How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Drivers Over Age 50 in California?

How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Drivers Over Age 50 in California?

The vehicle model you are trying to insure is one of the biggest factors when consumers are trying to find the most affordable coverage for drivers over age 50. Vehicles with lower acceleration and performance, excellent safety ratings, or a positive history of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than fast, unsafe models.

The information below estimates car insurance prices for a handful of the most budget-friendly vehicles to buy insurance for.

Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers Over Age 50 in California
Make, Model, and Trim Level Estimated Cost for Full Coverage
Ford Escape XLT 4WD $1,409
Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD $1,418
Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan $1,497
Subaru Forester X Premium AWD $1,526
Chevrolet Traverse LT AWD $1,532
Toyota Prius $1,526
Ford Explorer XLT 4WD $1,544
Chevrolet Impala LS $1,600
Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan $1,609
Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon $1,615
Chevrolet Silverado LS Regular Cab 2WD $1,626
Dodge Grand Caravan Hero $1,631
Hyundai Tucson Limited 2WD $1,641
Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan $1,631
Toyota Sienna XLE $1,637
Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD $1,631
Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD $1,639
Subaru Outback 3.6R $1,660
Toyota Highlander Sport 4WD $1,665
Kia Forte SX 4-Dr Sedan $1,660
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD $1,665
Ford F-150 Lariat Super Cab 2WD $1,660
Honda Civic EX 4-Dr Sedan $1,690
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Data rating is based on single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and claim-free. Rate quotes do not factor in specific garaging location which can lower or raise coverage prices considerably.

Based upon the table data, you can figure that cars like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Honda Accord, Subaru Forester, and Chevrolet Traverse should be a few of the cheaper vehicles to insure for older drivers.

Figuring out which companies offer the cheapest auto insurance rates for drivers over age 50 may require more work than just comparing a company or two. Every insurance company has a unique approach for determining rates, so let’s take a look at the auto insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in California.

It’s a good idea to be aware that California auto insurance rates are impacted by many things which can significantly increase or decrease the price of your policy. Getting older, having a teen driver, or having an accident can trigger changes in premium resulting in some rates now being cheaper in comparison to the competition.

Best Insurance Companies for Age 50+

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Cheapest auto insurance in California ranked by cost per year
Rank Company Cost Per Year
1 USAA $1,109
2 CSAA $1,186
3 Wawanesa $1,192
4 Century National $1,214
5 Nationwide $1,263
6 21st Century $1,338
7 Grange $1,477
8 Progressive $1,512
9 Allstate $1,513
10 Mercury $1,548
11 The Hartford $1,575
12 GEICO $1,575
13 MetLife $1,590
14 Allied $1,603
15 State Farm $1,699
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 quotes some of the best car insurance rates in California at around $1,109 annually. CSAA, Wawanesa, Century National, and Nationwide also make the cut as some of the cheapest California insurance companies.

As shown above, if you have coverage with Nationwide and switched to CSAA, you may see savings of in the neighborhood of $77. Drivers with 21st Century might save as much as $152 a year, and Grange customers might lower prices by up to $291 a year.

Bear in mind that those prices are averages for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not calculated with a price discount for drivers over age 50. So the auto insurance company that can offer you the lowest price may not even be featured in the list of companies shown earlier. That’s why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver and vehicle profiles.

For older drivers, one of the big things that insurance companies take into consideration when calculating the cost of insurance is your zip code in California. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less congestion generally have lower rates.

The next table shows the highest-priced places in California for drivers over age 50 to buy car insurance in.

Most expensive California cities for auto insurance
Rank City Annual Premium
1 Los Angeles $2,146
2 Glendale $2,142
3 San Francisco $1,763
4 Oakland $1,755
5 Sacramento $1,703
6 San Bernardino $1,628
7 Long Beach $1,626
8 Santa Clarita $1,595
9 Stockton $1,588
10 Fontana $1,566
11 Riverside $1,527
12 Fresno $1,517
13 Garden Grove $1,508
14 Moreno Valley $1,506
15 Santa Ana $1,497
16 Modesto $1,487
17 Anaheim $1,430
18 San Jose $1,423
19 Bakersfield $1,381
20 Huntington Beach $1,374
21 Fremont $1,361
22 Oxnard $1,358
23 Chula Vista $1,350
24 Irvine $1,343
25 San Diego $1,327
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Rate quotes are approximated as the specific California residence address can decrease or increase auto insurance rates greatly.

