The words “bargain” and “insurance” really should not be used together, in particular when comparison shopping for the best car insurance rates for drivers over age 60. To help control this cost, let’s teach you some things that have an impact on car insurance prices, and find a few ways to lower the cost of the next policy you buy.
One of the many considerations that are looked at to determine insurance cost is the neighborhood you call home. More densely populated places are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims have the luxury of lower rates.
The information below ranks the most expensive cities in California for drivers over age 60 to purchase a policy in. San Diego makes the list at #23 having an annual price of $1,340 for the average policy, which is approximately $112 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,142 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,738 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,711 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 9 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Moreno Valley | $1,536 |
| 12 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 14 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 15 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,374 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,361 |
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Premium costs are approximated as the garaging address in San Diego can increase or decrease premiums noticeably.
Finding dependable, low-priced insurance is hard enough, and figuring out which companies quote the cheapest auto insurance rates for drivers over age 60 may require a little more work. Each insurance company uses slightly different criteria to set premium rates, so we need to take a look at the auto insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in San Diego, CA.
Keep in mind that California auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors that may substantially change the policy price. Simply having another birthday, buying a higher-value vehicle, or getting a DUI can trigger price changes that may make certain companies way too expensive in comparison to the competition.
Best Auto Insurance Prices for Age 60+
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,143 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 5 | Century National | $1,226 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,338 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,433 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 9 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,513 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,590 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,639 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,750 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,026 |
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USAA may offer some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,143 each year. This is $508 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National would also be considered some of the lowest-priced San Diego, CA car insurance companies.
As shown in the table above, if you are a policyholder with Nationwide and switched to USAA, you could realize an annual savings of about $83. California drivers with Century National may save as much as $83 a year, and 21st Century insureds might see rate reductions of $195 a year.
To see if your current coverage is too expensive, click here to start your free quote or click several companies below for low rates.
Be aware that those premiums are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with a specific vehicle garaging location for drivers over age 60. So the company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That’s why you need to get quotes using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
The type of vehicle that is being insured is one of the largest considerations that determines if you can find the cheapest insurance for drivers over age 60. Vehicles with average performance, good crash test ratings, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost less to insure than high performance models.
The table below illustrates auto insurance rates for a number of the cheapest vehicles to insure in California.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $826 |
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $835 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport Islander Package 4WD 2-Dr | $907 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LS Regular Cab 4WD | $917 |
| Toyota Prius | $914 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $924 |
| Ford Edge SEL 2WD | $960 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $964 |
| Toyota RAV4 4WD | $977 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $984 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $977 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $984 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $977 |
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Data based on single female driver age 60, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, and safe-driver. Premium costs do not factor in your specific San Diego, CA location which can raise or lower coverage prices substantially.
Looking at the rates, we can assume that makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Jeep Wrangler will definitely be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for older drivers.
Types of discounts on San Diego car insurance rates
Insurance providers that provide policies for drivers over age 60 could also offer rate discounts that could potentially reduce rates by 30% or more if you qualify for them. Large auto insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are outlined below.
- Progressive may include discounts for multi-policy, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, homeowner, online quote discount, good student, and online signing.
- The Hartford offers premium reductions for anti-theft, driver training, vehicle fuel type, defensive driver, and air bag.
- Mercury Insurance has discounts for accident-free, location of vehicle, multi-car, professional/association, low natural disaster claims, anti-theft, and type of vehicle.
- GEICO offers discounts for emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, good student, multi-policy, and air bags.
- AAA may have discounts that include anti-theft, multi-car, education and occupation, AAA membership discount, good driver, multi-policy, and pay-in-full.
- State Farm discounts include Drive Safe & Save, multiple policy, good student, accident-free, and safe vehicle.
The chart below compares annual premium costs with and without discounts applied. The premium estimates are based on a female driver, no claims or violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $250 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with marriage, vehicle safety, defensive driving course, safe-driver, anti-theft, and accident-free discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, theaverage yearly reduction on auto insurance for drivers over age 60 is 29% or $642.
The illustration below illustrates how your choice of deductibles can increase or decrease insurance prices when trying to find cheap insurance for drivers over age 60. The premium estimates are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are factored in.
A 30-year-old driver could lower rates by $400 a year by changing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $604 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, such as the Age 20 example, could roll back prices up to $888 annually by using higher deductibles when buying full coverage. When increasing deductibles, it will now be necessary to have plenty of savings on hand to offset the extra out-of-pocket expense that deters many people from opting for higher deductibles.
Choosing the right insurance provider can be difficult considering how many different companies there are to choose from in California. The ranking data listed below may help you choose which insurers you want to consider when shopping your coverage around. The ratings below are for the companies with a significant amount of written premium nationwide, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in California will not be included in the list.
| 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 |
| Mercury Insurance | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85% | A+ | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 85 | 90 | 92 | 88% | A+ | 89.3 |
| Nationwide | 87 | 88 | 84 | 90% | A+ | 88.7 |
| Liberty Mutual | 84 | 87 | 93 | 88% | A | 88.5 |
| 21st Century | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88% | A | 86.7 |
| Esurance | 85 | 80 | 95 | 87% | A+ | 85.9 |
| Safeco | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
| Travelers | 80 | 87 | 87 | 83% | A++ | 85.2 |
| Farmers Insurance | 78 | 87 | 88 | 79% | A | 84.3 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Why you are probably overpaying for car insurance
San Diego auto insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can significantly increase or decrease the policy price. Simply getting older, moving to a new city, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can trigger changes in premium that can make some companies more affordable than before. Not only that, but companies change premium rates as often as every quarter to adjust for gains or losses. Significantly higher losses can cause higher priced premiums, while lower claim expenses can result in lower-priced San Diego car insurance rates.
To illustrate this point, the bar chart below shows the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 40-year-old female driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and excellent credit. If we look at prices based on her current risk factors, USAA quotes the cheapest car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,198 a year. This is $453 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are the remainder of the cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
Let’s now give the driver from the first set of rates some claims, a lower credit rating, and a couple of points charged on her driving record. Due to the fact that each insurance company has their own unique process for determining rates in each state, analyzing rates may now present a different ranking of affordable San Diego car insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the lowest price in San Diego with Mercury, Progressive, Allstate, and GEICO now rounding out the top five. This example illustrates why it is so important to compare rates when trying to find the most affordable car insurance quotes for drivers over age 60. Car insurance prices are made up of many risk factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the most affordable company the last time you checked may now be an over-priced policy.