Deciphering which company offers the best auto insurance rates for low mileage drivers takes a little more work in order to find a policy that fits your budget. Each insurance company has their own process for filing rates in each state, so let’s take a look at the lowest cost auto insurance companies in San Francisco, CA.
It’s a good idea to be aware that San Francisco auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors that control the price you pay. Turning one year older, buying a home instead of renting, or getting a ticket for careless driving can produce rate changes that can make some companies cheaper in comparison to the competition.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates in California
USAA generally has some of the best car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,109 annually. This is $542 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National are also some of the lowest-priced San Francisco, CA insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are currently insured with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you could earn annual savings of around $69. Customers with Century National may save as much as $69 a year, and 21st Century customers might cut rates by $168 a year.
To find out how your current rates compare, click here to start your custom quote or quote prices from the following companies.
Understand that those policy prices are averages for all types of insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration a specific location for low mileage drivers. So the car insurance company that can offer you the best price may not even be in the list above. That’s why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own individual information.
The car, truck, or SUV requiring coverage is a significant factor when comparison shopping for the best coverage for low mileage drivers. Vehicles with lower performance, good crash test ratings, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than high performance models. The table below estimates car insurance prices for a selection of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,398 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $1,528 |
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $1,576 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LS Regular Cab 2WD | $1,650 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,664 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,698 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,709 |
| Honda Civic VP 4-Dr Sedan | $1,719 |
| Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $1,709 |
| Ford F-150 XL Super Cab 2WD | $1,730 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 4WD | $1,770 |
| Kia Optima LX | $1,776 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $1,773 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,776 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,786 |
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Data based on single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rate quotes do not factor in your specific San Francisco, CA location which can influence price quotes significantly.
Looking at the data, we can assume that models like the Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Chevrolet Silverado will definitely be a few of the more affordable vehicles to insure for infrequent drivers.
One of the more important factors that are looked at to determine the price you pay for insurance is where you keep your vehicle in San Francisco. Areas with more people or more claims tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims have the gratification of cheaper auto insurance rates.
The information below sorts the most expensive places in California for low mileage drivers to purchase a policy in. San Francisco is ranked at #4 with an annual rate of $1,693 for the average policy, which is about $141 each month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,603 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 11 | Moreno Valley | $1,551 |
| 12 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 14 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 18 | Huntington Beach | $1,416 |
| 19 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 20 | Irvine | $1,384 |
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Premium amounts are approximated as the vehicle garaging location can alter price quotes substantially.
Get discounts on San Francisco car insurance rates
Insurers that provide coverage for low mileage drivers may also provide discounts that can lower rates by 40% or more if you are eligible for them. Popular auto insurance companies and their offered discounts can be found below.
- GEICO may offer discounts for seat belt use, driver training, air bags, multi-policy, five-year accident-free, and membership and employees.
- USAA policyholders can earn discounts including good student, vehicle storage, annual mileage, safe driver, family discount, and new vehicle.
- Progressive offers discounts for good student, homeowner, online signing, multi-policy, online quote discount, and multi-vehicle.
- American Family has savings for defensive driver, multi-vehicle, early bird, bundled insurance, TimeAway discount, and mySafetyValet.
- Esurance may include discounts for Switch & Save, renters, multi-car, online shopper, and anti-lock brakes.
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for multi-car, pay in full, distant student, switch companies, early shopping, and teen driver.
- State Farm discounts include driver’s education, student away at school, passive restraint, safe vehicle, and Drive Safe & Save.
The illustration below illustrates the difference between insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The price estimates are based on a male driver, no tickets, no at-fault accidents, 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 lower bar shows the rates with marriage, claim-free, homeowner, accident-free, passive restraint, and multiple vehicle discounts applied. With discounts applied, theamount saved on auto insurance for low mileage drivers is 28% or $516.
Reckless driving habits raise San Francisco auto insurance rates
In a perfect world, the best way to snag cheap auto insurance rates in San Francisco for infrequent drivers is to drive safely and not have accidents or get tickets. The example below illustrates how speeding tickets and at-fault collisions can affect auto insurance costs for different age groups. Data assumes a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
In the example above, the average cost of an auto insurance policy per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $2,935. Get one speeding ticket and the average cost jumps to $3,330, an increase of $394 each year. Now include two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of auto insurance for low mileage drivers goes up to an average of $6,755. That’s an increase of $3,819, or $318 per month, just for not driving responsibly!
The diagram below highlights how deductible selection can raise or lower insurance premiums when getting quotes for cheap insurance for low mileage drivers. The rates are based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied.
The data above shows that a 40-year-old driver could lower their policy premium by $362 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $546 by using a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, like the 20-year-old example, could shave $1,190 every year by choosing a larger deductible amount. When increasing deductibles, it is essential to have plenty of discretionary funds to satisfy the extra out-of-pocket expense. That is the one disadvantage of using higher deductibles.
What aren’t you shopping around?
San Francisco, CA auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors that can increase the cost of your policy. Improving your credit rating, buying a different home, or having a fender bender may prompt premium changes that can cause some rates to be more affordable than competitors. Not only that, but auto insurance companies modify pricing at least once a year in order to remain profitable. Unexpectedly high claims can result in rate increases, while lower claim levels can produce more affordable San Francisco car insurance rates.
For instance, the data below shows the company with the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco, CA for a 35-year-old female driver with no accidents or violations, and good financial standing. If we estimate rates based on her personal risk profile, USAA might quote the most affordable car insurance rates in San Francisco at $1,477 annually. This is $174 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide round out the rest of the best San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.
The example below compares rates after we give the driver from the above example an accident claim, poor credit, and a stop sign violation. Since every car insurance company has their own formula for setting prices, analyzing rates could now result in a slightly different list of the cheapest San Francisco car insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest price in San Francisco, CA with Mercury, Progressive, Allstate, and GEICO now being in the top five. This example proves why drivers need to compare many different companies to find the best car insurance rates for low mileage drivers.
Insurance rates are determined by many things and can increase or decrease at any time, so the best option the last time you compared rates may now be costing you a lot of money.
The San Francisco auto insurance agencies shown below are willing to help you decide which coverage fits your budget, since lots of drivers aren’t clear which coverage they need and would like to have professional advice when trying to find the best insurance rates for infrequent drivers. It can be challenging to find the cheapest rates, so a professional agent can add peace of mind knowing your policy gives you sufficient coverage at claim time.
To find a San Francisco insurance agency close to where you live, click the button link following the list or click here to compare price quotes now.
- Scarborough Insurance Agency
329 Bryant St – San Francisco, CA 94107 – (415) 371-1398 - United General Insurance Agency
3150 California St Ste 4A – San Francisco, CA 94115 – (415) 922-7283 - Adrienne Ng – State Farm Insurance Agent
425 Market St #2252 – San Francisco, CA 94105 – (415) 292-8088 - Traci Hollander – State Farm Insurance Agent
1501 Church St – San Francisco, CA 94131 – (415) 647-3007