Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Quotes for a Ford Explorer in San Diego?

Finding affordable car insurance for a Ford Explorer is fairly simple, but it hinges on a lot of rating factors such as whether you are a homeower, whether or not you have prior claims, and driving violations. Drivers in California pay around $932 each year to insure their Explorer, but that price is an approximation based upon a 50-year-old married male driver with full physical damage coverage and $1,000 deductibles.

But there is a high probability that you aren’t exactly 50 years old or even a male, single instead of married, or maybe you’re a renter instead of a homeowner. Even a slight difference in the factors used in pricing a policy may result in a big change in how much coverage for a Ford Explorer costs.

Insurance is an individual thing, so the best way to find affordable rates for your Ford is to put in the effort to do a thorough rate comparison. Quotes are always free and you can get rates from the best companies around.

Cheapest Ford Explorer Insurance Rates

Your Ford’s trim level will likely have an effect on price, so the price you will pay to insure a Explorer XLT 2WD will be $78 less than the cost to insure the more costly Explorer Limited AWD trim level, as shown below.

Cost estimates assume married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rates do not factor in specific location which can raise or lower insurance rates considerably.

Best car insurance in California

Buying coverage from a highly-rated insurance provider can be rather challenging considering how many companies provide coverage in California. The company information displayed below can help you pick which auto insurance companies you want to consider to insure your vehicles. These rankings are only comprised of major nationwide insurance companies, so smaller companies will not be included in this list.

Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Companies in San Diego Ranked by Customer Satisfaction

1. Titan Insurance – 95%
2. USAA – 94%
3. AAA of Southern California – 92%
4. AAA Insurance – 91%
5. Nationwide – 90%
6. State Farm – 90%
7. The Hartford – 89%
8. GEICO – 89%
9. The General – 88%
10. 21st Century – 88%

Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Companies in San Diego Ranked by Value

1. USAA
2. American Family
3. The Hartford
4. AAA of Southern California
5. Titan Insurance
6. The General
7. AAA Insurance
8. State Farm
9. Mercury Insurance
10. Nationwide

The illustration below illustrates how your choice of deductibles can influence insurance costs when researching cheap insurance for a Ford Explorer. The rate quotes are based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are factored in.

In the chart above, a 40-year-old driver could cut expenses by $372 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $564 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Youthful drivers, such as the 20-year-old example, could drop their prices as much as $930 each year just by choosing higher deductibles. If you do make the decision to raise your deductibles, it’s a good idea to have enough savings set aside to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense. This is the primary disadvantage of choosing high deductibles.

Liability rates compared to full coverage

Saving money on car insurance is the goal of the majority of vehicle owners, and a good way to buy cheaper insurance for a Ford Explorer is to not pay for full coverage. The illustration below illustrates the difference between insurance prices with full coverage and liability only. The data is based on no claims, a clean driving record, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are factored in.

Averaged for all age groups, physical damage coverage costs $2,553 per year more than carrying just liability coverage. Many of you may wonder if it’s worth it to buy full coverage. There is no definitive formula that is best for determining when to drop full coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than about 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s say your vehicle’s book value is $10,500 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would receive is $9,500 after the deductible is paid. If premium cost is more than $950 annually for physical damage coverage, then it might be time to buy liability only.

There are a few situations where only buying liability is not advised. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should not eliminate full coverage.

Compare rates to save

California car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that control the policy price. Improving your credit rating, buying a new vehicle, or getting a couple of tickets can trigger changes in premium that can make some companies cheaper than others. In addition, companies change rates at least once a year in order to protect their financial rating. A period of higher than normal claims may cause additional price hikes, while a profitable period may produce lower-cost Explorer insurance rates.

To illustrate this point, the data below compares the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 35-year-old male driver with no accidents, a clean driving record, and a decent credit rating. When comparing rates based on his current situation, USAA has the most affordable car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,175 annually. This is $476 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are also on the list of the top five cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.

The example below compares rates after we give the driver from the first example some claims, poor credit, and a stop sign violation. Since each auto insurer uses their own calculation to set premium rates, comparing rates will most likely result in a different list of the cheapest San Diego car insurance companies as shown below.

Grange now has the best insurance rate in San Diego, CA with Mercury, Allstate, Allied, and Progressive also being competitive. This example proves why it is crucial to perform an extensive rate comparison when trying to get the most economical car insurance rates for a Ford Explorer.

Insurance rates are calculated by many factors and change dramatically, so the most affordable company the last time you shopped around may now be an over-priced policy.

Tips to find low-cost car insurance for a Ford Explorer

It’s not impossible to find cheaper rates, and here are many penny-pinching suggestions that can help you get cheaper coverage.

• Drive attentively and avoid accidents
• Claim-free drivers earn discounts
• Do not get tickets
• Vehicles with good safety ratings have lower liability rates
• Insure your home and auto with the same company
• Compare prices frequently to find the best deal

That last idea is very crucial, as was pointed out in this article. Prices charged by auto insurers in San Diego can change in a short period of time, so drivers shouldn’t be resistant to switch to a new company if a lower price can be found. Staying with the same company for years is fine, but we do not recommend it if that loyalty results in overpaying a lot of money. In just a few minutes you could shop around to find cheaper auto insurance for a Ford Explorer.