It’s impossible to miss the commercials from companies like State Farm, Liberty Mutual, and Allstate that claim big savings, so you just need to pick the company with the best ad, right?
It’s not that easy, however, as there are a whole bunch of unknown elements like whether or not you have had gaps between policies, the area where you live, the amount of liability insurance you need, and the annual mileage you drive, that all impact the cost of coverage. This article should teach you a little about the best ways to avoid paying too much and will give you a good start in finding the cheapest car insurance in San Jose.
For Lyft vehicles, one of the big considerations that help determine the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you choose to live in San Jose. Areas with more people or higher crime rates tend to pay slightly more, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims can boast about having cheaper rates.
The table below sorts the priciest cities in California for Lyft drivers to purchase car insurance in. San Jose is ranked at #18 with an annual rate of $1,423 for car insurance, which is approximately $119 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,142 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 7 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 8 | Fontana | $1,581 |
| 9 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
| 10 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 12 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 14 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 15 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,381 |
| 20 | San Diego | $1,368 |
| 21 | Fremont | $1,361 |
| 22 | Huntington Beach | $1,360 |
| 23 | Oxnard | $1,344 |
| 24 | Chula Vista | $1,337 |
| 25 | Irvine | $1,330 |
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Premium costs are comparative as the garaging address in San Jose can lower or raise coverage rates considerably.
Finding dependable, budget auto insurance is not easy, and determining which company offers the lowest-priced auto insurance rates for Lyft drivers may require more quotes for comparison. Every insurance provider uses a different method for setting prices, so we’ll take a look at the auto insurance companies with the most affordable rates in California.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Your Lyft Vehicle
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
| 5 | CSAA | $1,234 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,496 |
| 9 | GEICO | $1,513 |
| 10 | Mercury | $1,533 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,559 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,588 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,756 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,860 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
| Get Personalized Rates Go | ||
USAA offers some of the lowest car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,121 annually. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA would also make the list of some of the lowest-priced San Jose, CA car insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are insured with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you might realize a yearly price reduction of around $67. Customers with CSAA could save as much as $88 a year, and 21st Century customers might see rate reductions of $220 a year.
Bear in mind that those rates are averages for all drivers and vehicles and do not take into consideration a specific zip code for Lyft drivers. So the insurer that can offer you the best price may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That’s why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
The car, truck, or SUV requiring coverage is probably the largest consideration that determines whether or not you find economical auto insurance for Lyft drivers. Vehicles with limited speed and performance, advanced safety features, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models.
The information below estimates car insurance premiums for a number of the more affordable vehicles to buy coverage for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $985 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $1,041 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,047 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 2WD 4-Dr | $1,058 |
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $1,077 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $1,102 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $1,107 |
| GMC Sierra SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $1,113 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 2-Dr Coupe | $1,187 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,192 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,196 |
| Honda Odyssey EX | $1,249 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,256 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $1,253 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $1,275 |
| Compare Cheap Rates Go | |
Data rating is based on single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in specific San Jose, CA garaging location which can revise prices greatly.
Based upon the rates shown, you can assume that cars like the Ford Explorer, Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Jetta, Jeep Wrangler, and Ford Escape will be the less-costly vehicles to insure for Lyft vehicles.
Discounts on San Jose auto insurance rates
Car insurance companies that sell policies for Lyft drivers may also provide discounts that could lower prices by as much as 30% if you meet certain criteria. A few of the larger companies and some of their more popular discounts are outlined below.
- GEICO offers discounts for membership and employees, seat belt use, anti-theft, defensive driver, and federal employee.
- Mercury Insurance may have discounts that include professional/association, age of vehicle, accident-free, multi-policy, multi-car, and ease of repair.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including business and professional, bundle discounts, multi-car, switch companies, and alternative fuel.
- Auto-Owners Insurance includes discounts for air bags, paid in full, good student, student away at school, group or association, and safe driver.
- Liberty Mutual discounts include teen driver discount, multi-car, newly retired, safety features, hybrid vehicle, and new vehicle discount.
- SAFECO offers discounts including anti-theft, homeowner, bundle discounts, drive less, multi-car, teen safe driver, and anti-lock brakes.
- Progressive has savings for online signing, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, good student, and homeowner.
- USAA has discounts for family discount, driver training, safe driver, good student, and defensive driver.
The example below compares premium costs with and without discounts applied. The rate quotes are based on a male driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with homeowner, multiple vehicle, defensive driving course, multiple policy, passive restraint, and safe-driver discounts applied. When drivers take advantage of discounts, the average amount saved each year on auto insurance for Lyft drivers is 28% or $559.
The example below highlights how deductible choice can increase or decrease annual premium costs when getting quotes for cheap insurance for Lyft drivers. The costs are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
A 30-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $342 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $516 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, like the Age 20 chart data, could lower their rates $1,026 or even more by choosing a larger deductible amount.
When using a larger deductible, it is important to have enough funds in savings to enable you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense that deters many people from opting for higher deductibles.
Best auto insurance company in California
Picking the best insurance company can be difficult considering how many companies are available to choose from in California. The ranking information listed below could help you pick which car insurance providers to look at comparing rates from. The ratings below are for the companies with a significant amount of written premium nationwide, so companies that have a smaller presence are not taken into consideration for the list.
Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Providers Overall in San Jose
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
A good deal can quickly turn bad
San Jose, CA auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price you pay. Improving your credit rating, moving to a new city, or getting caught speeding may generate price changes that can make some companies cheaper than competitors. And not only may your rating factors change, but car insurance companies modify rates as needed to adjust for unexpected claims or profits. Larger than normal claims may result in high rates, while less frequent claims may cause lower-priced San Jose car insurance rates.
As an example, the data below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in San Jose, CA for a 45-year-old female driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and a good credit rating. Based on her current risk factors, USAA might offer the best car insurance rates in San Jose at $1,192 per year. This is $459 less than the average premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are the remainder of the most affordable San Jose, CA auto insurance companies.
The example below compares rates after we give the driver from above a claim surcharge, poor credit, and a few traffic violations. Because each insurer uses their own formula for filing rates in each state, getting updated rate quotes most likely will result in a completely different list of the cheapest San Jose car insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the lowest car insurance rate in San Jose with GEICO, Mercury, Allstate, and Progressive now rounding out the top five. This demonstrates why it is crucial to shop around with many companies to get the most affordable car insurance rates for Lyft drivers. Insurance prices are influenced by many different factors and change dramatically, so the cheapest rate the last time you checked may now be one of the more expensive options.