It would sure make life easier if we could simply tell you the company that has the rock bottom lowest rates in California. Regrettably, it’s not quite that easy, as there are a whole bunch of unknowns such as if you have ever let your coverage lapse, the safety ratings of your vehicle, how many years you have been driving, and if you have any tickets or accidents, that all impact the cost of coverage. This article will cover the best ways to maintain low rates and will hopefully give you a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance in California.
Buying cheap insurance is not the easiest thing to accomplish, and deciding which company quotes the cheapest car insurance rates for college students calls for a little more work. Every auto insurer has a proprietary method for establishing rates, so to begin we’ll rank the overall cheapest car insurance companies in California.
It’s a good idea to know that California car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price of coverage. Things like getting older, buying a home instead of renting, or getting a speeding ticket can trigger rate changes that can make some companies higher-priced than before.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance for College Students
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 2 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,222 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,338 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,497 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,558 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 15 | Esurance | $1,705 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,750 |
| 17 | State Farm | $1,750 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,849 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
| View More Rates Go | ||
Wawanesa has some of the best car insurance rates in Stockton at around $1,146 annually. This is $505 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. USAA, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also are some of the best Stockton, CA auto insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you are a customer of USAA and switched to Wawanesa, you might realize annual savings of approximately $9. Customers with Century National might save as much as $44 a year, and CSAA insureds might lower prices by up to $76 a year.
It’s important to note that these policy prices are averages across all drivers and vehicles in California and do not factor in a specific zip code for college students. So the car insurance company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the list above. That affirms the importance of why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own driver data and vehicle information.
The vehicle that is being insured is one of the primary factors that determines if you can find cheaper auto insurance for college students. Vehicles with lower performance, an excellent safety record, or a positive history of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models. The data below outlines insurance prices for the more affordable vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $2,336 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $2,369 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $2,518 |
| Toyota Prius | $2,554 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $2,586 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $2,736 |
| Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $2,746 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $2,769 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $2,776 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT 2WD | $2,769 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $2,775 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $2,769 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 2WD | $2,804 |
| Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 2WD | $2,812 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 2WD 4-Dr | $2,883 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $2,886 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $2,918 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-Dr Sedan | $2,926 |
| Ford Edge Sport AWD | $2,918 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $2,953 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $2,958 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD | $2,953 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LTZ | $2,962 |
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Data rating is based on single female driver age 20, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Rates do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can change coverage prices significantly.
Based on these rates, we can assume that models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Hyundai Elantra are the most economical vehicles to insure for students in college. Rates will tend to be higher just due to the fact that there is more inherent risk for college students, but overall those vehicles will probably have the cheapest rates available.
For students in college, one of the big considerations that are looked at to determine the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you call home. More densely populated places tend to pay more, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims benefit from having to pay less for coverage.
The next table ranks the most expensive cities in California for college students to buy car insurance in. Stockton makes the list at #10 with an annual cost of $1,556 on average, which is around $130 per month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,711 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,687 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 7 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 9 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,547 |
| 13 | Riverside | $1,527 |
| 14 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 15 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,474 |
| 17 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 20 | San Diego | $1,368 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
Premium amounts are estimated as specific location information can influence coverage prices significantly.
Irresponsible driving raises your rates
The obvious way to enjoy affordable car insurance premiums in California for students in college is to drive safely and avoid traffic citations and accidents. The chart below illustrates how speeding tickets and accident claims can drive up insurance rates for different age categories. The costs are based on a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.
The chart shows that the average cost of auto insurance in California per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $2,467. Factor in one speeding ticket and the average cost swells to $2,787, an increase of $320 each year. Now get one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of car insurance for college students jumps again to an average of $3,677. That’s an increase of $1,209, or $101 per month, just for not keeping your driving record clean!
Should you buy full coverage?
Reducing premiums for car insurance is probably important to the majority of drivers, and one great way to save on the cost of insurance for college students is to buy liability only. The illustration below shows the comparison of insurance premiums with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in California. The premiums are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are factored in.
If all age groups are averaged, full coverage on your policy costs $2,816 per year more than just insuring for liability. That is a significant amount which raises the question when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no definitive formula of when to exclude physical damage coverage, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of having full coverage is about 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s replacement cost is $7,500 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would receive is $6,500 after the deductible is paid. If it’s costing you more than $650 a year for full coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
Chances are good that you’re overpaying for Stockton car insurance
Stockton car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that will increase or decrease the cost of your policy. Simply getting older, adding a teenager to your policy, or getting a couple of tickets can produce rate changes that can make some companies more affordable than others. Not only may things change on your end, but car insurance companies change premium rates every year in order to remain profitable. Higher than normal claims may cause high rates, while profitable underwriting may cause more affordable Stockton car insurance rates.
The graph below shows which company has the cheapest car insurance in Stockton, CA for a 45-year-old male driver with no accidents, a clean driving record, and excellent credit. Based on his current risk factors, USAA offers the most affordable car insurance rates in Stockton at $1,350 each year. This is $301 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National are also on the list of the most affordable Stockton, CA auto insurance companies.
In the next rate comparison, we’ll give the driver in the first chart an at-fault accident, a little lower credit rating, and a few traffic violations. Since each auto insurance company has a proprietary method to set their prices, comparing insurance quotes may now show a significantly different list of affordable Stockton car insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best car insurance rate in Stockton with Progressive, Allstate, Mercury, and Allied now rounding out the top five. This demonstrates why consumers need to take the time to shop around when trying to get the most economical auto insurance quotes for college students. Prices are influenced by many risk factors and change dramatically, so the most economical company the last time you checked may now be one of the higher cost companies.