The vehicle model needing coverage is a large factor when consumers are trying to find the best auto insurance for good drivers. Vehicles with limited top-end speed, a plethora of safety features, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models.
The information below presents auto insurance costs for a number of the most economical vehicles to insure in California.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $1,593 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,617 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $1,650 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,656 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $1,650 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,682 |
| Honda Accord LX-P 4-Dr Sedan | $1,706 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,715 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $1,735 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $1,767 |
| GMC Sierra SL Crew Cab 2WD | $1,775 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Crew Cab 4WD | $1,767 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $1,776 |
| GMC Sierra 3500HD SLT Extended Cab 2WD | $1,800 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ Crew Cab 2WD | $1,829 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $1,888 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $1,895 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,896 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Super Cab 2WD | $1,912 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,917 |
| Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 2WD | $1,915 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $1,923 |
| Dodge Ram Quad Cab ST 2WD | $1,925 |
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Cost estimates assume single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Price estimates do not factor in specific location which can lower or raise premium rates substantially.
Based upon these rates, you can assume that models like the Honda CR-V, Ford Focus, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Volkswagen Jetta, and Toyota Camry are most likely to be some of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for safe drivers.
Finding good, affordable insurance is tough enough, and figuring out which company has the lowest-priced insurance rates for good drivers takes even more diligence. Each insurer has a unique approach for establishing rates, so first let’s look at the rankings for the lowest cost insurance companies in Oakland, CA.
It’s important to know that Oakland insurance rates are impacted by many things that may substantially change the price you pay. This price variability is why it is so important to compare many different companies when trying to get the lowest insurance quotes for good drivers. Insurance prices are determined by many risk factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the most economical option when you bought your policy may now be quite expensive.
Cheapest Insurance Rates for Good Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,433 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 9 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 10 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 15 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 16 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,788 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
USAA generally has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Oakland at around $1,155 each year. This is $496 less than the average premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also rank well as some of the cheapest Oakland, CA insurance companies.
In the above example, if you are insured with CSAA and switched to USAA, you could realize annual savings of in the vicinity of $31. Policyholders with Nationwide might save as much as $58 a year, and 21st Century customers might realize rate reductions of up to $170 a year.
These policy prices are averaged for all insureds and vehicles and and are not calculated with an exact vehicle garaging location for good drivers. So the car insurance company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That point stresses why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own personal information and vehicle type.
Liability-only versus full coverage
Finding cheaper insurance is important to most vehicle owners, and one good way to save on the cost of insurance for good drivers is to only buy liability coverage. The information below shows the difference between auto insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage. The price estimates are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
On average, physical damage coverage on your policy costs $2,314 per year more than just buying liability insurance. That is a big expense that brings up the question if you should buy full coverage. There is no clear-cut rule to drop physical damage insurance, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.
Finding the right insurance company can be difficult considering how many choices drivers have in Oakland. The company rank data shown below may help you choose which car insurance providers to look at shopping prices with.
These ratings are only made up of large insurance companies, so companies with more of a regional focus are not taken into consideration for this list. To get price quotes from these companies and more, simply click here.
| 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 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Discounts on Oakland insurance
Auto insurance companies that offer cheap quotes for good drivers may have special discounts that could reduce prices by 30% or more if you meet specific criteria. A list of insurance companies and a selection of discounts are included below.
- Farm Bureau offers discounts for 55 and retired, driver training, multi-vehicle, renewal discount, youthful driver, and multi-policy.
- Liberty Mutual includes discounts for preferred payment discount, good student, new vehicle discount, teen driver discount, hybrid vehicle, and multi-car.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for defensive driving training, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, student away at school, driver’s education, multiple autos, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- Auto-Owners Insurance has discounts for company car, good student, student away at school, anti-theft, multi-policy, and mature driver.
- GEICO may include discounts for good student, driver training, multi-policy, anti-theft, federal employee, and seat belt use.
- SAFECO offers discounts including anti-lock brakes, anti-theft, homeowner, teen safe driver, safe driver, multi-car, and bundle discounts.
The illustration below illustrates the comparison of insurance premiums with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The price estimates are based on a female driver, no accidents or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with accident-free, marriage, defensive driving course, safe-driver, homeowner, and anti-theft discounts applied. With discounts applied, theaverage yearly reduction on insurance for good drivers is 28% or $608.
Your cheap policy may actually be overpriced
Oakland insurance rates are based on many factors that will increase or decrease the cost of having a policy. Simply having a birthday, getting married, or getting a ticket for careless driving may prompt premium changes that may make certain companies cheaper than competitors.
And not only may your rating factors change, but insurers change the rates they charge in California every year in order to remain profitable. Unexpectedly high claims may cause higher priced premiums, while better underwriting can result in cheaper Oakland car insurance rates.
To illustrate this example, the data below analyzes the cheapest car insurance in Oakland, CA for a 40-year-old male driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and great credit. If we look at prices based on his personal risk profile, USAA quotes the cheapest car insurance rates in Oakland at $1,546 a year. This is $105 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide are the remaining cheapest Oakland, CA auto insurance companies.
In the next rate comparison, we’ll give the driver from above a claim surcharge, a lower credit rating, and a couple of points charged on his driving record. Since each auto insurer has their own unique process for determining prices, comparing insurance quotes may result in a completely different list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Oakland as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest price in Oakland, CA with Progressive, GEICO, Mercury, and Allstate also having competitive pricing. This example proves why consumers need to take the time to compare as many rates as possible when trying to get the most affordable car insurance quotes for good drivers. Auto insurance prices are made up of many different factors and can change without notice, so the cheapest company two years ago may now be priced much higher than other options.