How Much Does Car Insurance Cost for Safe Drivers in California?

One of the key criteria that affect a rate quote is where your home is located in California. Areas that are densely populated or have higher claim frequency like Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco tend to have more expensive car insurance rates, whereas less populated areas generally have lower rates.

The information below illustrates the higher priced cities in California for safe drivers to purchase car insurance in.

Premium amounts are estimated as zip code location can increase or decrease prices noticeably.

Finding dependable, reasonably-priced car insurance is tough enough, and finding out which company has the most affordable insurance rates for safe drivers requires more quotes for comparison. Coverage prices will probably be slightly less expensive than the average price in California attributed to the posibility of fewer claims that comes with selling insurance for good drivers. Cheap insurance should be obtainable from many insurers.
Every auto insurer uses a slightly different approach for setting rates, so first let’s look at the rankings for the lowest cost insurance companies in California.

It’s important that you understand California insurance rates are influenced by many factors that will increase or decrease the price of your policy. Simply getting older, moving across town, or getting into an accident can cause premium changes that can cause some rates to be higher-priced than the competition.

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USAA may offer some of the most affordable car insurance rates in California at around $1,143 a year. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA also qualify as some of the cheapest California auto insurance companies.

As shown in the rates above, if you have coverage with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you might see a yearly price reduction of approxmiately $67. Insureds with CSAA could save as much as $88 a year, and 21st Century customers might lower prices by up to $220 a year.

To see if you’re overpaying, click here or feel free to get quotes from the companies below.

Understand that those rates are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with a rate decrease for safe drivers. So the company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be featured in the list of companies shown earlier. That’s why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.

The safety and performance level of the vehicle you are trying to insure is one of the largest considerations that determines whether or not you can buy cheap insurance for safe drivers in California. Vehicles with economical engines, an excellent safety record, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost less to insure than high performance models. The next lists outlines coverage premiums for a number of the more afforable vehicles to insure.

Above prices assume single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, and claim-free. Table data does not factor in specific California garaging location which can lower or raise price quotes noticeably.

Above prices assume single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Price estimates do not factor in garaging location in California which can increase or decrease premiums considerably.

Table data represents single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in specific California garaging location which can revise coverage prices greatly.

Difference between liability only and full coverage rates

Finding cheap insurance for safe drivers in California is important to the majority of people, and one common way to buy cheaper insurance is to not buy comprehensive and collision coverage. The illustration below illustrates the comparison of car insurance costs with full coverage and liability only. The price estimates are based on no violations or claims, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

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If we average the cost for ages 20 through 70, physical damage coverage on your policy costs $2,314 per year more than just buying liability insurance. That is a large expense and it proposes the question if buying full coverage is a good investment. There is no specific rule to eliminate comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is about 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s book value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would receive is $7,000 after paying your policy deductible. If premiums are more than $700 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then it could be time to drop full coverage.

There are a few situations where buying only liability insurance is not in your best interest. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should maintain full coverage.

Discounts on California car insurance

Insurers that sell cheap insurance for safe drivers in California may additionally offer premium discounts that could lower prices by 25% or more if you are eligible to receive them. A list of companies and a partial list of their discounts are outlined below.

• State Farm offers discounts including multiple autos, driver’s education, accident-free, defensive driving training, anti-theft, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and Drive Safe & Save.
• Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including teen driver, early shopping, electronic funds transfer, switch companies, alternative fuel, distant student, and mature driver.
• Progressive offers premium reductions for continuous coverage, multi-policy, homeowner, good student, and multi-vehicle.
• GEICO has discounts for emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, defensive driver, military active duty, and anti-theft.
• Auto-Owners Insurance discounts include teen driver, mature driver, air bags, anti-theft, and safe vehicle.
• The Hartford may have discounts that include bundle, defensive driver, air bag, anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, and driver training.
• Farm Bureau has savings for safe driver, multi-policy, driver training, multi-vehicle, youthful driver, and good student.
• USAA offers discounts for multi-policy, defensive driver, multi-vehicle, family discount, annual mileage, and loyalty savings.

The information below compares auto insurance costs with and without some available policy discounts. The prices are based on a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with anti-theft, multiple policy, defensive driving course, vehicle safety, multiple vehicle, and claim-free discounts applied. With discounts applied, the the average yearly reduction on insurance for safe drivers is 28% or $493.

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How to find budget-friendly car insurance for safe drivers

It’s not impossible to find cheaper rates, and here are many money-saving ideas that can help California drivers find cheap coverage.

• Drivers with good credit often pay less
• Do not pay for comprehensive and collision coverage on older vehicles
• Bundle car and home insurance and save money
• Lower rates by purchasing a safer vehicle
• Staying accident-free helps keep rates low
• Compare rate quotes often

The final tip is extraordinarily critical, as we pointed out in the article above. Insurance prices in California change a lot, so don’t be tentative to change to a new company if a better rate can be found.

Being loyal to a particular company is commendable, but it’s not recommended if that devotedness results in you overpaying hundreds of dollars year after year. Take a few minutes and compare prices to find cheaper car insurance for safe drivers.