For people who own their homes, one of the more important considerations that determine the cost of insurance is where your car is garaged. Areas with a lot of weather claims or more people tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims tend to receive cheaper rates.
The next table lists the highest-priced areas in California for homeowners to purchase a policy in. San Diego makes the list at #22 with a yearly cost of $1,381 for car insurance, which is about $115 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 7 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 8 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
| 9 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Moreno Valley | $1,536 |
| 12 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 13 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 14 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 15 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 17 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 18 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
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Premium amounts are comparative as specific San Diego garaging address can revise rates substantially.
The vehicle model driven is a significant factor when comparing quotes for the cheapest insurance for homeowners. Vehicles with limited speed and performance, good safety features, or a track record of few liability claims will cost substantially less to insure than fast, unsafe models.
The data below outlines car insurance costs for a number of the cheapest vehicles to insure in California.
| Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $825 |
| Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $902 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport Islander Package 4WD 2-Dr | $904 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $923 |
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $929 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $953 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $955 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $974 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $980 |
| Ford Explorer Limited AWD | $992 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,003 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $1,027 |
| Ford F-150 STX Super Cab 4WD | $1,029 |
| Hyundai Sonata GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $1,043 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $1,045 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LTZ | $1,052 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Extended Cab 4WD | $1,045 |
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Data based on single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Estimates do not factor in garaging location in San Diego, CA which can affect coverage prices significantly.
Looking at the rates, you can expect makes and models like the Hyundai Elantra, Honda Accord, Jeep Wrangler, and Toyota Tacoma will be some of the less-costly vehicles to insure for people who own their homes.
Bad driving habits will cost you more
The recommended way to receive good auto insurance rates in San Diego for people who own their homes is to drive carefully and maintain a clean driving record. The illustration below shows how speeding tickets and accidents can impact insurance costs for different categories of driver ages. The premiums assume a married male driver, full coverage, $100 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
In the chart above, the average cost of a car insurance policy in San Diego per year with no accidents or violations is $2,404. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost hikes up to $2,758, an increase of $354 each year. Now add two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of auto insurance for homeowners jumps again to an average of $5,633. That’s an increase of $3,229, or $269 per month, just for a couple of infractions!
Discounts on San Diego insurance rates
Insurers that sell policies for homeowners could also offer price discounts that may potentially lower prices by 25% or more if you meet specific criteria. The best auto insurance companies and their possible discounts are included below.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for five-year accident-free, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, emergency military deployment, seat belt use, multi-policy, and defensive driver.
- USAA offers discounts including good student, vehicle storage, annual mileage, driver training, loyalty savings, and multi-policy.
- Progressive offers discounts for online signing, good student, online quote discount, multi-policy, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
- American Family has savings for good student, accident-free, defensive driver, air bags, and TimeAway discount.
- Esurance may have discounts that include Switch & Save, anti-theft, renters, DriveSense, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance may include discounts for teen driver, mature driver, business and professional, distant student, electronic funds transfer, and early shopping.
- State Farm discounts include multiple autos, multiple policy, Drive Safe & Save, good driver, driver’s education, student away at school, and passive restraint.
The illustration below illustrates the difference between insurance premiums with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The information is based on a male driver, no accidents or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with defensive driving course, marriage, vehicle safety, homeowner, multiple policy, and anti-theft discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, the average amount saved each year on auto insurance for homeowners is 28% or $576.
Low rates can quickly become overpriced
California auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors that control the price you pay. Simply having a birthday, moving to a different location, or getting a DUI can trigger rate changes that can now make some companies more affordable than competitors. Also, car insurance companies change premium rates as often as every quarter in order to offset underwriting gains or losses. Significantly higher claims may result in more expensive prices, while lower claims can result in more affordable San Diego car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the data below compares the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 40-year-old male driver with no prior claims, no tickets, and a decent credit rating. If we look at prices based on his current situation, USAA quotes the lowest car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,170 a year. This is $481 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, Nationwide, and CSAA also make the list of the cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
Now we will pretend the driver from the above example an at-fault accident, bad credit, and an imperfect driving record. Due to the fact that every auto insurer uses their own method to set their prices, getting updated rate quotes may now show a substantially altered list of cheap San Diego auto insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the lowest price on auto insurance in San Diego, CA with Progressive, Mercury, GEICO, and Allstate also being competitive. This shows why California drivers need to compare rates to get the best car insurance quotes for homeowners. Prices can be determined by many things and can change substantially, so the most affordable company when you last compared rates may now be quite expensive.