How Much are Car Insurance Rates for Infrequent Drivers in Oakland?

Wouldn’t life be great if we could magically tell you the best company in Oakland that has the cheapest coverage for infrequent drivers? That is not the case, however, as there are a ton of unknown elements like if you are a homeowner or renter, the amount of coverage you want, the neighborhood you live in, and your age, that all impact the cost of coverage. The content below will cover some of these factors and educate you enough to have some help in finding cheaper rates.

The make and model of vehicle you are trying to insure is a large consideration when shopping around for the best cheap car insurance for infrequent drivers. Vehicles with limited top-end speed, good safety features, or a positive history of liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than adrenaline junky models.

The next list features coverage premiums for a selection of the most affordable vehicles to insure.

Data based on single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can decrease or increase price quotes greatly.

Looking at the rates, you can see that cars like the Ford Escape, Ford F-150, and Honda CR-V are most likely to be the less-costly vehicles to insure for low mileage drivers.

For low mileage drivers, one of the big factors that are looked at to determine car insurance rates is the neighborhood you call home in Oakland. Areas with more people or more claims tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with less congestion have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.

The information below shows the highest-priced areas in California for infrequent drivers to buy car insurance in. Oakland comes in at #4 with the yearly price of $1,755 for the average policyholder, which is about $146 each month.

Premium amounts are estimated as the specific Oakland residence address can revise premiums considerably.

Trying to buy reasonably-priced auto insurance is easier said than done, and deciding which company has the cheapest insurance rates for infrequent drivers will take a little more work. Every auto insurer uses their own formula to set premium rates, so first let’s look at the rankings for the insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in California.

It’s a good idea to know that Oakland, CA insurance rates are impacted by many things which can significantly increase or decrease your annual premium. Simply having a birthday, buying a different vehicle, or getting a couple of tickets can trigger changes in premium resulting in some rates now being cheaper than competitors.

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USAA may offer some of the best car insurance rates in Oakland at around $1,143 a year. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also are some of the cheapest Oakland, CA insurance companies.

In the above example, if you buy coverage from CSAA and switched to USAA, you might realize an annual premium reduction of roughly $91. Drivers with Nationwide could save as much as $120 a year, and 21st Century insureds might see rate reductions of $223 a year.

To find cheaper insurance rates for your vehicle, click here to start a quote or click several companies below for low rates.

Be aware that those premium estimates are averages across all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not figured with a specific location for infrequent drivers. So the company that fits your age and vehicle best may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That’s why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.

The example below demonstrates how deductible levels can increase or decrease yearly insurance costs when getting quotes for cheap insurance for infrequent drivers. The costs are based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.

As shown above, a 40-year-old driver could save $420 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $634 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the age 20 example, could save up to $1,042 every year just by using higher deductibles.

If you make the decision to raise deductibles, it is a good idea to have enough funds in savings to enable you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the main inconvenience of larger deductibles.

Illustration showing the impact of accidents and violations

The easiest method to obtain good insurance rates in Oakland for low mileage drivers is to drive safely and avoid tickets and accidents. The information below shows how violations and at-fault fender-benders can increase insurance prices for each age group. The information is based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

The data above shows the average cost of a car insurance policy per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,948. Receive two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $2,776, an increase of $828 each year. Then throw in one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of insurance for infrequent drivers goes up to an average of $3,605. That’s an increase of $1,657, or $138 per month, just for not driving responsibly!

Shop around and save

Oakland insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that control the policy premium. Simply having another birthday, buying higher coverage limits, or getting a speeding ticket can trigger price changes that can now make some companies cheaper than before.

Not only may things change on your end, but insurance companies change rates as needed to ensure their profitability. Higher than normal claims may result in high rates, while profitable underwriting can produce more affordable Oakland car insurance rates.

The chart below shows the company with the cheapest car insurance in Oakland, CA for a 40-year-old male driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and solid credit. If we look at prices based on his current risk factors, USAA may offer the most affordable car insurance rates in Oakland at $1,500 each year. This is $151 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA round out the rest of the cheapest Oakland, CA auto insurance companies.

In the next rate comparison, we’ll give the driver from the first set of rates a chargeable claim, slightly worse credit, and a few blemishes on his driving record. Due to the fact that each insurance company uses their own method for setting prices, analyzing rates may now present a slightly different list of companies as shown below.

Grange now has the cheapest price in Oakland with Mercury, Progressive, GEICO, and Allstate also being competitive. This example illustrates why it is critical to compare as many rates as possible when trying to find the lowest auto insurance rates for infrequent drivers.

Auto insurance prices can be determined by many risk factors and change frequently, so the lowest-price company the last time you checked may now be an over-priced policy.

How to find cheaper insurance for infrequent drivers

Here are some money-saving ideas that can help drivers locate low-cost coverage.

• Buy a vehicle with excellent safety ratings
• Buy your auto and home insurance from the same company and save
• Serious violations like DUI or careless driving can make car insurance unaffordable
• Accidents can significantly increase rates
• Frequent claims will increase rates
• Do not insure for full coverage
• Compare prices frequently to find the best deal

The last idea is very vital, as we emphasized in the prior article. Auto insurance prices can be modified anytime, so you should be ready to switch to a new company if you find a cheaper price. Having a favorite company is great, but is isn’t recommended if that dedication is costing lots of hard earned cash every month. In less than five minutes you could compare prices to find cheaper auto insurance for infrequent drivers in Oakland.

The auto insurance agents in Oakland shown below are willing to aid you in deciding which policy is best, as some people prefer to get help from a professional when trying to find the best insurance rates for low mileage drivers. It can be time-consuming to find the best policy on your own, so agents can give you peace of mind knowing your policy gives you sufficient coverage for your assets. To locate an agency using an interactive map, click the button at the bottom of the list or click here to compare price quotes now.

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