Wouldn’t it be easy if we knew the single best company that has the cheapest rate quotes for unemployed drivers? Regrettably, it’s not quite that easy, as there are a whole bunch of unknown elements like what level of deductibles you wish to have, if you are a homeowner or renter, and whether you are male or female, that all influence how much you pay for auto insurance. We will try to teach you about these topics and hopefully give you enough understanding to have a good beginning to your search for cheaper coverage.
For the unemployed, one of the largest considerations that are looked at to help calculate auto insurance rates is where you choose to live in San Francisco. Areas with more people or higher crime rates are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less congestion tend to receive slightly lower rates.
The following table lists the highest-priced places in California for unemployed drivers in which to purchase auto insurance. San Francisco is ranked at #3 with an annual premium of $1,745 for the average policyholder, which is about $145 each month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,738 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 7 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 9 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 11 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,532 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 14 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 15 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 16 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | San Diego | $1,381 |
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Prices are comparative as the specific zip code location can affect premiums greatly.
Finding dependable, affordable car insurance is not easy, and finding out which insurers offer the most affordable car insurance rates for unemployed drivers takes additional perseverance. Each company has a different formula for filing rates in each state, so let’s begin by taking a look at the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in San Francisco.
We do need to point out that San Francisco car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can substantially change the policy price. That is why it is important to do a thorough rate comparison to get the best car insurance quotes for unemployed drivers. Rates are made up of many different factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the best price the last time you shopped around may now be quite expensive.
Best Car Insurance Prices for Job Seekers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,222 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 5 | Century National | $1,226 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,503 |
| 9 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 10 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 11 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 12 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 13 | Allied | $1,603 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,733 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,756 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,849 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
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USAA quotes some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,155 each year. This is $496 less than the average premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National also are some of the lowest-priced San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.
As illustrated above, if you currently buy coverage from Wawanesa and switched to USAA, you may see annual savings of about $2. Drivers with CSAA may save as much as $67 a year, and Nationwide policyholders might see rate reductions of $71 a year.
To find out how your current rates compare, click here to start a quote or click through to the companies below.
Remember that these rates are averages across all drivers and vehicles in California and do not factor in a specific vehicle garaging location for unemployed drivers. So the company that can offer you the best rate may not even be in the list above. That point stresses why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
The type of vehicle on the policy is one of the main factors when comparing quotes for the best cheap insurance for unemployed drivers. Vehicles with higher performance, a lack of safety features, or a high likelihood of having liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than more economical and safe models. The data below estimates car insurance rates for a selection of the most budget-friendly vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $1,180 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $1,315 |
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,325 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,323 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $1,394 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,404 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,394 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD | $1,402 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,429 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,437 |
| Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $1,442 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $1,469 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $1,474 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD | $1,479 |
| Hyundai Sonata GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $1,490 |
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Data based on married male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-policy. Premium amounts do not factor in specific zip code location which can lower or raise premiums greatly.
Based upon the table data, cars like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Honda Accord are going to be the more affordable vehicles to insure for the unemployed.
Types of discounts on San Francisco car insurance rates
Insurance companies that offer quotes for unemployed drivers may also provide policy discounts that can reduce rates by 25% or more if you meet specific eligibility requirements. Larger car insurance companies and the discounts they provide are outlined below.
- Travelers offers discounts including driver training, home ownership, multi-car, student away at school, new car, and hybrid/electric vehicle.
- 21st Century may have discounts that include driver training, good student, student driver, early bird, teen driver, defensive driver, and theft prevention.
- State Farm policyholders can earn discounts including student away at school, good driver, accident-free, multiple policy, safe vehicle, and defensive driving training.
- GEICO has discounts for defensive driver, federal employee, anti-lock brakes, military active duty, and membership and employees.
- SAFECO offers premium reductions for teen safety rewards, accident prevention training, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft, teen safe driver, safe driver, and multi-car.
- AAA includes discounts for multi-policy, multi-car, AAA membership discount, good driver, good student, anti-theft, and education and occupation.
The example below illustrates the difference between insurance premiums with and without policy discounts. The price estimates are based on a male driver, no claims or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with passive restraint, vehicle safety, multiple policy, defensive driving course, homeowner, and claim-free discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, theaverage yearly reduction on car insurance for unemployed drivers is 28% or $576.
The illustration below shows how choosing a deductible can increase or decrease insurance rates when trying to find cheap insurance for unemployed drivers. The premium estimates are based on a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
The data above shows that a 50-year-old driver could pocket $370 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $556 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the Age 20 chart data, have the ability to save as much as $1,230 annually by choosing a higher deductible. If you do make the decision to raise your deductibles, it will be required to have plenty of savings on hand to satisfy the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one inconvenience of using high deductibles.
Don’t stick with an overpriced policy
San Francisco car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that control the price you pay. Simply having another birthday, buying a home instead of renting, or having a fender bender can trigger rate changes that can now make some companies affordable when they were higher priced.
Not only may things change on your end, but insurance companies change their prices at least once a year as an adjustment for underwriting gains or losses. A period of increased losses can cause a rate increase, while a better claims history may result in cheaper San Francisco car insurance rates.
The graph below shows a variety of companies that have the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco, CA for a 45-year-old male driver with no prior accidents, a clean driving record, and a high credit rating. If we compare prices based on his current risk profile, USAA may have the most affordable car insurance rates in San Francisco at $1,471 a year. This is $180 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide round out the rest of the best San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.
Let’s now give the driver in the first example an accident surcharge, slightly worse credit, and a few traffic violations. Because every insurance company has their own formula to set their prices, analyzing rates most likely will result in a substantially altered list of the cheapest car insurance companies in San Francisco as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest price in San Francisco, CA with Progressive, Allstate, GEICO, and Mercury also being competitive. This shows why consumers need to take the time to compare lots of rates to get the most budget-friendly auto insurance quotes for unemployed drivers. Rates consist of many risk factors and change dramatically, so the cheapest rate two years ago may now be quite expensive.