Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Immigrants in San Francisco?

For foreigners, one of the largest criteria that aid in calculating the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you live in San Francisco. Larger areas will most likely pay more, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents have the luxury of cheap car insurance rates.

The information below rates the highest-priced areas in California for immigrants to purchase a policy in. San Francisco is listed at #3 with a yearly cost of $1,763 for the average insured, which is about $147 per month.

How much does auto insurance cost in San Francisco?
Rank City Annual Premium
1 Los Angeles $2,146
2 Glendale $2,142
3 San Francisco $1,763
4 Oakland $1,704
5 Sacramento $1,669
6 Long Beach $1,626
7 Stockton $1,603
8 Santa Clarita $1,595
9 Fontana $1,581
10 San Bernardino $1,580
11 Modesto $1,547
12 Riverside $1,542
13 Garden Grove $1,508
14 Moreno Valley $1,506
15 Fresno $1,502
16 Santa Ana $1,497
17 Anaheim $1,488
18 San Jose $1,423
19 Bakersfield $1,381
20 Irvine $1,371
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Prices are approximated as zip code location can modify price quotes substantially.

The vehicle requiring insurance is one of the biggest factors when comparing the most affordable insurance for immigrants. Vehicles with higher performance, poor safety ratings, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost significantly more to insure than safer models.

The next table estimates auto insurance rates for a number of the more affordable vehicles to buy insurance for.

Cheapest Vehicles to Insure in San Francisco, CA
Make and Model Estimated Cost for Full Coverage
Honda Accord LX-P 4-Dr Sedan $1,143
Ford Escape XLS 4WD $1,152
Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon $1,143
Honda CR-V EX 4WD $1,169
Chevrolet Malibu LS $1,349
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 2WD 4-Dr $1,368
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD $1,396
Toyota Camry XLE $1,420
Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Navigation $1,430
Toyota Prius $1,430
Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan $1,441
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 4WD $1,449
Toyota Corolla XRS $1,459
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Above prices assume married male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, homeowner, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and multi-policy. Rate quotes do not factor in specific location which can revise premium rates substantially.

Looking at the data, makes and models like the Honda Accord, Ford Escape, and Hyundai Elantra are likely to be the less-costly vehicles to insure for foreigners.

Buying cost effective car insurance is challenging, and finding out which companies have the lowest-priced auto insurance rates for immigrants involves even more work.

Every auto insurer has their own guidelines to determine rates, so we’ll go over the lowest cost auto insurance companies in San Francisco, CA.

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Who has the cheapest car insurance in California?
Rank Company Cost Per Year
1 USAA $1,109
2 Wawanesa $1,157
3 Century National $1,178
4 CSAA $1,186
5 Nationwide $1,263
6 21st Century $1,338
7 Grange $1,477
8 Progressive $1,496
9 Mercury $1,533
10 Allied $1,541
11 Allstate $1,543
12 GEICO $1,559
13 MetLife $1,638
14 The Hartford $1,639
15 Esurance $1,705
16 State Farm $1,733
17 Unitrin $1,750
18 Bristol West $1,777
19 Travelers $1,860
20 Farmers $1,966
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USAA generally has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in San Francisco at around $1,109 per year. This is $542 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also make the cut as some of the cheapest San Francisco, CA insurance companies.

As shown in the rates above, if you currently have coverage with CSAA and switched to USAA, you could earn yearly savings of approximately $77. Policyholders with Nationwide may save as much as $154 a year, and 21st Century customers might reduce prices by as much as $229 a year.

To find out how much you can save, click here to get a free quote or quote rates from the companies below.

Remember that these policy rates are averaged across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with an exact zip code location for immigrants. So the insurer that fits you best may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That’s why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own driver data and vehicle information.

Safe drivers pay less for auto insurance

One of the best ways to snag affordable auto insurance premiums in San Francisco for foreigners is to drive carefully and avoid accidents and violations. The information below shows how violations and accident claims impact insurance costs for different age groups. The premiums are based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.

The data in the chart shows the average cost of an auto insurance policy in California per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $2,525. Receive one speeding ticket and the average cost surges to $2,844, an increase of $319 each year. Then add one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of auto insurance for immigrants increases to an average of $3,742. That’s an increase of $1,217, or $101 per month, just for a couple of infractions!

Difference between full coverage and liability only rates

Saving money when shopping for auto insurance is the goal of the majority of vehicle owners, and one of the easiest ways to lower the cost of insurance for immigrants is to not buy full coverage. The diagram below shows the comparison of insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The premium estimates are based on no claims or driving citations, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

If we average the cost for ages 20 through 70, comp and collision coverage costs an additional $2,501 per year more than just buying liability only. Many drivers will wonder when is it a good idea to stop buying full coverage. There is no clear-cut formula to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of coverage is about 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s settlement value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most you would receive is $7,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If it’s costing you more than $700 a year for physical damage coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.

The diagram below highlights how deductible choice can raise or lower insurance prices when searching for cheap insurance for immigrants. The costs are based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.

A 50-year-old driver could reduce rates by $408 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $614 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, such as the 20-year-old chart data, can save $1,008 or even more just by choosing higher deductibles.

When increasing deductibles, it is necessary to have additional funds squirreled away to satisfy the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one disadvantage of using larger deductibles.

Comparing rates can save you money

San Francisco auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price of your policy. Simply getting older, becoming a homeowner, or getting a few speeding tickets may generate price changes that may make certain companies more affordable than the competition. Not only may your situation change, but insurance companies amend pricing at least once a year to adjust for gains or losses. Heavier than normal losses may result in increased rates, while profitable underwriting can cause cheaper San Francisco car insurance rates.

For instance, the data below shows the companies that have the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco, CA for a 30-year-old male driver with no violations or accidents, and a decent credit rating. If we estimate rates based on his current rating profile, USAA might quote the cheapest car insurance rates in San Francisco at $1,492 a year. This is $159 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are also on the list of the cheapest San Francisco, CA auto insurance companies.

The example below compares rates after we give the driver from the first rate comparison a chargeable accident, a lower credit score, and a couple of points charged on his driving record. Since every car insurance company has a different formula for filing rates in each state, comparing prices may now result in a substantially altered list of cheap San Francisco auto insurance companies as shown below.

Grange now has the lowest car insurance rate in San Francisco, CA with Allstate, GEICO, Mercury, and Allied now being in the top five. This demonstrates why consumers need to compare many different companies to find the most budget-friendly auto insurance rates for immigrants.

Auto insurance prices can be determined by many risk factors and can change substantially, so the cheapest option six months ago may now be quite expensive.