In an ideal world, we could simply give you the name of the company that has the cheapest coverage in California. That is not the case, however, as there are a whole bunch of unknown factors like the level of liability coverage you want, if you want full coverage included, if you own or rent your home, and how experienced of a driver you are, that all factor into the price you pay. This article will detail the different ways to avoid overpaying and should give you a good start in finding the cheapest car insurance in San Diego.
For college grads, one of the big factors that are looked at to help calculate car insurance rates is your zip code in San Diego. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims likely pay more, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.
The illustration below ranks the priciest cities in California for college graduates to buy car insurance in. San Diego comes in at #24 with a yearly cost of $1,327 for coverage, which is about $111 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 7 | Fontana | $1,581 |
| 8 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
| 9 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 12 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 14 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 17 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,416 |
| 20 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 21 | Fremont | $1,348 |
| 22 | Oxnard | $1,344 |
| 23 | Irvine | $1,343 |
| 24 | San Diego | $1,327 |
| 25 | Chula Vista | $1,298 |
| Compare Prices Now Go | ||
Premium amounts are comparative as the garaging address in San Diego can decrease or increase premiums substantially.
The car, truck, or SUV you are buying coverage for is a significant factor when trying to find the most affordable insurance for college graduates. Vehicles with economical engines, a great safety record, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost much less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The next table estimates auto insurance rates for the cheaper automobiles to insure.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $953 |
| Ford F-150 STX Super Cab 2WD | $966 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $1,041 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Off-Road Package 4WD | $1,060 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $1,077 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,092 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $1,102 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $1,092 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LTZ | $1,113 |
| Honda Civic Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $1,120 |
| Hyundai Sonata GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $1,115 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,125 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 2WD | $1,128 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $1,134 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,170 |
| Kia Optima EX | $1,187 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Crew Cab Diesel 4WD | $1,189 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD | $1,192 |
| Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,200 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $1,192 |
| Toyota RAV4 4WD | $1,199 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $1,253 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Rear Entertainment | $1,260 |
| Compare Cheap Rates Go | |
Data rating is based on single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, safe-driver, and claim-free. Table data does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can modify rates noticeably.
Looking at the rates, we can tell that makes and models like the Hyundai Elantra, Ford F-150, and Toyota Camry will definitely be some of the less-costly vehicles to insure for college grads.
Finding reliable, low-priced insurance is not the easiest thing to do, and figuring out which company quotes the cheapest auto insurance rates for college graduates takes even more shopping around. Every insurance provider has a different formula for determining rates, so to begin we’ll rank the auto insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in San Diego, CA.
It’s important that readers know that California auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors that can increase the cost of your policy. This price fluctuation is why consumers need to take the time to shop around when trying to get the most economical auto insurance quotes for college graduates. Rates are made up of many factors and can increase or decrease at any time, so the best company two years ago may now be one of the more expensive options.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for Grads
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,263 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,379 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 8 | Allstate | $1,497 |
| 9 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 10 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 11 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 12 | The Hartford | $1,575 |
| 13 | Allied | $1,588 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,705 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
| Get Personalized Rates Go | ||
USAA may offer some of the best car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,155 annually. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also qualify as some of the cheapest San Diego, CA car insurance companies.
As shown in the table above, if you are a policyholder with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you may see yearly savings of roughly $106. Insureds with 21st Century might save as much as $222 a year, and Grange customers might lower prices by $334 a year.
To see how much you can save, click here to begin a quote or click several companies below for low rates.
These prices are averages for all drivers and vehicles in California and and are not calculated with a specific vehicle garaging location for college graduates. So the company that fits your needs best may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That underscores the importance of why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own driver data and vehicle information.
Illustration showing the impact of accidents and violations
The ideal way to enjoy the most affordable auto insurance rates in California for college grads is to be an attentive driver and avoid tickets and accidents. The illustration below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault fender-benders influence insurance costs for different age groups of insureds. The premiums are based on a single female driver, full coverage, $500 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
In the example above, the average cost of a car insurance policy per year with no violations or accidents is $2,161. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost jumps to $2,450, an increase of $289 each year. Now add in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the annual cost of auto insurance for college graduates increases to an average of $3,257. That’s an increase of $1,096, or $91 per month, just for being a less-than-perfect driver!
Picking a high-quality auto insurance provider is difficult considering how many choices there are in San Diego. The rank data in the lists below may help you select which companies you want to consider when comparing auto insurance rates for college graduates.
The rankings below are only made up of companies with a nationwide focus, so companies that have a smaller presence will not be included in these rankings. If you’d like to compare prices and find cheaper insurance for college graduates, simply 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 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Do you need full coverage?
Finding the cheapest auto insurance should be important to most drivers, and an effective way to find cheap insurance for college graduates is to only buy liability insurance. The example below shows the comparison of insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The premiums assume no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no policy discounts are applied.
As an average, physical damage coverage costs $2,075 per year over liability only. Many of you may wonder if buying full coverage is a good investment. There is no specific rule to delete physical damage coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost of full coverage is 10% or more of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s replacement value is $10,500 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most your company will settle for is $9,500 after paying your policy deductible. If premiums are more than $950 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
There are some cases where eliminating full coverage is not advised. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not drop full coverage.
If you like to have professional advice when shopping for the best coverage for college graduates, the insurance agencies listed below can help you make a decision which car insurance policy is best.
To find an auto insurance agency nearest to you, click the button at the bottom of the list or click here to compare rates now.
- Theresa Nguyen-Muth – State Farm Insurance Agent
6650 Flanders Dr F – San Diego, CA 92121 – (858) 450-6000 - Lazaro Neto – State Farm Insurance Agent
4444 El Cajon Blvd #13 – San Diego, CA 92115 – (619) 229-6799 - Nationwide Insurance: Keith Jackson Insurance Agency Inc
1081 Camino del Rio S Ste 210 – San Diego, CA 92108 – (916) 742-6995 - Allstate Insurance: Philip Mullane
3555 Rosecrans St Ste 202 – San Diego, CA 92110 – (619) 223-2191