The words “cheap” and “insurance” really shouldn’t be used together, in particular when searching for the lowest insurance prices for safe drivers. Because of the high cost, let’s introduce you to a few of the factors that have an effect on insurance premiums, and figure out some ways to take the bite out of your next policy.
For good drivers, one of the big criteria that help determine the annual cost of car insurance is where your residence is in San Francisco. Cities with more crime and/or more people tend to pay slightly more, whereas more rural areas have the luxury of cheap car insurance rates.
The following table ranks the most expensive areas in California for safe drivers in which to purchase auto insurance. San Francisco is listed at #3 with an annual rate of $1,763 for coverage, which is about $147 monthly.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
| 5 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Stockton | $1,603 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 9 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 11 | Moreno Valley | $1,551 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,547 |
| 13 | Riverside | $1,527 |
| 14 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 15 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,474 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
| 18 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 19 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 20 | Huntington Beach | $1,374 |
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Rate information is comparative as the garaging address in San Francisco can change coverage rates noticeably.
Finding dependable, low-priced car insurance is not always easy, and finding out which company offers the most affordable auto insurance rates for safe drivers takes a little more work.
Each auto insurer has a unique approach to establish rates, so we’ll go over the auto insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in San Francisco. It’s important to understand that San Francisco, CA auto insurance rates are based on many factors that may substantially change the price you have to pay for coverage. This price variability is why drivers need to spend some time comparing rates to find affordable insurance rates for safe drivers. Car insurance prices can be determined by many factors and can increase or decrease at any time, so the best option three years ago may now not even be in the top five.
Find the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Safe Drivers
USAA normally has some of the lowest car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,143 a year. This is $508 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Nationwide, Century National, and CSAA are also some of the lowest-priced San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.
As the example above demonstrates, if you currently have a policy with Century National and switched to USAA, you could see savings of roughly $83. Customers with CSAA could save as much as $91 a year, and 21st Century customers might reduce prices by as much as $182 a year.
If you would like to find cheaper car insurance rates, click here to start your free quote or click through to the companies below.
These estimates are averaged across all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and are not factoring in an exact vehicle garaging location for safe drivers. So the company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That affirms the importance of why you need to get car insurance quotes using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
The type of vehicle requiring coverage is one of the main factors that determines whether or not you can buy cheaper coverage for safe drivers. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, good crash test ratings, or a track record of few liability claims will cost much less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The data below outlines auto insurance rates for some of the most economical automobiles to buy coverage for.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $1,306 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,438 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,501 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $1,532 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $1,547 |
| Ford F-150 XL Regular Cab 2WD | $1,555 |
| Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,607 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $1,628 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,659 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 2WD | $1,668 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $1,680 |
| Ford Focus SE 2-Dr Coupe | $1,740 |
| GMC Sierra SLT Crew Cab 4WD | $1,768 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD | $1,773 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,799 |
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Data rating is based on single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, safe-driver, and claim-free. Price information does not factor in specific garaging location which can lower or raise premium rates substantially.
Based upon the rates shown, we can expect models like the Hyundai Elantra, Honda Odyssey, and Ford Escape should be some of the cheaper vehicles to insure for good drivers.
The illustration below shows how choosing a deductible can affect insurance costs when researching cheap insurance for safe drivers. The information is based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied.
As shown above, a 40-year-old driver could pocket $492 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $738 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the Age 20 chart data, could roll back prices up to $1,640 or even more by choosing larger deductibles on their policy.
When using a larger deductible, it will be important to have additional funds squirreled away to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which deters some drivers from choosing higher deductibles.
Get discounts on San Francisco insurance
Insurance companies that offer coverage for safe drivers may provide special discounts that could potentially reduce rates by as much as 25% or more if you meet eligibility requirements. Large auto insurance companies and their possible discounts can be found below.
- Progressive has discounts for online signing, multi-policy, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, and multi-vehicle.
- AAA may have discounts that include AAA membership discount, education and occupation, multi-policy, multi-car, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance includes discounts for homeowner, youthful driver, mature driver, alternative fuel, and distant student.
- GEICO discounts include military active duty, anti-lock brakes, seat belt use, air bags, and membership and employees.
- Esurance has savings for homeowner, anti-theft, DriveSense, Switch & Save, multi-car, and anti-lock brakes.
- SAFECO may include discounts for teen safety rewards, anti-theft, multi-car, bundle discounts, teen safe driver, and drive less.
- State Farm may offer discounts for accident-free, good student, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, multiple policy, and passive restraint.
The diagram below shows the difference between yearly insurance costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The costs are based on a male driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $100 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with multiple vehicle, multiple policy, accident-free, defensive driving course, anti-theft, and passive restraint discounts applied. When drivers qualify for the discounts, theaverage amount saved on auto insurance for safe drivers is 28% or $698.
California auto insurance companies ranked
Selecting the top insurance company is hard considering how many choices there are in San Francisco. The information shown next can help you choose which insurers to look at comparing rate quotes with. These ratings are only comprised of the largest companies in America, so smaller companies are not factored into this list.
Top 10 Major Auto Insurance Providers in San Francisco Ranked by Customer Satisfaction
- Titan Insurance – 95%
- USAA – 94%
- AAA of Southern California – 92%
- AAA Insurance – 91%
- Nationwide – 90%
- State Farm – 90%
- The Hartford – 89%
- GEICO – 89%
- The General – 88%
- 21st Century – 88%
Top 10 Major Auto Insurance Providers in San Francisco Ranked by Claims Service
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- Esurance
- AAA Insurance
- Progressive
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- Allstate
- Titan Insurance
- The Hartford
Compare quotes and save
San Francisco, CA auto insurance rates are based on many factors that can increase the price you pay. Simply turning a year older, filing a claim, or getting a driving violation can produce rate changes that can now make some companies cheaper than competitors. Also, auto insurance companies file new California car insurance rates as often as every three months to ensure their profitability. Heavy losses can cause higher prices, while lower claims can cause lower-priced San Francisco car insurance rates.
For instance, the bar chart below shows which company has the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco, CA for a 30-year-old male driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and solid credit. When quoting prices based on his personal risk profile, USAA might offer the best car insurance rates in San Francisco at $1,455 annually. This is $196 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are also included in the best San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.
Now we will pretend the driver from the above example some claims, a lower credit rating, and a speeding ticket. Since each auto insurer uses a different method for filing rates in each state, getting updated rate quotes most likely will result in a different set of cheap San Francisco auto insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best auto insurance rate in San Francisco, CA with Progressive, Allstate, GEICO, and Mercury also having competitive pricing. This example illustrates why drivers need to compare lots of rates to find affordable car insurance quotes for safe drivers. Prices consist of many risk factors and change substantially, so the most economical option the last time you shopped around may now be quite expensive.