It’s hard to avoid all the ads from insurers like Liberty Mutual and GEICO that claim dirt cheap rates, so you just need to choose the one with the most memorable commercial, right?
Regrettably, it’s not quite that easy, as there are a whole slew of unknown factors like whether you want full coverage, the crime level of your neighborhood, what liability limits you need, and when you were born, that all go into determining the rate you pay. This article will cover the best ways to avoid high prices and will give you some help in finding cheaper rates.
The vehicle requiring insurance is probably the most important factor that determines whether or not you can buy low-priced auto insurance for 19 year olds. Vehicles with economical engines, modern passenger safety features, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than high performance models.
The data below presents car insurance premiums for the most affordable automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $4,135 |
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $4,140 |
| Toyota Prius | $4,526 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $4,569 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $4,617 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $4,626 |
| Ford F-150 XL Super Cab 4WD | $4,617 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $4,817 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $4,860 |
| Honda Civic DX 4-Dr Sedan | $4,866 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $4,908 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $4,913 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $4,908 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $4,959 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $5,152 |
| Toyota Camry XLE | $5,200 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Rear Entertainment | $5,208 |
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Data based on single female driver age 19, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Information does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can raise or lower auto insurance rates greatly.
Based upon the table data, we can expect cars like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota Prius should be the more affordable vehicles to insure for teenage drivers. The price for car insurance will trend higher because there is more inherent risk for 19 year olds, but generally speaking those models will tend to have the lowest prices that you’ll find.
Determining which insurers offer the cheapest insurance rates for 19 year olds calls for a little more effort in order to find coverage that fits your budget. Each company has their own unique process to determine rates, so we’ll take a look at the insurance companies with the most affordable rates in California.
Keep in mind that San Francisco, CA insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can substantially decrease or increase the price of coverage. Improving your credit rating, moving to a new city, or getting a driving violation can trigger rate changes resulting in some rates now being more affordable than others.
Best Insurance Companies for Teens
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 5 | CSAA | $1,234 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,338 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,477 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,496 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 10 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 11 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,603 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,639 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,750 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
| Get Personalized Rates Go | ||
USAA may offer some of the best car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,121 per year. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA also make the cut as some of the most economical San Francisco, CA car insurance companies.
As shown above, if you currently have a policy with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you might realize savings of about $80. Drivers with CSAA could save as much as $88 a year, and 21st Century insureds might lower prices by up to $192 a year.
It’s important to note that these premium estimates are averaged across all insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration a vehicle location for 19 year olds. So the car insurance company that has the cheapest rates for you may not even be in the list above. That emphasizes why you need to get quotes using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
For teenage drivers, one of the big considerations that aid in calculating auto insurance rates is where your car is garaged in San Francisco. Areas with more people or even just a higher incidence of claims tend to have more expensive car insurance rates, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents have the enjoyment of a little cheaper coverage.
The table below lists the priciest cities in California for 19 year olds in which to buy car insurance. San Francisco is listed at #3 with an annual premium of $1,711 for the average insurance policy, which is approximately $143 each month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,168 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,711 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 5 | Oakland | $1,687 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 9 | Moreno Valley | $1,536 |
| 10 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 11 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,532 |
| 13 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 14 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 15 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 20 | Irvine | $1,384 |
| Quote Best Rates Go | ||
Rates are estimated as the specific area where the vehicle is garaged can increase or decrease rates greatly.
The example below demonstrates how deductibles can impact insurance rates when getting quotes for cheap insurance for 19 year olds. The price estimates are based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.
As shown above, a 40-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $476 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $712 by using a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, like the 20-year-old category, could save as much as $1,216 every year by using higher deductibles when buying full coverage.
If you do decide to increase your deductibles, it is important to have plenty of savings on hand to allow you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense associated with higher deductibles.
Get discount San Francisco car insurance rates
Insurers that provide policies for 19 year olds may also provide premium discounts that could potentially reduce rates by as much as 25% or more if you are eligible for them. The best insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are shown below.
- Farm Bureau has savings for safe driver, renewal discount, youthful driver, driver training, multi-policy, and 55 and retired.
- State Farm offers discounts including driver’s education, safe vehicle, good student, Drive Safe & Save, multiple policy, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and anti-theft.
- Progressive discounts include multi-policy, online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, and good student.
- Allstate offers discounts for premier discount, safe driver, good payer, farm vehicle, and economy car.
- Nationwide may include discounts for multi-policy, good student, business or organization, defensive driving, Farm Bureau membership, accident-free, and easy pay.
- MetLife may have discounts that include defensive driver, claim-free, accident-free, multi-policy, and good student.
The information below visualizes the comparison of annual premium costs with and without discounts. The data is based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no claims, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $1,000 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with multiple vehicle, multiple policy, vehicle safety, claim-free, safe-driver, and marriage discounts applied. When these discounts are applied to the policy premium, theaverage yearly reduction on insurance for 19 year olds is 28% or $582.
Last year’s bargain might be this year’s rip off
San Francisco insurance rates are impacted by many things that control the cost of your policy. Simply turning a year older, moving across town, or having an accident can cause premium changes resulting in some rates now being much cheaper than others.
And not only may your rating factors change, but car insurance companies change prices as often as every quarter to adjust for unexpected claims or profits. Significantly higher losses may cause rate increases, while less frequent claims may result in lower-priced San Francisco car insurance rates.
As an example, the data below shows a variety of companies that have the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco, CA for a 45-year-old female driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and great credit. If we look at prices based on her current rating profile, USAA quotes the best car insurance rates in San Francisco at $1,500 each year. This is $151 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National are also on the list of the cheapest San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.
The next chart shows rates after we give the driver from the first set of rates a couple of claims, slightly worse credit, and a traffic citation. Since every insurance provider has their own process to set their prices, comparing quotes may result in a different ranking of the cheapest companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best price on car insurance in San Francisco with Allstate, Mercury, Progressive, and GEICO also being competitive. This demonstrates why it is critical to shop around to get the most economical auto insurance rates for 19 year olds. Car insurance prices are determined by many different factors and change dramatically, so the most affordable company six months ago may now be quite expensive.
The auto insurance agents in San Francisco shown below are willing to aid you in deciding which coverage meets your needs best, as some people have coverage questions and would like to have some professional guidance when shopping for the best coverage for teenage drivers. It can be complicated to do it yourself, and insurance agents licensed in the state of California can provide you peace of mind knowing your coverage gives you enough coverage if you have a claim. To find a San Francisco insurance agency near you, click the button below the list or click here to get price quotes now.
- Linda Williams – State Farm Insurance Agent
1536 20th St – San Francisco, CA 94107 – (415) 648-1155 - Rich Machado – State Farm Insurance Agent
5108 Geary Blvd – San Francisco, CA 94118 – (415) 292-3380 - Steven Cresci Insurance Agency
544 Golden Gate Ave – San Francisco, CA 94102 – (415) 212-8190 - Al Zeidler Insurance Agency
1714 Stockton St #417 – San Francisco, CA 94133 – (415) 753-1936