Cheap Car Insurance for Infrequent Drivers in California

The model of vehicle you are insuring is a large factor when looking for affordable coverage for infrequent drivers. Vehicles with high performance features, poor crash test ratings, or an increased likelihood of liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than safer models.

The next tables outlines coverage premiums for some of the cheaper vehicles to insure in California.

Table data represents married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Information does not factor in zip code location which can change coverage prices noticeably.

Price data assumes married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, homeowner, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Rate information does not factor in vehicle location which can affect coverage rates noticeably.

Above prices assume married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in vehicle location which can influence insurance rates significantly.

When shopping for cheaper car insurance for low mileage drivers, one of the many things that car insurance companies use to calculate the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you live in California. More densely populated places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento tend to have more expensive auto insurance rates, whereas areas with less congestion benefit from lower prices.

The information below lists the highest-priced areas in California for infrequent drivers to buy an auto insurance policy in.

Information shown are approximated as specific California garaging address can revise coverage rates greatly.

How accidents and violations affect rates

One of the best ways to earn cheap car insurance for infrequent drivers in California is to drive cautiously and not receive tickets or have accidents. The information below highlights how speeding tickets and fender-benders can drive up insurance prices for different insured age categories. The premiums assume a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

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The chart shows that the average cost of a car insurance policy in California per year with no violations or accidents is $1,703. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost jumps to $2,344, an increase of $641 each year. Then throw in two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the yearly cost of insurance for infrequent drivers goes up to an average of $4,909. That’s an increase of $3,206, or $267 per month, just for not being more responsible behind the wheel!

How to get cheap car insurance for infrequent drivers in California

The list below summarizes many thrifty ideas that can help drivers locate the cheapest coverage.

• Avoid accidents
• Buy a vehicle with excellent safety ratings
• Save money by bundling your home and auto policies
• Save money by only buying liability coverage for older vehicles
• Good credit scores may make rates cheaper
• Shop around for lower rates once a year

That last piece of advice is highly valuable, as was stressed in the article above. Auto insurance prices go up and down frequently, so don’t be afraid to buy from a new company if a lower-cost policy is available.

Many drivers tend to have loyalty to a certain company, but we do not recommend it if that loyalty results in overpaying money that could be going to better use. It only takes a couple minutes to compare prices and find cheaper insurance for infrequent drivers.

Who has the cheapest insurance quotes for low mileage drivers?

There are quite a few ways to get cheap insurance quotes in California, but the three most common methods are through a non-exclusive or independent agent, a captive (or exclusive) agent such as Allstate or Liberty Mutual, or direct online or over the phone from a company like Geico or Progressive. You can use whichever method you prefer, but buyers should know the differences in how they provide price quotes.

Independent agents are appointed by several companies and can get rate quotes from all of them. Agents of this type have the option to compare multiple rates, which can help you get improved chances of finding a lower rate. If prices rise, your policy can be easily switched to a new company and the insured can keep the same agent.

An exclusive ageny is able to place business with a single company, two examples are an Auto-Owners or State Farm agent. Exclusive agents cannot quote rates from more than one company, which requires you to shop around.

Buying direct means you do not use a local agent and instead buy direct from companies such as Esurance or Progressive. Buying direct can be good for drivers who do not have complex finances and know what coverage limits and deductibles they need.

Which way works best to buy cheap car insurance for infrequent drivers in California? It would be obvious to point out buying from a direct car insurance company results in the best prices since no commissions are paid to an agent, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. And we’d like to say buying insurance from an independent agent guarantees the best prices due to having more companies to select from, but again, it’s not necessarily true. In many circumstances, exclusive agents have extremely competitive rates that are impossible to beat.

Due to the large number of rating factors, the only true way to find out which one is cheapest is to do a thorough rate comparison. It’s recommended that drivers get rate quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies to have a good selection of rates to choose from. A great place to start is our list of online companies offering discounts: click here to view.