Discounts on cheap insurance for drivers over age 50 in California

Discounts on auto insurance for drivers over age 50Auto insurance companies that provide coverage for drivers over age 50 may also give you price discounts that can lower rates by 40% or more if you meet specific eligibility requirements. The best auto insurance companies and a selection of discounts can be read below.

Auto Insurance Discounts for Popular Insurance Companies
Discount State Farm Allstate Progressive Geico
Bundle discount Yes Yes Yes Yes
Multiple vehicles Yes No Yes Yes
Theft prevention Yes Yes Yes Yes
Anti-lock brakes Yes Yes No Yes
Passive restraint Yes Yes No Yes
Newer vehicle Yes Yes No No
No accidents Yes Yes Yes Yes
Defensive driving course Yes Yes Yes Yes
Low mileage Yes Yes Yes No
Armed forces Yes No Yes Yes
Affinity/occupation No No No Yes
Paid in full No Yes Yes Yes
Auto-pay No Yes Yes Yes
Loyalty Yes No Yes No
Smart student Yes Yes Yes Yes
Student away from home Yes Yes Yes No
Own home No No Yes No
Seat belt usage No No No Yes
Quote online No No Yes No
Teen driver No No Yes No
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The illustration below shows the comparison of insurance rates with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The premium estimates are based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multiple vehicle, anti-theft, multiple policy, claim-free, defensive driving course, and accident-free discounts applied. When drivers qualify for the discounts, the the average yearly reduction on auto insurance for drivers over age 50 is % or $.

google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawDiscqcibChart);function drawDiscqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘Female Driver No Discounts’, ‘Female Driver with Discounts’],[‘Age 20’, 2637,1053],[‘Age 30’, 1775,1891],[‘Age 40’, 1663,1285],[‘Age 50’, 1453,1199],[‘Age 60’, 1407,1053],[‘Age 70’, 1665,1019]]);var options = {title: ‘Effect of Discounts on Insurance Rates for Drivers Over Age 50’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 500,’chartArea’:{left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’},colors: [‘#c096ca’, ‘#e1b7ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibdisc’));chart.draw(data, options);}

Rate increases following a ticket or accident

The easiest way to receive cheap insurance for drivers over age 50 in California is to be a safe driver and have a clean driving record. The illustration below shows how traffic citations and fender-benders can drive up car insurance costs for each age group. The prices are based on a single female driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.

google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawVioqcibChart);function drawVioqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘No Violations or Accidents’, ‘One Speeding Ticket and No Accidents’, ‘One Speeding Ticket and Two Accidents’],[‘Age 20’, 3243,3537,6073],[‘Age 30’, 2241,2533,5069],[‘Age 40’, 2081,2375,4909],[‘Age 50’, 1819,2113,4647],[‘Age 60’, 1759,2053,4589],[‘Age 70’, 2051,2345,4879]]);var options = {title: ‘Impact of Tickets and Claims on California Car Insurance Prices’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’, fontSize: 17, bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 600,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},colors:[‘#b2da64′,’#eed355′,’#e39e71’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle in California’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);formatter.format(data,3);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibvio’));chart.draw(data, options);}

The data above shows the average cost of car insurance per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $2,199. Factor in one speeding ticket and the average cost hikes up to $2,493, an increase of $294 each year. Then add two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of auto insurance for drivers over age 50 jumps again to an average of $5,028. That’s an increase of $2,829, or $236 per month, just for not driving attentively!

Cheapest car insurance: Allstate, Geico, Progressive, or State Farm

If you’re looking for the best car insurance for older drivers, probably the best companies to start with are Allstate, Geico, Progressive, and State Farm. The next table shows pricing and service ratings, as well as optional policy coverages that are available for policyholders.

Auto Insurance Company Comparison
Allstate Geico Progressive State Farm
Claims Handling 1st 3rd 4th 2nd
Price Rank 4th 1st 3rd 2nd
Customer Satisfaction 2nd 1st 3rd 4th
Policy Discounts 1st 2nd 4th 3rd
Recommend by customers 86% 87% 88% 88%
A.M. Best financial rating A+ A++ A+ A++
Emergency roadside assistance Yes Yes Yes Yes
Breakdown insurance No Yes Yes No
Usage-based rating Yes No Yes Yes
Accident forgiveness coverage Yes Yes Yes No
New car replacement coverage Yes No No No
Rideshare insurance Yes Yes Yes Yes
Available in California Yes Yes Yes Yes
Types of agents used Allstate-only agents Online or through a Geico agent Buy online or from an independent agent State Farm-only agents
Number of agents 11,000+ 150+ 30,000+ 18,000+
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