It’s hard to miss the captivating ads from car insurance companies like Farmers, Progressive, and Liberty Mutual that say if you switch you’ll get huge savings. So you should just choose the one with the flashiest ad, right?
It’s just not that easy, however, as there are many unknowns such as whether you need higher levels of liability coverage, how much you actually drive in a year, what deductibles to use for physical damage coverage, and whether or not your vehicle has good safety ratings, that all have an effect on the price. This article will cover the best ways to pay less and will hopefully give the reader a good beginning to your quest for cheaper car insurance in California.
The vehicle model you are trying to insure is probably the largest consideration that determines the availablility of cheap insurance for drivers over age 60 in California. Vehicles with economical engines, an excellent safety record, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost substantially less to insure than high performance models.
The next table features insurance rates for a selection of the cheapest automobiles to insure.
Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $1,504 |
Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $1,514 |
Chevrolet Traverse LS 2WD | $1,541 |
Toyota Prius | $1,687 |
Subaru Forester X Limited Edition AWD | $1,724 |
Ford Edge SEL AWD | $1,748 |
Chevrolet Silverado LS Regular Cab 2WD | $1,753 |
Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,785 |
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,794 |
Hyundai Tucson Limited 4WD | $1,785 |
Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $1,790 |
Volkswagen Jetta S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,785 |
Chevrolet Malibu LS | $1,793 |
Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $1,785 |
Toyota Sienna XLE | $1,794 |
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4WD 4-Dr | $1,787 |
Toyota Highlander Sport 2WD | $1,822 |
Start Your Quote Go |
Above prices assume single male driver age 60, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, and safe-driver. Premium amounts do not factor in specific location which can change rates greatly.
Looking at the rates, you can presume that cars like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Chevrolet Traverse are likely to be a few of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for older drivers.
When shopping for cheaper car insurance for older drivers, one of the many criteria that help determine the cost of insurance is where you keep your vehicle. Cities that have higher claim levels or more people like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento tend to pay more, whereas more rural areas generally pay lower car insurance rates.
The illustration below lists the more expensive cities in California for drivers over age 60 to buy car insurance in.
Rank | City | Annual Premium |
---|---|---|
1 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
3 | San Francisco | $1,711 |
4 | Oakland | $1,687 |
5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
7 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
8 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
9 | Fontana | $1,566 |
10 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
11 | Stockton | $1,541 |
12 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
13 | Fresno | $1,502 |
14 | Modesto | $1,502 |
15 | Riverside | $1,497 |
16 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
17 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
18 | San Jose | $1,437 |
19 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
21 | Irvine | $1,371 |
22 | Oxnard | $1,344 |
23 | Bakersfield | $1,340 |
24 | San Diego | $1,327 |
25 | Chula Vista | $1,298 |
Find the Best Rates Go |
Rate information is approximated as the specific zip code location can revise price quotes noticeably.
Finding the best car insurance provider is hard considering how many companies sell coverage in California. The information in the lists below can help you decide which auto insurance companies you want to consider comparing rates from.
The rankings below include companies that insure vehicles across America, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in California are not taken into consideration for the list. To view rates from many more California auto insurance companies, click this link.
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 |
Compare Rates Now Go |
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
The illustration below demonstrates how choosing different deductibles can affect yearly insurance costs when researching cheap insurance for drivers over age 60. The information is based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied.
In the chart above, a 30-year-old driver could lower rates by $410 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $616 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, such as the 20-year-old example, can save up to $1,190 or even more just by choosing higher deductibles when buying full coverage.
When increasing deductibles, it is necessary to have additional funds in a savings account to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the main inconvenience of larger deductibles.
If you’re looking for the cheapest auto insurance for older drivers in California, four of the larger companies to compare rates for are State Farm, Geico, Progressive, and Allstate. Between them, they insure almost 50% of all vehicles in the U.S.. All four offer physical damage and liability coverage, but each has a different combination of discounts, features, and options that may influence which company you choose. The next table points out price and claims rank as well as some different options shoppers can find with each company.
State Farm | Geico | Progressive | Allstate | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Customer Satisfaction | 4th | 1st | 3rd | 2nd |
Handling of Claims | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 1st |
Price Ranking | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | 4th |
Discounts Offered | 3rd | 2nd | 4th | 1st |
Percent of U.S. market | 18.3% | 11.4% | 8.8% | 10% |
New car replacement | No | No | No | Yes |
Rate for vehicle usage | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Rideshare insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Roadside assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Accident forgiveness coverage | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Breakdown insurance | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Where you can buy | State Farm-only agents | Can buy online or use a Geico agent | Indpendent agents or online | Allstate exclusive agents |
Number of agents | 18,000+ | 150+ | 30,000+ | 11,000+ |
Compare Rates Go |