Deciphering which company has the lowest-priced car insurance rates for infrequent drivers may require a bit more work in order to find coverage that fits your budget. Each insurance company has their own guidelines to set premium rates, so let’s take a look at the car insurance companies with the overall best prices in California.
Keep in mind that San Jose, CA car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that may substantially change the policy price. Simply getting older, buying higher coverage limits, or having an accident can cause premium changes resulting in some companies being affordable when they were higher priced.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance in California
USAA offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,143 a year. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA also are some of the most economical San Jose, CA auto insurance companies.
As depicted above, if you currently buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to USAA, you could earn yearly savings of in the vicinity of $70. California drivers with CSAA may save as much as $79 a year, and 21st Century insureds might reduce rates by $195 a year.
It’s important to note that these premiums are averages across all insureds and vehicles and and are not figured with a specific vehicle garaging location for infrequent drivers. So the insurer that can offer you the lowest price may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That’s why you need to get auto insurance quotes using your own personal information and vehicle type.
The vehicle you are insuring is one of the largest considerations that determines whether or not you find affordable car insurance for infrequent drivers. Vehicles with more horsepower, poor crash test ratings, or an increased likelihood of liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer models.
The next list outlines coverage costs for a handful of the most affordable vehicles to insure.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $892 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $911 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $924 |
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $977 |
| Toyota Prius | $988 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,037 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $1,056 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $1,061 |
| Ford F-150 XL Regular Cab 4WD | $1,092 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Rear Entertainment | $1,113 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,121 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD | $1,132 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Crew Cab 4WD | $1,138 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,132 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,137 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ Crew Cab 2WD | $1,173 |
| Dodge Ram Quad Cab ST 2WD | $1,182 |
| Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 2WD | $1,179 |
| Hyundai Sonata SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,188 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $1,192 |
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Above prices 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, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Premium amounts do not factor in specific garaging location which can influence premium rates substantially.
Based upon the rates shown, we can expect makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler, and Honda Accord are going to be a few of the more affordable vehicles to insure for low mileage drivers.
Discount San Jose car insurance rates
Insurance providers that provide policies for infrequent drivers may also offer premium discounts that could potentially reduce rates by as much as 25% or more if you can meet the requirements. A few popular companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are:
- Progressive has savings for continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and good student.
- GEICO may include discounts for multi-vehicle, five-year accident-free, multi-policy, daytime running lights, federal employee, and membership and employees.
- State Farm discounts include safe vehicle, passive restraint, anti-theft, driver’s education, and multiple policy.
- Esurance has discounts for multi-policy, DriveSense, good student, claim free, and anti-theft.
- The Hartford may have discounts that include vehicle fuel type, good student, anti-theft, bundle, defensive driver, and air bag.
The example below compares car insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the rates. The rate quotes are based on a female driver, no violations or accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with multiple vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, multiple policy, homeowner, and marriage discounts applied. When these discounts are applied to the policy premium, the average amount saved each year on car insurance for infrequent drivers is 28% or $662.
Drive safe and save
The easiest method to earn affordable car insurance prices for low mileage drivers is to drive cautiously and not get tickets or have accidents. The information below shows how speeding tickets and fender-benders influence car insurance rates for different age groups. The rates are based on a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
In the chart above, the average cost of a car insurance policy in California per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,909. Receive two speeding tickets and the average cost swells to $2,549, an increase of $640 each year. Then add one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for infrequent drivers goes up to an average of $3,198. That’s an increase of $1,290, or $107 per month, just for not being a responsible driver!
The chart below illustrates how choosing a deductible can impact yearly insurance costs when quoting cheap insurance for infrequent drivers. Data assumes a married female driver, comp and collision included, and no additional discounts are factored in.
The chart above illustrates that a 30-year-old driver could lower rates by $420 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $632 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, like the 20-year-old category, could roll back prices as much as $896 or more just by choosing larger deductibles.
If you do raise deductibles, it will be important to have emergency funds available to be able to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the main inconvenience of larger deductibles.
The insurance agencies listed below are willing to help you make a decision which auto insurance coverages would be the best in your situation, as some drivers have questions and prefer to have the advice of a professional agent when buying car insurance for infrequent drivers. It can be difficult to find the cheapest car insurance policy, and agents can give you satisfaction knowing your policy gives you enough protection.
To locate an agency closest to you, click the button following the list or click here to compare rates now.
- HealthMarkets Insurance Agency
543 W Capitol Expy – San Jose, CA 95136 – (408) 441-7777 - Farmers Insurance – Jeff Senigaglia
950 S Bascom Ave #2113 – San Jose, CA 95128 – (408) 297-6686 - Thachvu Ho – State Farm Insurance Agent
1025 Lincoln Ave – San Jose, CA 95125 – (408) 267-4100