How Much is Auto Insurance for Uninsured Drivers in San Jose?

Deciding which companies quote the cheapest insurance rates for uninsured drivers calls for more time in order to find the best price.

Every insurance company used slightly different criteria to determine rates, so we’ll take a look at the overall cheapest insurance companies in San Jose, CA. It’s important to know that San Jose insurance rates are impacted by many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price of coverage. Simply having another birthday, adding a teenager to your policy, or getting a reckless driving citation can cause premium changes that may make certain companies cheaper than competitors.

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USAA has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,121 per year. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also rank well as some of the cheaper San Jose, CA auto insurance companies.

As shown in the table above, if you currently have a policy with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you may realize savings of in the neighborhood of $45. Insureds with 21st Century could save as much as $157 a year, and Grange customers might reduce prices by as much as $296 a year.

Be aware that those policy rates are averages for all drivers and vehicles in California and and are not calculated with an exact vehicle garaging location for uninsured drivers. So the company that fits your situation best may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That illustrates why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own driver data and vehicle information.

For drivers with no prior coverage, one of the more important criteria that aid in calculating the annual cost of car insurance is where your car is garaged in San Jose. Areas with high crime rates or more dense population tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.

The illustration below lists the most costly cities in California for uninsured drivers in which to buy car insurance. San Jose is listed at #18 with an annual cost of $1,423 on average, which is approximately $119 each month.

Table data uses estimated as the specific geographic location can raise or lower premiums considerably.

Types of discounts on San Jose auto insurance

Car insurance companies that sell policies for uninsured drivers could also offer rate discounts that could lower prices by 30% or more if you meet the requirements. Large insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are outlined below.

• Mercury Insurance offers discounts including anti-theft, ease of repair, good driver, accident-free, professional/association, and annual mileage.
• Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including switch companies, electronic funds transfer, pay in full, homeowner, and distant student.
• Farm Bureau may offer discounts for 55 and retired, driver training, good student, safe driver, multi-vehicle, and renewal discount.
• State Farm offers discounts for Drive Safe & Save, good driver, driver’s education, anti-theft, accident-free, and defensive driving training.
• Allstate has savings for EZ pay plan discount, anti-lock brakes, utility vehicle, premier discount, and teenSMART discount.
• GEICO includes discounts for anti-theft, multi-vehicle, emergency military deployment, military active duty, multi-policy, and good student.

The chart below illustrates the difference between premium costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The price estimates are based on a male driver, no violations or claims, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles.

The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second shows the rates with anti-theft, claim-free, defensive driving course, multiple policy, homeowner, and vehicle safety discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, the average amount saved each year on insurance for uninsured drivers is 28% or $777.

The illustration below highlights how deductible selection can change premium costs when getting quotes for cheap insurance for uninsured drivers. The prices are based on a single male driver, full coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.

The data above shows that a 50-year-old driver could save $436 a year by changing from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $656 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, like the Age 20 chart data, could possibly save as much as $1,432 annually by choosing a larger deductible amount. When choosing a higher deductible, it is important to have enough savings to enable you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one inconvenience of using high deductibles.

Safe drivers pay cheaper rates

The easiest way to snag the most affordable insurance prices in San Jose for drivers with no prior coverage is to be a safe driver and maintain a clean driving record. The diagram below illustrates how traffic citations and at-fault collisions impact auto insurance rates for different age groups. The costs are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

In the example above, the average cost of car insurance in California per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $2,987. Get written up for two speeding tickets and the average cost hikes up to $4,016, an increase of $1,029 each year. Now add two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of insurance for uninsured drivers increases to an average of $7,785. That’s an increase of $4,798, or $400 per month, just for not driving carefully!

Your low-price policy may be costing you money

California insurance rates are influenced by many factors that can increase the price you pay. Simply improving your credit, filing a claim, or getting a reckless driving citation can produce rate changes that can cause some rates to be more affordable than before. And not only may your rating factors change, but auto insurance companies file new California car insurance rates every year to help ensure profitability. Significantly higher losses may result in higher rates, while lower claim levels can cause lower-cost San Jose car insurance rates.

The chart below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in San Jose, CA for a 40-year-old female driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and solid credit. When comparing rates based on her personal risk profile, USAA has the lowest car insurance rates in San Jose at $1,204 annually. This is $447 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are also included in the cheapest San Jose, CA auto insurance companies.

The example below compares rates after we give the driver in the first example a chargeable claim, a little lower credit rating, and a few traffic violations. Since each company has a unique formula to set policy rates, getting updated rate quotes may now show a different ranking of the cheapest San Jose car insurance companies as shown below.

Grange now has the best auto insurance rate in San Jose, CA with Allstate, GEICO, Mercury, and Progressive also being competitive. This illustrates why consumers need to compare many different companies to find the lowest auto insurance quotes for uninsured drivers.

Rates can be determined by many risk factors and can change without notice, so the best option the last time you shopped around may now cost much more than other companies.

The San Jose car insurance agencies listed below can provide answers to your questions and help you determine which policy fits your needs best, since lots of drivers aren’t clear which coverage they need and would like to have some advice when trying to find lower insurance rates for drivers with no prior coverage. It can be hard to find coverage yourself, and a professional agent can provide you comfort knowing your coverage gives you sufficient protection if you have a claim.

To find a San Jose insurance agent near you, click the button after the list.

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