For college grads, one of the more important things that are used to help calculate the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you live in Oakland. More populated areas tend to have more expensive car insurance rates, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates have the enjoyment of a little cheaper coverage.
The table below shows the most expensive cities in California for college graduates in which to buy car insurance. Oakland makes the list at #3 costing $1,738 for car insurance, which is about $145 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,738 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,711 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | Stockton | $1,603 |
| 7 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 8 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
| 9 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 10 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 12 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 14 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Irvine | $1,384 |
| 20 | Bakersfield | $1,381 |
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Prices are estimated as zip code location can influence premiums significantly.
Determining which company quotes the best auto insurance rates for college graduates involves more time than just comparing rates from one or two companies. Every auto insurer has a unique formula for determining prices, so let’s look at the rankings for the auto insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in California.
It’s a good idea to know that Oakland, CA auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors that may substantially change the cost of having a policy. Simply having another birthday, buying higher coverage limits, or having an accident can trigger price changes that can now make some companies more affordable than others.
Find Cheaper Car Insurance for Grads
USAA may offer some of the best car insurance rates in Oakland at around $1,109 a year. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide also make the cut as some of the lowest-priced Oakland, CA car insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you currently buy coverage from Century National and switched to Wawanesa, you might realize yearly savings of around $45. Drivers with Nationwide could save as much as $69 a year, and 21st Century insureds might see rate reductions of $157 a year.
To find the cheapest coverage for you, click here to get quotes or quote rates from the companies below.
Remember that these premium estimates are averaged across all insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration an exact zip code location for college graduates. So the insurer that has the lowest price for you may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That emphasizes why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
The make and model of vehicle to be insured is probably the most important factor when consumers are trying to find the most affordable insurance for college graduates. Vehicles with higher performance characteristics, poor crash test ratings, or high incidents of liability claims will cost more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.
The next table presents insurance rates for a selection of the cheaper vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Toyota Prius | $1,408 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,477 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $1,505 |
| Toyota RAV4 4WD | $1,512 |
| Honda CR-V LX 2WD | $1,559 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $1,579 |
| Ford Edge Sport AWD | $1,582 |
| Ford Fusion SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,610 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Extended Cab 4WD | $1,617 |
| Nissan Rogue SL 2WD | $1,615 |
| Dodge Ram Quad Cab ST 4WD | $1,643 |
| Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab Hybrid 2WD | $1,690 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $1,695 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $1,702 |
| Ford F-150 STX Super Cab 2WD | $1,710 |
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Data based on single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, and safe-driver. Estimates do not factor in Oakland, CA location which can revise prices considerably.
By looking at the data, you can figure that makes and models like the Toyota Prius, Ford Focus, and Chevrolet Malibu are most likely to be the cheapest vehicles to insure for college grads.
The chart below demonstrates how deductible levels can change annual premium costs when researching cheap insurance for college graduates. The prices are based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
The chart above illustrates that a 50-year-old driver could lower rates by $362 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $546 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the Age 20 category, could roll back prices up to $1,190 each year by selecting a higher deductible.
When increasing deductibles, it’s a good idea to have additional savings on hand to offset the extra out-of-pocket expense that deters many people from opting for higher deductibles.
Finding the highest-rated company can be difficult considering how many choices drivers have in California. The ranking information displayed below can help you choose which coverage providers you want to consider comparing price quotes from. The rankings below include large nationwide companies, so smaller companies will not be included in the list.
| 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 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
How to find cheaper auto insurance for college graduates
The list below summarizes some of the better penny-pinching ideas that can help California drivers find more affordable auto insurance.
- The safer your car, the less it costs to insure
- Avoid filing excessive claims
- Do not get traffic citations
- Having at-fault accidents will increase rates
- Buy your homeowners policy from the same company as your auto insurance
- Compare quotes from other companies often
The last tip in the list is very important, as was pointed out in the prior information. Rates can change significantly in a year, so drivers shouldn’t be reluctant to switch carriers if you find a better deal.
Staying with the same car insurance company is fine, but we do not recommend it if it’s costing you a wad of cash every year. Now is a great time to shop around to find cheaper insurance for college graduates in Oakland.
If you aren’t sure which coverage you need and prefer to get some professional input when trying to find lower insurance rates for college graduates, the agents below are a good start to provide answers to your questions and help you determine which car insurance company is the best fit.
To find an Oakland insurance agent near you, click the button following the list or click here to get price quotes now.
Farmers Insurance – Sam Cheng
388 9th St #259 – Oakland, CA 94607 – (510) 893-3978
Maria Wong – State Farm Insurance Agent
1000 Broadway #270 – Oakland, CA 94607 – (510) 834-3634
Farmers Insurance: Howard Ruud
5956 MacArthur Blvd – Oakland, CA 94605 – (510) 635-0608