Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Homeowners in San Jose?

Wouldn’t it be so easy if we could look into our crystal ball and tell you the single company that has the cheapest coverage for homeowners? It’s not that simple, unfortunately, as there are a whole bunch of unknown elements like your annual mileage driven, whether you are single or married, and how high your deductibles should be, that all impact the cost of coverage. This article goes into detail about the different ways to avoid overpaying and should give you a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance.

For people who own their homes, one of the largest factors that aid in calculating car insurance rates is where you call home. Cities with larger populations tend to pay more, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims can boast about having cheaper rates.

The next table rates the highest-priced places in California for homeowners to buy car insurance in. San Jose is ranked at #18 costing $1,395 for car insurance, which is around $116 monthly.

Table data uses estimated as specific San Jose garaging address can lower or raise coverage prices significantly.

The car, truck, or SUV you are seeking coverage for is probably the biggest factor that determines if you can find low-priced coverage for homeowners. Vehicles with high performance features, poor crash test ratings, or a high likelihood of having liability claims will cost significantly more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.

The next list shows coverage premiums for a handful of the cheapest vehicles to insure.

Cost estimates assume single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Rates do not factor in specific San Jose, CA garaging location which can impact premiums substantially.

By looking at the data, we can presume that cars like the Hyundai Elantra, Ford Escape, and Ford F-150 are most likely going to be some of the most affordable vehicles to insure for people who own their homes.

Finding out which company offers the cheapest auto insurance rates for homeowners may require more work than just quoting one company’s rates.

Each auto insurance company has a unique approach for determining rates in each state, so we’ll take a look at the auto insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in San Jose. It’s important to know that San Jose, CA auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors that may substantially change the price you pay for coverage. Improving your credit rating, getting divorced, or getting a reckless driving citation may generate price changes resulting in some companies being affordable when they were higher priced.

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USAA may have some of the best car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,121 annually. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide would also make the list of some of the best San Jose, CA car insurance companies.

In the above rates, if you are a policyholder with Wawanesa and switched to USAA, you could earn savings of upwards of $36. Policyholders with CSAA might save as much as $65 a year, and Century National policyholders might lower prices by $69 a year.

Be aware that those estimates are averaged across all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not calculated with an exact zip code location for homeowners. So the car insurance company that has the cheapest rates for you may not even be in the list above. That’s why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own individual information.

Auto insurance rates are higher with tickets and accidents

A great way to snag the most affordable auto insurance rates in San Jose for people who own their homes is to be a safe driver and avoid at-fault accidents and violations. The information below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault accidents can raise annual premium costs for different age categories. The premiums assume a married male driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.

In the example above, the average cost of auto insurance in California per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $2,157. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost rises to $2,476, an increase of $319 each year. Now add one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of auto insurance for homeowners jumps again to an average of $3,374. That’s an increase of $1,217, or $101 per month, just for being a less-than-perfect driver!

Rate comparison of full coverage and liability-only

Reducing the cost of auto insurance is probably important to the majority of people, and one good way to buy cheap insurance for homeowners is to buy only liability coverage. The chart below illustrates the comparison of insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The premium estimates are based on no accidents or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no other discounts are factored in.

As an average for all age groups, full coverage costs $1,849 per year more than carrying just liability coverage. Many people question if full coverage is worth the money. There is no set rule to eliminate physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

For example, let’s say your vehicle’s settlement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most you would get paid by your company is $2,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying over $200 annually for physical damage coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

There are a few situations where buying only liability insurance is not in your best interest. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to keep full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not buy liability only.

How to get discounts on San Jose auto insurance

Insurance companies that offer quotes for homeowners may also provide discounts that can lower rates by 35% or more if you qualify. A few of the larger companies and their offered discounts include:

• State Farm offers discounts for Steer Clear safe driver discount, student away at school, accident-free, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, and multiple autos.
• GEICO may have discounts that include emergency military deployment, membership and employees, air bags, daytime running lights, five-year accident-free, and driver training.
• Progressive offers discounts including multi-policy, online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, good student, and homeowner.
• 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including automatic seat belts, air bags, driver training, defensive driver, and 55 and older.
• American Family offers premium reductions for air bags, early bird, Steer into Savings, mySafetyValet, multi-vehicle, good driver, and bundled insurance.
• The Hartford may include discounts for defensive driver, air bag, anti-theft, good student, and driver training.
• AAA has discounts for multi-policy, multi-car, anti-theft, good driver, education and occupation, pay-in-full, and good student.

The example below illustrates the comparison of insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The prices are based on a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with marriage, passive restraint, homeowner, claim-free, defensive driving course, and anti-theft discounts applied. With discounts applied, theaverage amount saved on auto insurance for homeowners is 28% or $608.

How to find the cheapest car insurance for homeowners

The list below shows some money-saving solutions that can help California drivers get more affordable coverage.

• Violations like speeding or DUI increase rates
• Raise your physical damage coverage deductibles
• Safer vehicles cost less to insure
• Drop full coverage on older vehicles
• Avoid having at-fault accidents
• Good credit scores may lower your rates
• Compare rates regularly and switch companies to save money

The last idea is extraordinarily necessary, as we stressed in this piece. Car insurance prices in San Jose can change significantly in a year, so don’t be tentative to switch carriers if you can find a cheaper rate. Loyalty to a specific company is fine, but we do not recommend it if your bullheadedness ends up costing you a small fortune year after year. It only take a few minutes to compare prices and find cheaper insurance for homeowners.

If you aren’t sure which coverage to buy and prefer to get some guidance when shopping for the best coverage for homeowners, the professional agents shown below can most likely help you make a decision which auto insurance policy would work best for you. To find an agent close to you, click the button at the bottom of the list.

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