The words “affordable” and “auto insurance” really should not be used together, specifically when looking for the lowest insurance prices for drivers with a DUI. To save some money, let’s familiarize you with some of the factors that determine car insurance premiums, and find out if we can help you take the bite out of the next policy you buy.
After getting a DUI, one of the largest considerations that determine car insurance rates is where you choose to live. Areas with more people or higher crime rates will most likely have higher rates, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims have the gratification of cheaper auto insurance rates.
The next table sorts the highest-priced places in California for drivers with a DUI to purchase a policy in. Oakland is ranked at #5 with the yearly price of $1,704 for the average insured, which is approximately $142 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
| 5 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,541 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 10 | Modesto | $1,532 |
| 11 | Riverside | $1,527 |
| 12 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 13 | Garden Grove | $1,508 |
| 14 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 15 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,474 |
| 18 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 19 | San Jose | $1,381 |
| 20 | San Diego | $1,368 |
| 21 | Huntington Beach | $1,360 |
| 22 | Bakersfield | $1,340 |
| 23 | Chula Vista | $1,337 |
| 24 | Irvine | $1,330 |
| 25 | Oxnard | $1,318 |
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Premium costs are approximated as specific location information can raise or lower price quotes noticeably.
Locating cost effective auto insurance is tough enough, and deciding which company has the lowest-priced car insurance rates for drivers with a DUI will take even more diligence.
Every auto insurer uses their own formula for determining rates, so let’s begin by taking a look at the overall cheapest car insurance companies in Oakland, CA. It’s important that readers know that Oakland car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that can increase the cost of having a policy. This price variability is why it is critical to compare rates when trying to find the most affordable car insurance quotes for drivers with a DUI. Insurance rates are influenced by many things and can change without notice, so the best company the last time you shopped around may now be costing you a lot of money.
Find Cheaper Car Insurance after a DUI
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,109 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,181 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 5 | Century National | $1,226 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,503 |
| 9 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 10 | Allstate | $1,559 |
| 11 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,588 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 17 | State Farm | $1,733 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,860 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,026 |
| Quote Your Rates Go | ||
USAA generally has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Oakland at around $1,109 a year. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National also qualify as some of the more affordable Oakland, CA auto insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you currently buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to USAA, you might see yearly savings of in the vicinity of $117. Policyholders with Century National may save as much as $117 a year, and 21st Century customers might lower prices by up to $257 a year.
To get a quick, customized rate comparison, click here to start a quote or click several companies below for low rates.
Bear in mind that those rates are averaged across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and are not factoring in a specific vehicle garaging location for drivers with a DUI. So the car insurance company that is best suited for you may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That points out the importance of why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
The information below highlights how deductible selection can influence yearly insurance costs when researching cheap insurance for drivers with a DUI. The rates are based on a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
As shown above, a 30-year-old driver could save $568 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $856 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, such as the 20-year-old chart data, could shave as much as $1,674 or even more by choosing larger deductibles on their policy.
When raising deductibles, it’s a good idea to have enough spare savings to allow you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one disadvantage of using larger deductibles.
Car insurance companies ranked
Finding the highest-rated auto insurance provider can be a challenge considering how many different companies sell coverage in Oakland. The company ratings below may help you decide which car insurance companies to look at when comparing rate quotes.
These ratings are for insurance companies that insure vehicles in the majority of U.S. states, so companies with more of a regional focus are not factored into these rankings. If you’d like to compare prices from these and other top-rated companies, click this link.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 98 | 100 | 100 | 94% | A++ | 98.6 |
| American Family | 98 | 89 | 100 | 86% | A | 95.4 |
| AAA of Southern California | 91 | 94 | 97 | 92% | A+ | 94.1 |
| State Farm | 88 | 93 | 96 | 90% | A++ | 92.4 |
| The Hartford | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89% | A+ | 91.7 |
| AAA Insurance | 88 | 89 | 95 | 91% | A | 91.2 |
| GEICO | 84 | 93 | 93 | 89% | A++ | 90.3 |
| The General | 89 | 91 | 89 | 88% | A- | 90 |
| Titan Insurance | 90 | 87 | 91 | 95% | A+ | 89.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 91 | 93 | 87% | A+ | 89.5 |
| Mercury Insurance | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85% | A+ | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 85 | 90 | 92 | 88% | A+ | 89.3 |
| Nationwide | 87 | 88 | 84 | 90% | A+ | 88.7 |
| Liberty Mutual | 84 | 87 | 93 | 88% | A | 88.5 |
| 21st Century | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88% | A | 86.7 |
| Esurance | 85 | 80 | 95 | 87% | A+ | 85.9 |
| Safeco | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
| Travelers | 80 | 87 | 87 | 83% | A++ | 85.2 |
| Farmers Insurance | 78 | 87 | 88 | 79% | A | 84.3 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Do you need full coverage?
Finding cheaper car insurance should be important to the majority of people, and one of the quickest ways to lower the cost of insurance for drivers with a DUI is to only buy liability insurance. The diagram below illustrates the difference between premium costs with full coverage compared to only the California minimum liability coverage. The rate quotes are based on no claims or driving violations, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are factored in.
Averaged out for all age groups, physical damage insurance costs $2,273 per year over and above liability only. At some point, almost every driver questions if buying full coverage is worth the money. There is no clear-cut formula of when to drop physical damage coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is about 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s settlement value is $4,500 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most your company will settle for is $3,500 after the deductible is paid. If premium cost is more than $350 a year for full coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
There are some scenarios where only buying liability is not in your best interest. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not opt for liability only.
Ideas for finding economical car insurance for drivers with a DUI
The list below shows many thrifty ideas that can help California drivers quote cheap coverage.
- Drivers with good credit often pay less
- Too many claims can make car insurance unaffordable
- Choose a safer vehicle and pay lower rates
- Do not get into accidents that are your fault
- Ensure your driving record is clean
- Compare rate quotes frequently
The final tip is extremely crucial, as we emphasized in this write-up. Prices charged by companies in Oakland change frequently, so don’t be unwilling to buy a different policy if a lower price can be found. Brand loyalty is great, but it’s not a good idea if that devotion results in you overpaying hundreds of dollars a year. Take a couple minutes and compare prices and find cheaper car insurance for drivers with a DUI.
If you aren’t sure which coverage to buy and prefer to have some professional guidance when shopping for cheaper insurance after getting a DUI, the insurance agencies listed below are a good start to help you make a decision which coverage fits your budget.
To find an auto insurance agency close to you, click the link after the list.
- Aviation Marine Insurance Services
5707 Redwood Rd – Oakland, CA 94619 – (510) 530-4415 - Stephanie Canessa – State Farm Insurance Agent
6228 Merced Ave – Oakland, CA 94611 – (510) 339-4444 - Jose Cano – State Farm Insurance Agent
3301 E 12th St Suite 113 – Oakland, CA 94601 – (510) 533-8107