Finding affordable coverage for a Nissan Altima in California is pretty easy for most people, but it is dependent upon a lot of factors such as how many years you have been driving, what you do for a living, and your choice of physical damage deductibles. Drivers pay on average $1,440 a year to insure their Altima, but that cost is calculated based on a 40-year-old single male driver with both comprehensive and collision coverage and $500 deductibles.
If we were betting, you aren’t exactly 40 years old or even a male, married instead of single, and maybe you want higher deductibles. Auto insurance requires individual risk assessment, so the best way to find affordable rates for your Nissan is to just compare rates yourself.
The trim level of your vehicle has an effect on the coverage cost, so the price you pay to insure a Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan trim level will be $318 cheaper than the cost to insure the more well-appointed Altima 3.5 SR 2-Dr Coupe model, as demonstrated by the prices below.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $272 | $534 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,532 | $128 |
| Altima 2.5 S 4-Dr Sedan | $272 | $628 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,626 | $136 |
| Altima Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $306 | $628 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,660 | $138 |
| Altima 2.5 S 2-Dr Coupe | $306 | $628 | $604 | $36 | $180 | $1,754 | $146 |
| Altima 3.5 SR 4-Dr Sedan | $306 | $628 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,660 | $138 |
| Altima 3.5 SR 2-Dr Coupe | $306 | $724 | $604 | $36 | $180 | $1,850 | $154 |
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Data based on single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-policy. Price estimates do not factor in zip code location which can revise insurance rates greatly.
Ending up with a highly-rated insurance company is hard considering how many companies sell coverage in San Francisco. The company information shown next can help you select which companies you want to consider when comparing rate quotes. The rankings below only include companies that insure vehicles nationwide, so companies that have a smaller presence are not included in these rankings.
Top 10 Large Auto Insurers Overall in San Francisco
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
The example below demonstrates how deductibles can affect insurance prices when researching cheap insurance for a Nissan Altima. The data is based on a married male driver, comp and collision included, and no other discounts are factored in.
The data above shows that a 30-year-old driver could reduce rates by $476 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $718 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the Age 20 category, could shave as much as $1,434 each year by choosing a larger deductible amount.
When insureds make the decision to increase the deductibles on their policy, it is important to have spare funds to enable you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one disadvantage of using larger deductibles.
Get discounts on San Francisco car insurance
Auto insurance companies that provide coverage for a Nissan Altima may also provide discounts that can reduce rates by 35% or more if you qualify. The best car insurance companies and a selection of discounts are included below.
- State Farm offers discounts for accident-free, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, good student, multiple autos, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and passive restraint.
- American Family includes discounts for mySafetyValet, air bags, Steer into Savings, early bird, and defensive driver.
- GEICO may have discounts that include good student, air bags, federal employee, anti-theft, seat belt use, military active duty, and five-year accident-free.
- 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including air bags, teen driver, 55 and older, homeowners, driver training, defensive driver, and good student.
- Progressive may include discounts for multi-vehicle, multi-policy, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, online signing, and good student.
The example below visualizes the comparison of auto insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The data assumes a male driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $100 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with passive restraint, safe-driver, defensive driving course, anti-theft, marriage, and multiple vehicle discounts applied. When taking advantage of discounts, theaverage yearly reduction on car insurance for a Nissan Altima is 28% or $909.
Why you should be shopping around
San Francisco, CA car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that control your annual premium. Simply improving your credit, buying a new vehicle, or having a fender bender can cause premium changes that can cause some rates to be more affordable than others. Not only may things change on your end, but car insurance companies change their prices at least once a year in order to remain profitable. Significantly higher losses may result in rate increases, while profitable underwriting can cause more affordable Altima insurance rates.
For example, the bar chart below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco, CA for a 35-year-old male driver with no accidents or violations, and a good credit rating. When quoting prices based on his personal profile, USAA might quote the lowest car insurance rates in San Francisco at $1,507 each year. This is $144 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are the remaining cheapest San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.
The next chart shows rates after we give the driver in the first example a chargeable accident, a lower credit rating, and a blemish on his driving record. Since each auto insurer has their own guidelines to determine rates, comparing prices could result in a significantly different list of companies as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco with Progressive, Allied, Allstate, and Mercury now being in the top five. This shows why drivers need to compare lots of rates to find the lowest insurance quotes for a Nissan Altima. Insurance prices are impacted by many different factors and change substantially, so the most economical company when you bought your policy may now be priced much higher than other options.
How to find budget-friendly auto insurance for a Nissan Altima
It’s not impossible to find cheaper rates, and here are a few money-saving solutions that can help drivers locate lower-cost coverage.
- Try paying for small claims out-of-pocket
- Save money by obeying traffic laws and keeping a clean driving record
- Increase the comprehensive and collision deductibles on your policy
- Do not insure for full coverage
- Drive attentively and avoid accidents
- Compare price quotes at least once a year
That last idea is extremely critical, as we hit on in this piece. Insurance rates adjust often, so drivers shouldn’t be resistant to change to a new company if you can save money. Many drivers have brand loyalty and that’s fine, but we do not recommend it if that faithfulness ends up costing you hundreds of dollars a year. Now is a great time to compare prices to find cheaper auto insurance for a Nissan Altima in San Francisco.