Finding good, affordable car insurance is easier said than done, and deciding which companies quote the cheapest car insurance rates for inexperienced drivers takes even more rate comparisons. Every insurance company uses their own method for establishing rates, so to begin we’ll rank the car insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in California.
It’s a good idea to know that San Diego car insurance rates are based on many factors that may substantially change the cost of coverage. This price variation is why it is crucial to perform an extensive rate comparison to get the cheapest car insurance rates for inexperienced drivers. Prices are determined by many things and change dramatically, so the cheapest rate the last time you checked may now be quite expensive.
Find the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Newbies
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,214 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,222 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,379 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,503 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,513 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,513 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 15 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 17 | State Farm | $1,750 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,026 |
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USAA generally has some of the best car insurance rates in San Diego at around $1,155 per year. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide would also be considered some of the best San Diego, CA car insurance companies.
As shown in the rates above, if you currently have coverage with CSAA and switched to USAA, you could realize savings of in the vicinity of $67. Insureds with Nationwide may save as much as $71 a year, and 21st Century policyholders might reduce prices by as much as $224 a year.
It’s important to note that these premiums are averages across all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and are not factoring in a vehicle location for inexperienced drivers. So the auto insurance company that fits your needs best may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That is why you need to get quotes using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
The make and model of vehicle you are trying to insure is probably the biggest factor that determines whether or not you find affordable coverage for inexperienced drivers. Vehicles with lower acceleration and performance, advanced safety features, or a positive history of liability claims will cost less to insure than adrenaline junky models. The list below illustrates car insurance rates for some of the most economical vehicles to insure.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford F-150 XLT Super Cab 4WD | $928 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $951 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LS Extended Cab 4WD | $959 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $966 |
| Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $991 |
| Honda Civic LX-S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,001 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $1,010 |
| Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $1,020 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,028 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T 4-Dr Sedan | $1,033 |
| Kia Optima LX | $1,028 |
| Ford Fusion Sport 4-Dr Sedan | $1,034 |
| GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $1,047 |
| Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $1,077 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,092 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD | $1,116 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SXT | $1,118 |
| Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 2WD | $1,127 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,135 |
| Ford Edge Sport 2WD | $1,155 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $1,175 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $1,182 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $1,180 |
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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 homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, claim-free, and safe-driver. Information does not factor in zip code location which can influence coverage prices noticeably.
Based on these rates, you can see that vehicles like the Ford F-150, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota RAV4, and Hyundai Elantra are most likely going to be a few of the most economical vehicles to insure for new drivers.
What is the best car insurance company in California?
Finding a high-quality insurer is difficult considering how many different insurance companies sell coverage in California. The ranking data shown below could help you choose which insurers to look at when comparing rates. These rankings are only comprised of the companies with a significant amount of written premium nationwide, so companies that have a smaller presence are not factored into 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 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
The chart below highlights how deductible selection can impact insurance rates when trying to find cheap insurance for inexperienced drivers. The premiums assume a single male driver, full coverage, and no discounts are applied.
The chart above illustrates that a 50-year-old driver could lower rates by $492 a year by switching their comprehensive and collision coverages from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $738 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, like the 20-year-old category, have the ability to save up to $1,640 every year just by choosing higher deductibles. If you do make the decision to raise your deductibles, it is necessary to have enough spare savings to allow you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one disadvantage of using larger deductibles.
Get discount San Diego car insurance rates
Insurance providers that sell policies for inexperienced drivers may also give you policy discounts that may potentially lower prices by as much as 35% or more if you qualify. Large car insurance companies and the discounts they provide are included below.
- State Farm has savings for multiple policy, Steer Clear safe driver discount, passive restraint, accident-free, driver’s education, Drive Safe & Save, and student away at school.
- American Family offers premium reductions for TimeAway discount, good student, good driver, early bird, defensive driver, and bundled insurance.
- AAA offers discounts for AAA membership discount, anti-theft, good driver, good student, and education and occupation.
- GEICO has discounts for anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, seat belt use, defensive driver, driver training, multi-vehicle, and emergency military deployment.
- Mercury Insurance may include discounts for low natural disaster claims, ease of repair, multi-car, type of vehicle, accident-free, and anti-theft.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including early shopping, multi-car, youthful driver, electronic funds transfer, distant student, and homeowner.
- Progressive includes discounts for online signing, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, and good student.
The example below shows the difference between annual premium costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The data is based on a male driver, no claims, a clean driving record, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with passive restraint, multiple policy, multiple vehicle, anti-theft, homeowner, and accident-free discounts applied. When drivers qualify for the discounts, the average savings per year on car insurance for inexperienced drivers is 28% or $787.
Why you should be shopping around
California car insurance rates are impacted by many things that control the cost of coverage. Improving your credit score, increasing liability limits, or having a fender bender may cause policy rate changes that can now make some companies cheaper than competitors. Additionally, car insurance companies change the rates they charge in California as often as every quarter as an adjustment for underwriting gains or losses. Unexpectedly high claims may cause higher rates, while better underwriting may produce more affordable San Diego car insurance rates.
To illustrate this point, the bar chart below shows a variety of companies that have the cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA for a 40-year-old female driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and good credit. If we estimate rates based on her current risk profile, USAA might offer the lowest car insurance rates in San Diego at $1,145 per year. This is $506 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National round out the rest of the cheapest San Diego, CA auto insurance companies.
The chart below compares rates after we give the driver from the above example an accident surcharge, slightly worse credit, and a few blemishes on her driving record. Since every insurance provider uses their own method for setting prices, getting updated rate quotes may now result in a different ranking of the cheapest car insurance companies in San Diego as shown below.
Grange now has the best insurance rate in San Diego, CA with Allstate, Mercury, Allied, and Progressive now being in the top five. This example shows why San Diego drivers need to shop around with many companies when trying to find the most budget-friendly insurance quotes for inexperienced drivers.
Insurance prices consist of many different factors and change dramatically, so the lowest-price company the last time you shopped your coverage around may now be one of the higher cost companies.