You have seen the captivating commercials from insurers like The General, Liberty Mutual, and Progressive that guarantee enormous savings. So drivers should just pick the company with the cutest commercial, right?
It’s just not that easy, however, as there are a whole bunch of unknown factors such as your date of birth, whether or not your vehicle has good safety ratings, and the number of miles you drive in a year, that all impact the cost of your policy. The information below covers the best ways to save on auto insurance and hopefully give you enough understanding to have a good start to your coverage search.
Deciding which companies have the cheapest auto insurance rates for electric cars requires a bit more work in order to find coverage that fits your budget. Each auto insurer uses different criteria to determine rates, so let’s take a look at the auto insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in San Jose, CA.
Lowest Insurance Price Quotes for EV’s
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Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
2 | USAA | $1,155 |
3 | CSAA | $1,186 |
4 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
5 | Century National | $1,226 |
6 | 21st Century | $1,379 |
7 | Grange | $1,447 |
8 | Progressive | $1,496 |
9 | GEICO | $1,529 |
10 | Allstate | $1,543 |
11 | Mercury | $1,548 |
12 | Allied | $1,556 |
13 | MetLife | $1,606 |
14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
16 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
18 | Travelers | $1,788 |
19 | Bristol West | $1,849 |
20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
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Wawanesa offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,146 per year. This is $505 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. USAA, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National also make the cut as some of the lowest-priced San Jose, CA insurance companies.
As illustrated above, if you are a policyholder with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you could realize an annual savings of in the vicinity of $80. Policyholders with Century National might save as much as $80 a year, and 21st Century customers might see rate reductions of $233 a year.
To find out how much you can save, click here to start your custom quote or visit several of the following companies.
Bear in mind that those prices are averages across all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not take into consideration an exact vehicle garaging location for electric cars. So the auto insurance company that has the cheapest rates for you may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That’s why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own individual information.
The make and model of vehicle driven is one of the main factors when comparing quotes for affordable car insurance for electric cars. Vehicles with more horsepower, poor safety ratings, or an increased likelihood of liability claims will cost more to insure than safer models.
The information below illustrates car insurance premiums for a selection of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure in California.
Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Toyota Prius | $856 |
Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $862 |
Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $866 |
Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $914 |
Chevrolet Malibu LT | $931 |
Dodge Grand Caravan SXT | $941 |
Toyota Corolla LE | $961 |
Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $968 |
Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $967 |
Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $978 |
Nissan Rogue S 2WD | $984 |
Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $987 |
Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $995 |
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Prices based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Price estimates do not factor in your specific San Jose, CA location which can increase or decrease insurance rates significantly.
Based upon the table data, you can conclude that vehicles like the Toyota Prius, Honda CR-V, and Toyota Tacoma will be a few of the most affordable vehicles to insure for eco-friendly vehicles.
Drive responsibly or pay higher rates
The ideal way to earn affordable auto insurance rates for eco-friendly vehicles is to be a good driver and avoid traffic citations and accidents. The information below illustrates how traffic citations and at-fault fender-benders drive up auto insurance rates for different age groups. The information is based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
The data above shows the average cost of auto insurance in San Jose per year with no accidents or violations is $1,978. Add in one speeding ticket and the average cost rises to $2,243, an increase of $265 each year. Now add two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of auto insurance for electric cars goes up to an average of $4,627. That’s an increase of $2,649, or $221 per month, just for not being a responsible driver!
Cost comparison with and without full coverage
Finding cheaper auto insurance is probably important to most people, and one common way to buy cheaper insurance for electric cars is to not buy comprehensive and collision coverage. The illustration below shows the difference between annual premium costs with full coverage compared to only the California minimum liability coverage. The premiums assume no accidents, no driving violations, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no other discounts are factored in.
If we average the cost for all age groups, comp and collision coverage costs an additional $2,273 per year more than insuring for liability only. That touches on the question if buying full coverage is worth the money. There is no definitive rule for dropping physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than around 10% of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then it might be time to buy liability only.
Why you should shop around
San Jose auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the cost of a policy. Simply turning a year older, becoming a homeowner, or getting a speeding ticket can trigger price changes that may make certain companies more affordable than others.
Not only may your risk profile change, but companies change the rates they charge in California multiple times each year to reflect underwriting profits or losses. Significantly higher claims can result in additional premium costs, while profitable underwriting can result in cheaper San Jose car insurance rates.
The graph below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in San Jose, CA for a 35-year-old female driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and solid credit. When comparing rates based on her personal risk profile, Wawanesa may offer the cheapest car insurance rates in San Jose at $1,228 annually. This is $423 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. USAA, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are the remaining top five cheapest San Jose, CA auto insurance companies.
Now we will pretend the driver from the first rate comparison a claim surcharge, a lower credit score, and a speeding ticket. Since each auto insurance company has a different process for setting rates, comparing prices will most likely result in a different ranking of cheap San Jose auto insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the lowest price in San Jose with GEICO, Mercury, Progressive, and Allstate now being in the top five. This example demonstrates why consumers need to take the time to compare rates to find the most affordable car insurance rates for electric cars. Auto insurance prices are impacted by many things and change dramatically, so the cheapest rate the last time you shopped around may now be one of the more expensive options.
The agents below are a good start to provide answers to your questions and help you determine which car insurance policy is best, as some people have coverage questions and would like to have a professional recommendation when trying to find the best insurance rates for electric cars. It can be challenging to find the best rates on your own, so a professional agent can give satisfaction knowing your coverage gives you adequate protection in case of an accident or claim. To locate a San Jose insurance agent close to you, click the link after the list or click here to compare price quotes now.
Dick Alesch – State Farm Insurance Agent
164 N Bascom Ave a – San Jose, CA 95128 – (408) 918-0877
Doug Kim – State Farm Insurance Agent
1361 S Winchester Blvd #107 – San Jose, CA 95128 – (408) 370-2008
Rolando Suarez – State Farm Insurance Agent
696 E Santa Clara St #110 – San Jose, CA 95112 – (408) 642-1399
Jim Fiorentino – State Farm Insurance Agent
3150 Almaden Expy #204 – San Jose, CA 95118 – (408) 267-3276
More San Jose, CA insurance agents
How to find budget-friendly insurance for electric cars
It is possible to find better rates, and here are some of the recommended penny-pinching suggestions that can help San Jose drivers buy lower-cost auto insurance.
- Be a safe driver
- Full coverage is expensive so only insure older vehicles for liability only
- Raise your deductibles
- Buy a safer vehicle
- Clean up your credit
- Avoid preventable accidents
- Keep rates low by comparing prices once a year
The final tip is very important, as was stressed in the article above. Insurance rates can be adjusted at any time, so drivers shouldn’t be reluctant to buy a policy from a new company if a better deal can be had. Staying with the same car insurance company is fine, but it isn’t a good idea if that dedication is costing big bucks every year. Take a couple minutes and shop around to find cheaper insurance for electric cars in San Jose.