Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for Teenagers in San Francisco?

The words “bargain” and “insurance” probably shouldn’t be used in the same sentence, specifically when you are trying to find the best price on coverage for teenagers. To help control this cost, let’s get started by showing you a few of the factors that impact insurance prices, and figure out some ideas to slash the price of your next policy.

For teen drivers, one of the more important factors that are used to help calculate the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you keep your car in San Francisco. Regions with larger populations or more claims will most likely have higher rates, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims benefit from lower coverage costs.

The next table rates the most expensive places in California for teenagers to buy auto insurance in. San Francisco ranks #3 with a yearly premium of $1,745 for the average policyholder, which is about $145 each month.

How much is auto insurance in San Francisco, CA?
Rank City Average Per Year
1 Los Angeles $2,146
2 Glendale $2,079
3 San Francisco $1,745
4 Oakland $1,704
5 Sacramento $1,669
6 San Bernardino $1,628
7 Long Beach $1,626
8 Santa Clarita $1,580
9 Moreno Valley $1,551
10 Stockton $1,541
11 Garden Grove $1,524
12 Fontana $1,519
13 Fresno $1,502
14 Modesto $1,502
15 Riverside $1,482
16 Santa Ana $1,453
17 Anaheim $1,444
18 San Jose $1,423
19 Huntington Beach $1,416
20 Fremont $1,403
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Rate quotes are estimated as the specific area where the vehicle is garaged can change premiums noticeably.

Finding decent, low-priced auto insurance is confusing at best, and deciding which companies offer the most affordable insurance rates for teenagers requires more quotes for comparison. Every insurance provider has a proprietary formula to set their prices, so let’s take a look at the insurance companies with the overall best prices in San Francisco.

It’s a good idea to be aware that California insurance rates are impacted by many factors that will increase or decrease the cost of coverage. Events like turning one year older, buying a home, or getting a DUI may cause policy rate changes resulting in some companies being much higher than others.

Cheap Insurance Rates for Teens

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Rankings for the cheapest car insurance companies in California
Rank Company Cost Per Year
1 USAA $1,155
2 Wawanesa $1,157
3 Century National $1,178
4 CSAA $1,198
5 Nationwide $1,250
6 21st Century $1,366
7 Grange $1,433
8 Mercury $1,488
9 Allstate $1,513
10 Progressive $1,542
11 Allied $1,556
12 GEICO $1,575
13 MetLife $1,590
14 The Hartford $1,639
15 Esurance $1,705
16 State Farm $1,733
17 Unitrin $1,750
18 Bristol West $1,831
19 Travelers $1,842
20 Farmers $2,006
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USAA may offer some of the most affordable car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,155 a year. This is $496 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide would also make the list of some of the lowest-priced San Francisco, CA insurance companies.

In the above rates, if you buy coverage from Wawanesa and switched to USAA, you might realize savings of roughly $2. Insureds with Century National could save as much as $23 a year, and CSAA policyholders might reduce prices by as much as $43 a year.

To find out how much you can save, click here to start your custom quote or click several companies below for low rates.

Remember that these premiums are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not take into consideration an exact zip code location for teenagers. So the car insurance company that fits you best may not even be in the list above. That illustrates why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own driver data and vehicle information.

The type of vehicle you are insuring is probably the biggest factor when consumers are trying to find the best auto insurance for teenagers. Vehicles with high performance engines, poor safety ratings, or high incidents of liability claims will cost significantly more to insure than more modest models.

The table below shows coverage costs for a number of the cheaper vehicles to buy insurance for.

Cheapest Vehicles to Insure in San Francisco, CA
Vehicle Estimated Cost for Full Coverage
Ford Escape XLT 2WD $5,472
Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD $5,529
Toyota Prius $5,941
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD $6,130
Ford Edge SEL AWD $6,429
Dodge Grand Caravan Hero $6,487
Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan $6,492
Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD $6,487
Chevrolet Impala LT $6,492
Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan $6,487
GMC Sierra SLE Regular Cab 2WD $6,496
Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD $6,487
Chevrolet Malibu LT $6,542
Ford F-150 Lariat Super Cab 2WD $6,552
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport Islander Package 4WD 4-Dr $6,786
Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan $6,847
Toyota Tacoma X-Runner 2WD $6,852
Toyota Corolla S $6,847
Toyota Camry XLE $6,857
Honda Civic Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan $6,902
Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T 4-Dr Sedan $6,910
Honda Odyssey Touring $6,902
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 4WD $6,910
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Table data represents single male driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Premium costs do not factor in specific location which can modify coverage rates substantially.

Based on these rates, we can assume that models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, Ford Explorer, and Ford Edge will be the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for teen drivers. Auto insurance rates will tend to be more expensive because of the fact that there is a higher risk for teenagers, but overall those particular vehicles will tend to have the cheapest car insurance rates compared to all other vehicles.

Full coverage rates compared to liability-only

Saving on insurance should be important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one good way to lower the cost of insurance for teenagers is to only buy liability coverage. The chart below shows the difference between auto insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The premiums assume no accidents, no driving violations, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no additional discounts are factored in.

If the expense is averaged for all age categories, full coverage costs $2,525 per year over having just liability coverage. That raises the question if full coverage is worth the money. There is no specific rule of when to exclude physical damage coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of coverage is more than around 10% of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s settlement value is $5,500 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, you would only receive $4,500 after the policy deductible has been paid. If you are currently paying more than $450 a year to have full coverage, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

How to get discounts on San Francisco auto insurance rates

Cheaper San Francisco, CA insurance for teen driversInsurance companies that sell policies for teenagers could also offer special discounts that can reduce rates by as much as 25% or more if you qualify for them. Large insurance companies and a selection of discounts can be read below.

The illustration below illustrates the difference between auto insurance costs with and without discounts. The information is based on a female driver, no tickets, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with anti-theft, vehicle safety, good student, passive restraint, continuous coverage, and paid-in-full discounts applied. When these discounts are applied to the policy premium, the average savings per year on insurance for teenagers is 28% or $694.

Insuring your vehicle with a good quality insurer can be a challenge considering how many companies are available to choose from in San Francisco. The ranking information shown below could help you analyze which auto insurance companies to look at purchasing from. The ratings below only include companies that insure vehicles across America, so companies with more of a regional focus are not taken into consideration for these rankings.

Best 15 Insurance Companies for Teenagers in California
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 more affordable insurance for teenagers

The list below summarizes some of the better money-saving solutions that can help California drivers quote more affordable car insurance.

The final tip is especially crucial, as we pointed out in the prior article. Car insurance rates vary greatly, so drivers shouldn’t be resistant to change to a new company if you find a better deal.

Having a favorite company is great, but it isn’t a good idea if that loyalty ends up costing potentially thousands of dollars a year. Spend a few minutes and compare prices and find cheaper insurance for teenagers in San Francisco.

The San Francisco, CA, insurance agents below can probably aid you in deciding which policy is best, as lots of people like to get some help when trying to find the best insurance rates for teenagers. It can be hard to do it yourself, and insurance agents can give peace of mind knowing your coverage gives you sufficient protection if you have a claim.

To locate a San Francisco insurance agent close to you, click the link after the list.

Blum-Blackfield Insurance Agency
2 Twin Peaks BlvdSan Francisco, CA 94114(415) 665-1440

Toan Tieu – State Farm Insurance Agent
690 Monterey BlvdSan Francisco, CA 94127(415) 610-8000

Wilson Chan – State Farm Insurance Agent
25 Division St #200San Francisco, CA 94103(415) 593-8802

View more San Francisco, CA insurance agencies