For student drivers, one of the big things that help determine car insurance rates is where you choose to live in San Jose. Cities with more crime and/or more people are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less congestion have the enjoyment of a little cheaper coverage.
The next table lists the most expensive areas in California for good students in which to buy car insurance. San Jose is ranked #18 with an annual cost of $1,395 for the average insurance policy, which is approximately $116 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,168 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,142 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
| 5 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 7 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 8 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 9 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 10 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
| 11 | Stockton | $1,541 |
| 12 | Riverside | $1,527 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 14 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 15 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 16 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,474 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 21 | Huntington Beach | $1,374 |
| 22 | Chula Vista | $1,350 |
| 23 | Oxnard | $1,344 |
| 24 | Irvine | $1,343 |
| 25 | San Diego | $1,327 |
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Rates are estimated as specific San Jose zip code can modify premium rates considerably.
The vehicle requiring insurance is one of the largest factors in finding low-priced auto insurance for good students. Vehicles with limited top-end speed, excellent safety ratings, or low incidents of liability claims will cost less to insure than higher performance models. The information below illustrates auto insurance rates for a selection of the most affordable vehicles to buy coverage for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $3,708 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $3,714 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $3,989 |
| Toyota Prius | $4,028 |
| Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD 2-Dr | $4,158 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $4,165 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $4,361 |
| Ford Edge SEL AWD | $4,369 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $4,361 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $4,400 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD | $4,405 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $4,400 |
| Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 2WD | $4,438 |
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Data based on single male driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Information does not factor in specific location information which can raise or lower auto insurance rates substantially.
Looking at the data, we can presume that makes and models like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Honda Accord will be a few of the more affordable vehicles to insure for student drivers.
Establishing which companies offer the lowest-priced car insurance rates for good students involves a little more sweat in order to find the lowest price quote. Each insurance company uses a little different formula for setting rates, so we will examine the car insurance companies with the most affordable rates in California.
It’s a good idea to know that California car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that may substantially change the cost of having a policy. Simply turning a year older, having a claim, or having an accident can trigger changes in premium resulting in some rates now being cheaper than before.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Students
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,109 |
| 2 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 4 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,433 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,496 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,513 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,513 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 12 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,639 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
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USAA has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,109 annually. CSAA, Century National, Wawanesa, and Nationwide also make the cut as some of the more affordable San Jose, CA insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you are a policyholder with CSAA and switched to USAA, you might realize an annual premium reduction of in the vicinity of $77. Drivers with Century National may save as much as $81 a year, and Wawanesa policyholders might reduce prices by as much as $83 a year.
If you want to find out if you’re overpaying, click here to start your free quote or quote prices from the following companies.
Bear in mind that those premiums are averages for all drivers and vehicles and do not take into consideration a specific location for good students. So the company that can offer you the lowest price may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That’s why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
Insurance rate increases from tickets or accidents
The common sense way to maintain cheap car insurance prices for student drivers is to be a careful driver and avoid accidents and keep your driving record clean. The illustration below highlights how speeding tickets and fender-benders raise insurance costs for different age groups. The premium estimates are based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
In the previous chart, the average cost of a car insurance policy in San Jose per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $2,161. Receive one speeding ticket and the average cost hikes up to $2,450, an increase of $289 each year. Next add one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of car insurance for good students goes up to an average of $3,257. That’s an increase of $1,096, or $91 per month, just for not being attentive to the road!
Best car insurance in San Jose
Selecting the top company can be challenging considering how many companies are available to choose from in California. The company ratings shown below may help you choose which auto insurers you want to consider when comparing insurance rates for good students.
The rankings below only include large insurance companies, so smaller regional companies are not factored into the list. To compare rates from these top-rated insurers and more, just click here.
| 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 |
| Esurance | 85 | 80 | 95 | 87% | A+ | 85.9 |
| Safeco | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
| Travelers | 80 | 87 | 87 | 83% | A++ | 85.2 |
| Farmers Insurance | 78 | 87 | 88 | 79% | A | 84.3 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
The diagram below demonstrates how deductibles can change yearly insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for good students. The data assumes a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
In the chart above, a 40-year-old driver could pocket $362 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $546 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, such as the 20-year-old example, could reduce their rates $1,190 or more by choosing a higher deductible.
When raising deductibles, it is necessary to have plenty of discretionary funds to enable you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the primary disadvantage of high deductibles.