The words “bargain” and “insurance” really shouldn’t be used in the same sentence, especially when you are searching for the lowest insurance prices for hybrid vehicles. To save some money, let’s familiarize you with some of the factors that influence auto insurance rates, and come up with some ways to take the bite out of the next policy you buy.
For hybrids, one of the largest criteria that are used to help calculate the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you call home. Cities with more crime and/or more people tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas more rural areas benefit from lower rates.
The information below sorts the highest-priced places in California for hybrid vehicles in which to buy car insurance. San Francisco shows up at #3 with an annual premium of $1,763 on average, which is around $147 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 11 | Modesto | $1,547 |
| 12 | Moreno Valley | $1,536 |
| 13 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 14 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 15 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 17 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 18 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,416 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
Information shown are comparative as the garaging address in San Francisco can affect premiums substantially.
The vehicle needing coverage is one of the largest factors when consumers are trying to find the most economical coverage for hybrid vehicles. Vehicles with higher performance characteristics, poor passenger safety features, or a high likelihood of having liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than safer models.
The table below showcases insurance rates for the most cost-effective automobiles to insure.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $1,487 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,576 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $1,612 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,622 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $1,614 |
| Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,625 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,690 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD | $1,736 |
| Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $1,763 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,801 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 4WD | $1,828 |
| Nissan Altima Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $1,838 |
| Ford Fusion Sport 4-Dr Sedan | $1,828 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $1,835 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $1,866 |
| Compare Cheap Rates Go | |
Data rating is based on single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, and claim-free. Information does not factor in zip code location which can impact premiums significantly.
Based upon the rates shown, makes and models like the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Escape, Toyota Tacoma, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Honda CR-V are most likely going to be some of the cheaper vehicles to insure for hybrids.
Finding decent, low-cost car insurance is hard enough, and deciding which companies have the lowest-priced car insurance rates for hybrid vehicles calls for even more diligence. Each insurer has a unique formula for determining rates in each state, so let’s take a look at the lowest cost car insurance companies in California.
It’s a good idea to know that California car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that control the price you have to pay. Things like having a birthday, buying a new vehicle, or getting a few speeding tickets may generate price changes that can cause some rates to be more affordable than others.
Find Cheaper Auto Insurance for Hybrids
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,143 |
| 2 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 4 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,338 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 9 | Mercury | $1,533 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,590 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,682 |
| 16 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,756 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
| Find Your Rate Go | ||
USAA may offer some of the most affordable car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,143 annually. This is $508 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. CSAA, Century National, Wawanesa, and Nationwide also qualify as some of the most economical San Francisco, CA car insurance companies.
In the above example, if you are currently insured with Wawanesa and switched to CSAA, you might achieve a yearly savings of approximately $6. Drivers with Nationwide could save as much as $64 a year, and 21st Century insureds might cut rates by $152 a year.
To find the cheapest rates for your vehicle, click here to begin a quote or quote prices from the following companies.
Understand that those rates are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not calculated with a vehicle location for hybrid vehicles. So the car insurance company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the list above. That affirms the importance of why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
What is the best car insurance company in California?
Insuring your vehicle with the highest-rated car insurance provider can be rather challenging considering how many companies provide coverage in California. The rank data shown below can help you pick which auto insurers you want to consider when trying to find the cheapest insurance for hybrid vehicles.
The ratings below are only made up of companies with a national presence, so smaller companies are not taken into consideration for these rankings. To compare prices from many more California auto insurance companies, follow 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 |
| 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 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Should you buy full coverage?
Buying cheaper car insurance is important to most vehicle owners, and one great way to buy cheap insurance for hybrid vehicles is to only buy liability coverage. The information below compares annual premium costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The rates are based on no claims or driving violations, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no other discounts are factored in.
If the expense is averaged for all age categories, physical damage insurance costs $2,273 per year over and above liability coverage. At some point, about every driver wonders if it’s a good idea to buy full coverage. There is no exact rule to delete comp and collision coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then you might consider buying liability only.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s claim settlement value is $9,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most your company will settle for is $8,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If it’s costing in excess of $800 annually to have full coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
There are some circumstances where only buying liability is not a good idea. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you are required to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not eliminate full coverage.
The illustration below demonstrates how deductibles can affect premium costs when quoting cheap insurance for hybrid vehicles. Data assumes a single female driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied.
The data above shows that a 30-year-old driver could reduce rates by $544 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $816 by using a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, such as the 20-year-old example, could potentially save $1,216 each year by choosing a larger deductible amount.
When using a larger deductible, it is essential to have plenty of discretionary funds to be able to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense associated with higher deductibles.
Ideas for finding more affordable car insurance for hybrid vehicles
Here are some of the better penny-pinching solutions that can help California drivers buy lower-cost coverage.
- Vehicles with good safety ratings are usually cheaper to insure
- Do not get traffic tickets
- Bundle car and home insurance and save money
- Having at-fault accidents will increase rates
- Claim-free policyholders usually earn a discount
- Compare rate quotes often
The last item on the list is particularly valuable, as was discussed in this article. Auto insurance prices can be adjusted at any time, so don’t be tentative to buy from a new company if a better rate can be found.
Brand loyalty is great, but we do not recommend it if that inflexibility results in costing you money that could be used for better things. It only take a few minutes to shop around to find cheaper insurance for hybrid vehicles in San Francisco.