With over 1.4 million residents, San Diego is home to thousands of drivers who need car insurance. Where can you find the cheapest car policy ? We make it easier by surveying eight companies from “ America ‘s Finest City. ”
Depending on where you shop, you could save up to $ 400 on a minimal coverage policy .
Your policy company and driving profile will have the biggest impacts on how much your policy premiums will be. Having an accident history, living in a dense area and conducting minimal research into companies can potentially increase your quotes.
Cheapest car insurance in San Diego, CA
similarly to elsewhere in California, we found Geico offered the most low-cost cable car indemnity for San Diegans, with an average rate of $ 363 per class for our sample driver. The adjacent bum was Progressive, which cost $ 106 more .
Each express sets a minimum necessitate total of car insurance you must obtain to be able to legally drive. The minimum coverage policy will be the cheapest insurance .
Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in San Diego
presently insured ? It ’ mho important to note that although minimum coverage is the cheapest choice, it does not include comprehensive or collision coverage. Minimum coverage protects damages done to other people ’ s property, while comprehensive and collision coverage protects against damages to your vehicle .
| Rank | Insurance company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geico | $363 |
| 2 | Progressive | $469 |
| 3 | AAA SoCal | $508 |
| 4 | Mercury | $539 |
| 5 | Allstate | $682 |
| 6 | Farmers | $713 |
| 7 | State Farm | $716 |
Insurer with the most affordable full coverage policy: Geico
A fully coverage car policy policy can be more than three times a expensive as a minimum coverage policy. however, the policy has extra protection that you will not have if you just pay for the minimal prerequisite. Geico has the cheapest rates for both minimal and full coverage policies. You should besides consider getting quotes from Mercury and Progressive, which are the future most low-cost options and around the lapp price tag .
| Rank | Company | Annual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geico | $1,295 |
| 2 | Mercury | $1,446 |
| 3 | Progressive | $1,506 |
| 4 | AAA SoCal | $1,748 |
| 5 | Allstate | $1,799 |
| 6 | State Farm | $1,966 |
| 7 | Farmers | $2,172 |
The chief difference between full coverage and minimum coverage is that full moon coverage includes comprehensive and collision protection. Comprehensive coverage protects you from price caused by “ acts of God ” like cable car larceny, price from tropical storms and early natural disasters, or civil commotions. Collision normally covers damages inflicted from crashing into another vehicle or object .
It ’ sulfur recommended that you obtain a wax coverage policy if you fall into one of these two camps :
- Your car is new or less than 10 years old
- Your vehicle is expensive or worth at least $3,000
Cheapest full coverage insurance after an accident
The companies that had the lowest premium hikes following an accident are Geico, Mercury and AAA of Southern California, which all increased prices by less than $ 1,100 .
AAA of Southern California, besides called AAA SoCal or The Auto Club of Southern California, is entirely available to residents of Southern California .
| Rank | Company | Quote before accident | Quotes after accident | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geico | $1,295 | $1,712 | $417 |
| 2 | Mercury | $1,446 | $2,493 | $1,048 |
| 3 | AAA SoCal | $1,748 | $2,599 | $851 |
| 4 | Progressive | $1,506 | $3,094 | $1,589 |
| 5 | State Farm | $1,966 | $3,120 | $1,154 |
| 6 | Farmers | $2,172 | $3,687 | $1,516 |
| 7 | Allstate | $1,799 | $3,860 | $2,061 |
A driver who gets into an accident will about inevitably be faced with an increase in rate, but there are a few ways to mitigate the bump. Some insurance companies have accident forgiveness, which protects you from price hikes following an accident. Each ship’s company has different qualification criteria for accident forgiveness, so you will need to follow up with each insurance company on their policy .
Cheapest insurance for young drivers looking for full coverage
Age has a major influence on your estimated car insurance rates. If you are a young driver or a driver under the historic period of 25, your rates will be significantly higher than the average person in their thirties .
young and inexperienced drivers are more probably to be in accidents and are seen by insurers as bad. The most low-cost insurance company for unseasoned people is Mercury, with an average annual agio of $ 3,496. State Farm, which has a similar price range, is priced at an average $ 2,639 per annum .
| Rank | Company | Annual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercury | $3,496 |
| 2 | State Farm | $3,639 |
| 3 | AAA SoCal | $4,866 |
| 4 | Progressive | $5,109 |
| 5 | Geico | $5,633 |
| 6 | Allstate | $6,495 |
| 7 | Farmers | $11,498 |
It will be difficult to find a company that will meet your budget if you ’ re inexperienced and a young professional. It is recommended that drivers look into discounts and ways to save costs. here are some of the best ways to save money when you ’ re a young person with a car :
- Compare quotes. It is important for you to get at least three car insurance quotes
- Stay on your parents’ policy. Being on a combined or multicar policy is much cheaper than having two separate policies.
- Ask insurance companies what discounts they offer. Most companies will have a menu of various discounts that you may already qualify for, such as for being a good student, installing safety or anti-theft devices in your car or being accident free for a certain amount of time.
