This would be a much quicker read if we could tell you the one car insurance company that is cheapest in California. It’s just not that simple, as there are a whole bunch of unknown factors such as whether or not you have had gaps between policies, whether you just need liability insurance, and how high your deductibles should be. The content below will cover the best ways to find cheap car insurance and will hopefully give you a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance in California.
Figuring out which companies quote the lowest-priced insurance rates for low income drivers calls for a bit more effort in order to find the most economical policy. Each auto insurer used slightly different criteria to determine premium rates, so to begin we’ll rank the insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in California.
Best Auto Insurance Prices in California
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,198 |
| 4 | Century National | $1,214 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,263 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | GEICO | $1,529 |
| 9 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 10 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 12 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,756 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
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USAA generally has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,121 annually. This is $530 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide would also be considered some of the most economical San Francisco, CA insurance companies.
In the above example, if you currently have a policy with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you could realize an annual premium reduction of about $106. Policyholders with 21st Century may save as much as $209 a year, and Grange customers might cut rates by $290 a year.
These policy rates are averages for all types of insureds and vehicles and do not factor in a specific vehicle garaging location for low income drivers. So the auto insurance company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That points out the importance of why you need to compare rates from multiple companies using your own personal information and vehicle type.
For poor drivers, one of the largest criteria that aid in calculating the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you live. More populated areas will most likely pay more, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims benefit from having to pay less for coverage.
The information below shows the most expensive cities in California for low income drivers to buy auto insurance in. San Francisco is ranked at #5 with an annual rate of $1,693 for coverage, which is approximately $141 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,142 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
| 5 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 8 | Fontana | $1,581 |
| 9 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 11 | Santa Clarita | $1,548 |
| 12 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 14 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
| 18 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
| 19 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,361 |
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Rate quotes are comparative as the vehicle garaging location can influence premium rates substantially.
The type of vehicle you are buying coverage for is probably the biggest factor that determines if you can find low-cost auto insurance for low income drivers. Vehicles with lower acceleration and performance, an excellent safety record, or a positive history of liability claims will cost less to insure than fast, unsafe models. The list below showcases coverage premiums for the more affordable automobiles to buy coverage for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord LX-P 4-Dr Sedan | $1,095 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $1,101 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,218 |
| Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $1,262 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $1,270 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,336 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $1,341 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,347 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $1,341 |
| Ford F-150 XL Super Cab 4WD | $1,374 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD | $1,384 |
| Ford Edge SEL 2WD | $1,385 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SR 4-Dr Sedan | $1,390 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $1,415 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD | $1,422 |
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Above prices assume married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Rate information does not factor in specific San Francisco, CA garaging location which can alter auto insurance rates noticeably.
Based upon the rates shown, you can conclude that vehicles like the Honda Accord, Hyundai Elantra, and Toyota Prius are likely to be a few of the more affordable vehicles to insure for poor drivers.
Get discount San Francisco insurance rates
Insurers that provide coverage for low income drivers may also give you premium discounts that may potentially lower prices by 40% or more if you meet the requirements. A few popular companies and their offered discounts are outlined below.
- Progressive may offer discounts for online quote discount, good student, homeowner, multi-policy, online signing, multi-vehicle, and continuous coverage.
- AAA has savings for multi-policy, AAA membership discount, good student, anti-theft, education and occupation, and pay-in-full.
- Farmers Insurance may include discounts for good student, pay in full, electronic funds transfer, early shopping, bundle discounts, and business and professional.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, multi-policy, anti-lock brakes, air bags, and five-year accident-free.
- Esurance may have discounts that include online shopper, anti-lock brakes, multi-car, safety device, anti-theft, and homeowner.
- SAFECO offers discounts for bundle discounts, accident prevention training, safe driver, teen safe driver, and anti-lock brakes.
- State Farm offers discounts including accident-free, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple policy, driver’s education, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, and safe vehicle.
The example below visualizes the comparison of insurance prices with and without policy discounts. The prices are based on a male driver, no claims or driving citations, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $250 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with marriage, safe-driver, accident-free, defensive driving course, multiple vehicle, and homeowner discounts applied. With discounts applied, theaverage yearly reduction on insurance for low income drivers is 28% or $707.
Choosing the right insurance company can be difficult considering how many companies are available to choose from in California. The rank data in the next section can help you decide which coverage providers you want to consider when shopping around. The rankings below include companies with a nationwide focus, so companies that may only write in California are not included in this list.
| 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 |
| Mercury Insurance | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85% | A+ | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 85 | 90 | 92 | 88% | A+ | 89.3 |
| Nationwide | 87 | 88 | 84 | 90% | A+ | 88.7 |
| Liberty Mutual | 84 | 87 | 93 | 88% | A | 88.5 |
| 21st Century | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88% | A | 86.7 |
| Esurance | 85 | 80 | 95 | 87% | A+ | 85.9 |
| Safeco | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
| Travelers | 80 | 87 | 87 | 83% | A++ | 85.2 |
| Farmers Insurance | 78 | 87 | 88 | 79% | A | 84.3 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Tickets and at-fault accidents raise rates
The easiest method to snag the most affordable insurance premiums in San Francisco for poor drivers is to be a careful driver and avoid accidents and violations. The example below demonstrates how citations and at-fault fender-benders raise insurance rates for different categories of driver ages. The premiums assume a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $250 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
In the prior example, the average cost of car insurance in San Francisco per year with no accidents or violations is $2,372. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost surges to $3,382, an increase of $1,009 each year. Then add one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the yearly cost of insurance for low income drivers jumps again to an average of $4,412. That’s an increase of $2,040, or $170 per month, just for not driving safely!
Tips for finding low-cost auto insurance for low income drivers
The list below summarizes many money-saving ideas that can help you find low-cost coverage.
- At-fault accidents can raise rates significantly
- Remove physical damage coverage on older vehicles
- Avoid getting tickets or violations
- Higher comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles will save money
- Try to pay small claims out-of-pocket
- Shop around for cheaper rates regularly
That last piece of advice is certainly important, as we hit on in the prior article. Prices charged by companies change constantly, so you should be ready to change to a new company if a cheaper price is available. We understand brand loyalty, but it’s not recommended if that devotion results in you overpaying thousands of dollars over several years. If you have a few minutes, compare prices and find cheaper auto insurance for low income drivers in San Francisco.