You have most likely watched the captivating commercials from insurers like The General, Liberty Mutual, and State Farm that claim the cheapest price, so you should just pick the company with the best ad, right?
It’s not quite that easy, unfortunately, as there are many unknowns such as how safe your vehicle is, if you own your own home, any tickets or violations, and the number of miles you drive each year. This article will discuss the best ways to find cheap auto insurance and educate you enough to have a good beginning to your quest for cheaper car insurance in California.
The make and model of vehicle requiring coverage is one of the primary factors when comparing the best coverage for teenagers. Vehicles with more horsepower, a lack of safety features, or a high likelihood of having liability claims will cost much more to insure than safer models. The data below ranks car insurance prices for some of the most affordable vehicles to insure.
| Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $4,525 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $4,535 |
| Toyota Prius | $4,838 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $5,045 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $5,052 |
| Ford F-150 XL Super Cab 4WD | $5,045 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $5,277 |
| Ford Edge SE AWD | $5,282 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $5,318 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $5,326 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $5,318 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $5,323 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport Package 4WD | $5,359 |
| Toyota Camry XLE | $5,590 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $5,600 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Navigation | $5,590 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $5,595 |
| GMC Sierra SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $5,631 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Crew Cab 4WD | $5,637 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD | $5,631 |
| Start a Quote Go | |
Data assumes single female driver age 16, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in specific zip code location which can modify premium rates noticeably.
Based upon the rates shown, you can conclude that cars like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota Prius should be some of the most affordable vehicles to insure for teen drivers. Rates will be higher anyway just due to the fact that there is more claim exposure for teenagers, but generally speaking those particular vehicles will have the lowest insurance prices that you’ll find.
Locating low-priced car insurance is confusing at best, and finding out which companies offer the cheapest car insurance rates for teenagers requires a little more work.
Each company has a proprietary method to determine rates, so let’s take a look at the most competitive car insurance companies in Stockton. It’s important to understand that Stockton, CA car insurance rates are based on many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price of your policy. Things like having a birthday, moving to a new city, or getting into an accident may cause policy rate changes resulting in some rates now being cheaper in comparison to the competition.
Best Auto Insurance Prices for Teens
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 4 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,263 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,496 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,497 |
| 10 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,750 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,756 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,788 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
| Get Personalized Rates Go | ||
USAA quotes some of the lowest car insurance rates in Stockton at around $1,121 each year. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide also are some of the best Stockton, CA car insurance companies.
As depicted above, if you are currently insured with CSAA and switched to USAA, you may realize a yearly price reduction of upwards of $65. Drivers with Century National could save as much as $69 a year, and Nationwide policyholders might reduce prices by as much as $142 a year.
These prices are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with an exact vehicle garaging location for teenagers. So the car insurance company that is best suited for you may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That emphasizes why you need to get car insurance quotes using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Full coverage rates compared to liability only
Reducing the cost of car insurance is probably important to most vehicle owners, and one common way to buy cheaper insurance for teenagers is to not insure for full coverage. The diagram below shows the difference between insurance costs with full coverage and liability only. The data is based on no violations or claims, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
If we average all the age groups together, physical damage insurance costs $2,525 per year over and above liability coverage. Lot’s of drivers question if it’s worth it to buy full coverage. There is no set guideline that is best for determining when to drop comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.
There are some cases where only buying liability is not advised. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should keep full coverage.
The illustration below illustrates how choosing a deductible can raise or lower insurance rates when trying to find cheap insurance for teenagers. Data assumes a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are applied.
In the chart above, a 50-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $490 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $736 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, such as the 20-year-old example, could shave up to $1,246 annually just by choosing larger deductibles.
If you make the decision to raise deductibles, it will now be necessary to have enough savings to enable you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one shortcoming of high deductibles.
Tips for buying low-cost car insurance for teenagers
Lowering your rates is not difficult, and here are a few money-saving suggestions that can help Stockton drivers buy cheap car insurance.
- Vehicles with safetly features generally cost less to insure
- Do not pay for full coverage if not needed
- Drivers with good credit often pay less
- Increase physical damage deductibles
- Buying your home and auto policies from the same company can earn a discount
- Claim-free drivers earn discounts
- Comparison shop at least every other year
The last idea is highly valuable, as we pointed out in this piece. Prices charged by car insurance companies in Stockton change constantly, so don’t be afraid to buy from a new company if you find a cheaper price.
Being loyal to a particular company is commendable, but it’s not a good idea if that inflexibility results in costing you potentially thousands of dollars a year. If you have a few minutes, now is a great time to shop around to find cheaper auto insurance for teenagers.
If you would rather have the advice of a professional agent when shopping around for cheaper insurance for teenagers, the agents listed below can probably answer your questions and help you decide which is the best policy.
To find a Stockton insurance agent near you, click the button after the list.
- Truex Insurance Agency
4609 Quail Lakes Dr #1 – Stockton, CA 95207 – (209) 477-1111 - Farmers Insurance – Jason Ramey
5250 Claremont Ave #138 – Stockton, CA 95207 – (209) 472-6080 - Quality General Insurance Services
3008 E Hammer Ln # 109 – Stockton, CA 95212 – (209) 952-5139