Cost of car insurance in San Diego by neighborhood
In a city a large as San Diego, car insurance rates will actually vary by area within the city. Some vicinity will have a higher crime rate, crash rate, and concentration compared to adjacent areas. Hillcrest, for exemplar, is less expensive than Oak Park by around $ 85 per year for our sample driver. Below you can see how a choose few San Diego neighborhoods compare for car policy rates .
| ZIP code | Neighborhood | Average cost |
|---|---|---|
| 92101 | Downtown | $557 |
| 92102 | Golden Heights / Mt. Hope | $540 |
| 92103 | Hillcrest | $535 |
| 92104 | North Park | $549 |
| 92105 | Oak Park | $620 |
| 92106 | Fleet Ridge | $558 |
| 92107 | Sunset Cliffs / Point Loma Heights | $576 |
| 92108 | Mission Valley East | $561 |
| 92109 | Pacific Beach | $570 |
| 92110 | Morena | $570 |
| 92111 | Kearny Mesa | $553 |
| 92113 | Logan Heights | $578 |
Show All Rows The expensiveness of your vicinity ultimately stems from the amount of car accident claims that do from that sphere. There is little you can do about how expensive your neighborhood is except move. If that is not an option, the best way to save on your annual car rates — specially if you live in an expensive neighborhood — is to shop around for quotes .
Insurance companies with the best customer service in San Diego
The cheapest ship’s company is n’t necessarily the best. Geico, though bum, scores around the middle of the tamp down for customer satisfaction. More expensive brands like State Farm actually score higher for how well their customers receive the company .
The companies that have the best customer serve, measured by the frequency of customer complaints, are AAA SoCal, Dairyland and Mercury .
If price and the still of getting a quote are your main priorities when it comes to car policy however, Geico is the best company for you. If you would like to consider other options, the board below lists each company in orderliness of charge proportion. The complaint index reflects the frequency of conventional complaints filed to state regulators. The lower the index, the fewer complaints were made .
| Rank | Insurer | Complaint Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AAA SoCal | 1.7 |
| 2 | Dairyland | 1.9 |
| 3 | Mercury | 1.9 |
| 4 | State Farm | 2.1 |
| 5 | Allied/Nationwide | 2.2 |
| 6 | Geico | 2.3 |
| 7 | Wawanesa | 2.5 |
| 8 | California Casualty | 2.7 |
| 9 | Farmers | 2.9 |
| 10 | Esurance | 3.7 |
| 11 | Allstate | 4.1 |
| 12 | USAA | 4.6 |
Show All Rows While AAA SoCal is ranked as having the best customer service by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, it is crucial to consider alternate perspectives, angstrom well. For example, Wawanesa was named the achiever of the J.D. Power California surveil. however, it is important to note that J.D. Power ’ second ranking is based on numerous factors, including price and policy offer, in addition to quality of customer service .
When researching the timbre of customer worry, you should constantly gather as much information as possible to make an educate decision .
Fatal accidents in San Diego
between 2011 and 2015, there were 378 fatal car accidents within the city of San Diego. Fatal cable car accidents are peculiarly costly for insurance companies, so if many are stemming from one area, that area ‘s rates are likely to be higher than less-active places. San Diegan black accidents tend to happen the most on I-5 and I-805 .
The most dangerous highways in San Diego
The follow five roads in San Diego had the most fateful accidents between 2011 and 2015. We besides list the share of those accidents that involved a drink driver .
| Highway | Number of fatal accidents (2011 – 2015) | Percent that involve drunk drivers |
|---|---|---|
| I-5 | 37 | 29.7% |
| I-805 | 21 | 19.0% |
| I-8 | 19 | 26.3% |
| 1-15 | 13 | 53.8% |
| SR-94 | 11 | 27.3% |
I-15, which runs on the northeastern share of the city, had a peculiarly difficult time when it came to drunk drivers as more than half of fatal accidents on that road involved a driver that was drink. overall, more than a quarter of all fateful accidents involved a drink driver in all of the roads beside I-805 .
Minimum car insurance requirements in San Diego, CA
Most states have a minimum amount of car policy you are required to carry. California ‘s limits are a morsel on the lower side, so we would decidedly recommend most drivers opt for higher protection. If your car is valuable, as in worth more than $ 3,000, you should besides add collision and comprehensive indemnity. If you get comprehensive and collision indemnity, you do not need to carry uninsured motorist place damage coverage .
- Bodily injury liability coverage: $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident minimum
- Property damage liability coverage: $5,000 minimum
An exception to the requirements listed above is if you acquire a policy through California ’ s Low Cost Auto Insurance program ( CLCA ). The purpose of the CLCA is to provide low-cost car insurance to low-income condom drivers. The limits are lower than California ’ s standard minimum but will silent satisfy the department of state ’ s car insurance laws .
Methodology
The sample driver used was a 30-year-old man who owns a 2015 Honda Civic EX and is looking to cover a moment more than what is required of the state of matter minimum. Insurance data was compiled from eight car insurers in San Diego. In instances where a fully coverage indemnity policy were discussed, these were the succeed limits :
| Coverage type | Study limits |
|---|---|
| Bodily liability | $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident |
| Property damage | $50,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/Underinsured motorist bodily injury liability | $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/Underinsured motorist property | $50,000 per accident |
| Comprehensive and collision | $500 Deductible |
ValuePenguin ‘s analysis used policy rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurance company filings and should be used for comparative purposes merely — your own quotes may be different .