The words “cheap” and “insurance” really shouldn’t be used together, especially when shopping around for the cheapest car insurance for high school students. To help control this cost, let’s get started by showing you some of the things that help determine auto insurance rates, and find out if you can lower the price of the next policy you buy.
Buying cost effective insurance is tough enough, and finding out which companies quote the cheapest car insurance rates for high school students will take a bit more work. Every insurance provider has a unique approach for determining rates in each state, so first we will examine the most budget-friendly car insurance companies in California.
It’s important to understand that San Diego car insurance rates are impacted by many things that can increase the cost of coverage. Turning one year older, adding a teenager to your policy, or getting a couple of tickets can produce rate changes resulting in some companies being much higher than others.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Students
USAA offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,143 annually. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National are also some of the cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
In this example, if you currently have a policy with CSAA and switched to USAA, you may see savings of in the neighborhood of $79. Drivers with Nationwide might save as much as $83 a year, and Century National customers might lower prices by up to $83 a year.
These premium estimates are averages across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and do not take into consideration an exact location for high school students. So the car insurance company that fits your situation best may not even be in the list above. That helps illustrate why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own driver data and vehicle information.
For teenagers, one of the largest considerations that aid in calculating the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is your zip code in San Diego. Areas with more people or more claims tend to pay more, whereas areas that tend to be more rural have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.
The table below rates the most costly cities in California for high school students to buy car insurance in. San Diego shows up at #23 having an annual price of $1,340 for the average policyholder, which is approximately $112 each month.
Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
3 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
4 | Oakland | $1,687 |
5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
7 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
8 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
9 | Stockton | $1,556 |
10 | Modesto | $1,547 |
11 | Riverside | $1,542 |
12 | Fontana | $1,535 |
13 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
14 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
15 | Fresno | $1,472 |
16 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
17 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
18 | Fremont | $1,403 |
19 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
20 | San Jose | $1,381 |
21 | Irvine | $1,371 |
22 | Bakersfield | $1,353 |
23 | San Diego | $1,340 |
24 | Chula Vista | $1,337 |
25 | Oxnard | $1,318 |
Find Cheaper Insurance Go |
Rates are estimated as the specific San Diego residence address can influence premium rates considerably.
Choosing the highest-rated car insurance company can be rather challenging considering how many companies sell insurance in California. The company rank data in the next section can help you choose which auto insurance companies you want to consider comparing rates from.
The ratings below are only made up of large, nationwide insurance companies, so companies with more of a regional focus are not included in these rankings. To compare prices from these and other competitive companies, click this link.
Top 10 Major Car Insurance Companies in San Diego Ranked by Customer Satisfaction
- Titan Insurance – 95%
- USAA – 94%
- AAA of Southern California – 92%
- AAA Insurance – 91%
- Nationwide – 90%
- State Farm – 90%
- The Hartford – 89%
- GEICO – 89%
- The General – 88%
- 21st Century – 88%
Top 10 Major Car Insurance Companies in San Diego Ranked by Customer Service
- AAA of Southern California
- GEICO
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- Mercury Insurance
- The General
- Progressive
- Allstate
- AAA Insurance
- American Family
Discounts on San Diego auto insurance rates
Auto insurance companies that offer quotes for high school students may have premium discounts that can reduce rates by as much as 40% or more if you are eligible for them. A list of companies and some of the discounts can be read below.
- 21st Century discounts include anti-lock brakes, teen driver, good student, theft prevention, air bags, homeowners, and student driver.
- Progressive may include discounts for multi-policy, online quote discount, online signing, homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, and multi-vehicle.
- State Farm includes discounts for student away at school, Drive Safe & Save, good driver, accident-free, good student, anti-theft, and multiple policy.
- Nationwide may offer discounts for business or organization, defensive driving, multi-policy, accident-free, and anti-theft.
- Esurance offers discounts for Pac-12 alumni, DriveSense, online shopper, multi-car, and multi-policy.
- The Hartford offers discounts including driver training, vehicle fuel type, air bag, anti-theft, bundle, and good student.
The example below compares auto insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The costs are based on a male driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with good student, paperless filing, continuous coverage, paid-in-full, passive restraint, and anti-theft discounts applied. With discounts applied, theamount saved on car insurance for high school students is 28% or $719.
The diagram below demonstrates how deductible levels can impact insurance prices when researching cheap insurance for high school students. The premiums are based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are factored in.
In the chart above, a 50-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $362 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $546 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the 20-year-old example, could roll back prices up to $1,190 annually by selecting a higher deductible. If you do raise deductibles, it is essential to have enough savings set aside to enable you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense associated with higher deductibles.
What aren’t you shopping around?
California car insurance rates are impacted by many things that control the cost of a policy. Getting older, increasing liability limits, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can trigger changes in premium that may make certain companies more affordable than the competition.
And not only may your rating factors change, but auto insurance companies amend premium rates as often as every three months to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. Heavier than normal losses may result in price increases, while lower claims may result in lower-cost San Diego car insurance rates.
The data below shows rates for the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 30-year-old female driver with no accidents or violations, and good credit. If we compare prices based on her current risk factors, USAA may offer the best car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,129 per year. This is $522 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are also included in the cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
In this example, we will give the driver from the first rate comparison an accident claim, less-than-perfect credit, and a couple of points charged on her driving record. Since each auto insurance company has a unique formula for establishing rates, comparing prices may now show a substantially altered list of the cheapest San Diego car insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the lowest car insurance rate in San Diego, CA with Allstate, GEICO, Mercury, and Progressive now being in the top five. This example proves why consumers need to perform a complete rate comparison to find the most economical auto insurance quotes for high school students.
Car insurance prices are calculated by many risk factors and change dramatically, so the most economical company three years ago may now be quite expensive.