay less for insurance for young drivers is to not buy full coverage. The diagram below compares premium costs with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The information is based on no accidents or driving violations, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no additional discounts are factored in.
If the expense is averaged for all age categories, comp and collision coverage costs $2,525 per year more than carrying just liability coverage. A very common question is if paying for full coverage is a waste of money. There is no exact rule to stop buying physical damage insurance, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the annual cost of coverage is 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s replacement cost is $9,500 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would receive is $8,500 after paying your deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $850 annually for your policy with full coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
There are a few cases where dropping full coverage is not a good idea. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to carry full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should keep full coverage.
Why are you paying too much for car insurance?
San Diego car insurance rates are based on many factors that will increase or decrease the price you pay. Simply improving your credit, having a teen driver, or getting a driving violation can trigger changes in premium that can cause some rates to be cheaper than others. And not only may your rating factors change, but insurers amend pricing multiple times each year to adjust for gains or losses. Unexpectedly high claims may result in more expensive premiums, while lower claim expenses may produce more affordable San Diego car insurance rates.
To illustrate this point, the data below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 45-year-old female driver with no prior claims, no tickets, and good credit. If we estimate prices based on her current rating profile, USAA may have the best car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,164 a year. This is $487 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide round out the rest of the top five cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
Let’s now give the driver from the first set of rates a chargeable claim, bad credit, and a traffic citation. Due to the fact that every auto insurer has a unique approach to determine rates, comparing prices most likely will result in a slightly different list of affordable companies as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest car insurance in San Diego with Progressive, GEICO, Mercury, and Allstate also having competitive pricing. This example shows why consumers need to take the time to do a thorough rate comparison when trying to find the most affordable car insurance quotes for young drivers. Insurance rates are influenced by many different factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the most economical company a year ago may now be priced much higher than other options.