Cheap Car Insurance for College Students in California

The vehicle model that needs insurance is probably the biggest factor when trying to find cheap car insurance for college students in California. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, a plethora of safety features, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models. The information below shows car insurance premiums for a handful of the most economical automobiles to buy insurance for.

Data 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 claim-free, and safe-driver. Prices do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can raise or lower insurance rates greatly.

Looking at the data, we can conclude that vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Traverse, and Toyota Prius are most likely going to be some of the most economical vehicles to insure for students in college. The cost of auto insurance will tend to be more expensive anyway because there is more risk for college students, but generally speaking those particular models will have the best insurance prices compared to all other vehicles.

Determining which company quotes the cheapest insurance rates for college students calls for a little more effort than just comparing a company or two. Every insurance company has a unique approach to set their prices, so let’s examine the insurance companies with the most affordable rates in California.

It’s important to understand that California insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that will increase or decrease the price you pay. Simply turning a year older, buying another vehicle, or getting a ticket for careless driving may generate price changes that may make certain companies more affordable than others.

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USAA quotes some of the best car insurance rates in California at around $1,143 annually. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA are also some of the cheaper California auto insurance companies.

In the above rates, if you currently buy coverage from Wawanesa and switched to USAA, you might realize savings of around $3. Drivers with Century National might save as much as $47 a year, and Nationwide insureds might see rate reductions of $70 a year.

It’s important to note that these premiums are averaged across all drivers and vehicles and and are not figured with a rate surcharge for college students. So the insurer that has the lowest price for you may not even be shown in the list of companies above. That points out the importance of why you need to get rate quotes using your own specific driver and vehicle information.

When buying car insurance for students in college, one of the key things that influence auto insurance rates is where you keep your car in California. Areas with high crime rates or more dense population like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland tend to pay more, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents have the gratification of cheap car insurance for college students in California.

The table below illustrates the priciest cities in California for college students to purchase car insurance in.

Premium costs are comparative as the specific geographic location can alter insurance rates noticeably.

Full coverage rates compared to liability-only

Finding cheap car insurance for college students in California is important to the majority of drivers, and a great way to buy cheaper insurance is to not pay for full coverage. The diagram below shows the difference between insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The costs are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are applied.

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If the expense is averaged for all age categories, physical damage insurance costs an extra $2,003 per year more than insuring for liability only. That proposes the question when is it a good idea to stop buying full coverage. There is no set guideline of when to eliminate physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than around 10% of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s claim settlement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, you would only receive $2,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If it’s costing you more than $200 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.

Buying coverage from a good quality insurer can be difficult considering how many different companies sell coverage in California. The rank data below could help you choose which car insurance providers you want to consider comparing price quotes from.

These ratings include the largest auto insurers in America, so companies with more of a regional focus are not taken into consideration for the list. To compare price quotes from these and other competitive companies, click here.

How to find economical car insurance for college students

The list below details some of the better thrifty suggestions that can help you locate cheap car insurance.

• Safer vehicles cost less to insure
• Raise deductibles
• Drivers with good credit ratings often pay less
• Try to remain claim-free
• Drop full coverage on older vehicles
• Insure your home and auto with the same company
• Compare prices frequently to find the best deal

The last idea is certainly significant, as we discussed in the prior information. Coverage prices go up and down frequently, so don’t be hesitant to switch companies if a lower-cost policy is available. Having brand loyalty is commendable, but it’s not a great idea if that inflexibility results in costing you thousands of dollars over the life of your policy. It only take a few minutes to shop around and find cheaper insurance for college students.

Who has the cheapest insurance quotes for students in college?

Consumers have many ways to find affordable insurance in California, but the three most common ways are using a non-exclusive or independent agent, a captive (or exclusive) agency such as State Farm or Auto-Owners, or direct online or over the phone from a company like Geico or Progressive.

You can use whichever method you prefer, but insurance buyers need to understand the differences in how they function.

Independent insurance agencies work with multiple companies and can quote your policy with every one. Independent agents do not sell for just one brand and can quote rates with many companies, which can help you get improved chances of finding a lower rate. If your agent finds a cheaper company, your policy can be moved without having to get a different agent.

A captive, or exclusive, agent is restricted to a single company like State Farm and Allstate agents. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes, so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do.

The third way to buy insurance is direct which means you bypass local agents and instead buy direct either online or via phone. This insurance option is good for people who do not need high levels of coverage and know what coverages, limits, and deductibles they need.

So out of those three methods, which one works best to find cheap car insurance for college students in California? It would be easy to say buying from a direct company results in the cheapest rates because you bypass the agent, but in reality, that argument does not hold true. We’d also like to say going through an independent agent is the best way to go due to having more companies to select from, but that’s not always true, either. And sometimes, exclusive agencies have coverage prices that are impossible to beat.

Because there are so many factors that make up insurance rates, really the only way to ensure the lowest rates is to compare lots of quotes. To find the best rates, be sure to get price quotes from independent, exclusive, and direct to have the best rate selection. For a list of companies with some of the cheapest California insurance rates, click here to view.