You have seen the captivating ads from auto insurance companies like Farmers, Liberty Mutual, and GEICO that make promises of enormous savings, so drivers should just pick the one with the catchiest commercial, right?
It’s not quite that easy, unfortunately, as there are a whole bunch of unknown aspects like the area you live in, if you have any tickets or accidents, your gender, and how well you maintain your credit, that all help calculate your car insurance rates. This article will detail the best ways to shop for cheaper coverage and hopefully give you enough understanding to have a good start in finding the cheapest insurance in San Diego.
One of the more important things that determine the annual cost of car insurance is where you keep your vehicle in San Diego. Areas with more people or more claims will most likely pay more, whereas more rural areas have the gratification of cheaper auto insurance rates.
The information below sorts the priciest cities in California for college students to purchase auto insurance in. San Diego is ranked at #23 with an annual cost of $1,340 for the average insurance policy, which is about $112 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,168 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 5 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 8 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 9 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,547 |
| 13 | Riverside | $1,527 |
| 14 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 15 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,474 |
| 18 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
| 19 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 20 | Irvine | $1,371 |
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Rates are approximated as the specific area where the vehicle is garaged can influence rates substantially.
Establishing which companies offer the most affordable car insurance rates for college students takes a little more effort in order to find the lowest price.
Each auto insurance company has a different process for establishing rates, so let’s take a look at the overall cheapest car insurance companies in San Diego. Keep in mind that San Diego, CA car insurance rates are calculated based on many things that can increase the cost of having a policy. Getting older, buying a new vehicle, or having an at-fault accident may prompt premium changes that may make certain companies more affordable than the competition.
Best Auto Insurance Prices for College Students
USAA may have some of the most affordable car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,143 each year. This is $508 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Nationwide, Century National, and CSAA also make the cut as some of the most economical San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
As shown above, if you buy coverage from Century National and switched to USAA, you could earn a yearly savings of upwards of $83. Drivers with CSAA could save as much as $91 a year, and 21st Century policyholders might lower prices by $223 a year.
To get a fast rate comparison, click here to start a quote or quote prices from the following companies.
Understand that those policy rates are averaged for all types of insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration a specific vehicle garaging location for college students. So the auto insurance company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be in the list above. That is why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
The car, truck, or SUV you are trying to insure is one of the primary factors that determines if you can find the most affordable car insurance for college students. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, excellent safety ratings, or a positive history of liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The next list shows car insurance prices for a selection of the cheapest automobiles to insure.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,917 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $1,947 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $1,997 |
| Toyota Prius | $2,097 |
| Ford F-150 STX Regular Cab 2WD | $2,120 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $2,150 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $2,220 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $2,243 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $2,251 |
| Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $2,243 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $2,273 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $2,280 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $2,300 |
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Table data represents single female driver age 20, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Estimates do not factor in specific zip code location which can increase or decrease auto insurance rates greatly.
Looking at the numbers, we can expect makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Jeep Wrangler are some of the cheaper vehicles to insure for students in college. The price for an auto insurance policy will tend to be more expensive just due to the fact that there is a higher risk for college students, but in general those particular vehicles will most likely have the cheapest car insurance rates available.
The chart below shows how choosing a deductible can increase or decrease insurance premiums when trying to find cheap insurance for college students. The premium estimates are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.
A 30-year-old driver could cut expenses by $408 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $618 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, such as the 20-year-old chart data, could potentially save as much as $1,230 each year by choosing a larger deductible amount.
When using a larger deductible, it is a good idea to have additional funds squirreled away to be able to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which deters some drivers from choosing higher deductibles.
How to find a good California car insurance company
Ending up with the best insurer can be rather challenging considering how many different insurance companies sell coverage in San Diego. The ranking information listed below can help you decide which coverage providers to look at putting your business with. These ratings include companies that insure vehicles across America, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in California will not be included in these rankings.
| 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 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Careless driving habits raise car insurance rates
In a perfect world, the best way to snag the best car insurance rates for students in college is to drive attentively and avoid accidents and violations. The illustration below highlights how traffic violations and fender-benders influence auto insurance costs for each different age group. The information is based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
In the example above, the average cost of a car insurance policy per year with no accidents or violations is $2,679. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost surges to $3,588, an increase of $909 each year. Then include two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of car insurance for college students increases to an average of $7,118. That’s an increase of $4,439, or $370 per month, just for not being attentive to the road!
If you would rather have some professional guidance when buying car insurance for college students, the insurance agencies below are willing to aid you in deciding which auto insurance policy fits you best. To find an agent in your neighborhood, click the button below the list.
- Kristin Francy – State Farm Insurance Agent
9888 Carmel Mountain Rd Ste A – San Diego, CA 92129 – (858) 484-4141 - Mike Moore – State Farm Insurance Agent
12880 Rancho Penasquitos Blvd d – San Diego, CA 92129 – (858) 484-1297 - State Farm: Tom Latsko
8680 Navajo Rd #214 – San Diego, CA 92119 – (619) 462-5701
View map of San Diego, CA insurance agents
Ideas for buying economical auto insurance for college students
The list below shows many thrifty ideas that can help you find cheaper coverage.
- Improve your credit score
- Buy vehicles with good safety ratings
- Increase your physical damage deductibles
- Do not insure for full coverage
- Buy your homeowners policy from the same company as your auto insurance
- Discounts for being claim-free can be substantial
- Look for cheaper rates once a year by shopping around
The last suggestion is especially critical, as we hit on in the prior information. Prices charged by car insurance companies fluctuate constantly, so don’t be unwilling to buy from a different company if you find a cheaper price. Sticking with a specific company is fine, but is isn’t recommended if that stubbornness costs you lots of hard earned cash every month. Now is a great time to shop around and find cheaper insurance for college students in San Diego.