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Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in San Diego, CA (May 2022)
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4.8out of 3,000+ reviews
Edited by Olivia Oksenhorn | Reviewed by licensed insurance agent, Amber Benka
Last Updated February 4, 2022
For drivers in California, it is a requirement to maintain an auto insurance policy that provides at least the state minimum coverage. However, most motorists opt for an insurance plan with more protection, like a full-coverage policy that includes collision coverage, liability coverage, and property damage liability coverage.
To find the best rates for these types of policies, you should consider shopping around with multiple insurance providers using Insurify.
When you begin shopping for car insurance, it is important to compare different auto insurance companies. Generally, you will want to include large insurance providers such as GEICO, Allstate, and State Farm, as well as regional insurance companies. For San Diego drivers, the cheapest coverage option is Bluefire, with an average rate of $104 per month.
Insurance Provider in San Diego | Quotes |
---|---|
Bluefire | $104 /mo |
Metromile | $116 /mo |
Travelers | $119 /mo |
Clearcover | $125 /mo |
Freedom National | $125 /mo |
When comparing car insurance companies, there are many methodologies you can use to determine which provides the best value. Insurify uses ICS, or the Insurify Composite Score, to create rankings for insurance providers in the areas. See how insurance companies rank in the San Diego area below.
Best Companies | Score | Quotes |
---|---|---|
Clearcover | 97 | $125 /mo |
Safeco | 86 | $174 /mo |
Travelers | 80 | $119 /mo |
21st Century | 80 | $138 /mo |
National General | 58 | $152 /mo |
California Cities | |
---|---|
Los Angeles | $195/mo |
San Jose | $210/mo |
San Francisco | $132/mo |
Sacramento | $112/mo |
San Diego | $172/mo |
California | $164/mo |
California effected a number of new traffic laws for 2018, including legislation on DUI policies for rideshare service drivers, seat belts on public transport, and smoking or ingesting cannabis in moving vehicles. Most significantly, a change in the California Department of Motor Vehicle's road rehabilitation and maintenance program signals that registration or renewed registration of a motor vehicle will now come with a fee of $25 to $175.
California's minimum liability car insurance limits are as follows:
Even California’s best car insurance companies will use a driver’s age to determine their monthly rates. The younger a driver is, the more they will pay to insure their motor vehicle. For example, in California, teen drivers pay about $260 more a month than those in their 60s.The table below offers a look into the average premium different age groups pay in California.
Driver's Age | Avg. Monthly Cost |
---|---|
Teens | $388 |
20s | $272 |
30s | $174 |
40s | $148 |
50s | $136 |
60s | $133 |
70s | $150 |
80s | $157 |
Risk is generally one of the most significant factors that determine the quotes you receive. For example, drivers with a clean driving record pay $45 less a month for coverage than drivers who are considered high-risk with speeding tickets. Discover how other driving incidents and accidents can impact your average monthly insurance cost.
Driving History | Avg. Monthly Cost |
---|---|
Clean Record | $179 |
Speeding Ticket | $224 |
At-Fault Accident | $216 |
DUI | $218 |
As a driver in San Diego, it is essential to know the location of the closest DMV office in case you need to renew your license or get a tag for your vehicle. Depending on where you live in the city, you have two DMV options. The first is at 3960 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103, and you can find the second office at 4375 Derrick Drive, San Diego, CA 92117.
Regardless of which office you choose, both provide many of the primary services you will need as a driver. For instance, you can go to either location to transfer your vehicle’s title or to get a new driver’s license.Both locations also feature self-service terminals that allow you to skip the line and complete several services on your own.
In San Diego, there are many alternative options to driving. Tourists and citizens can travel throughout the city and region via bus, trolley, and rail. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and the San Diego Breeze Bus provide bus service, the COASTER, the SPRINTER, and the Pacific Surfliner provide rail services, and the San Diego Trolley provides trolley service.
With hundreds of insurance providers throughout California, it can be challenging to determine which will offer the cheapest car insurance in San Diego. One way to ensure you get the best rates is to request quotes from multiple companies that provide auto insurance. While this can be time-consuming on your own, it is the best way to find the cheapest coverage.
To assist you in shopping for auto insurance, Insurify has multiple tools to make the process easier and less time-consuming. For instance, the Insurify platform allows you to quickly compare multiple quotes from qualified providers on a single page, making it possible to find your perfect coverage in a matter of minutes.
Finding cheap auto insurance coverage in San Diego is often easiest when you shop around. Requesting car insurance quotes from multiple insurance providers allows you the opportunity to compare prices and coverage limits.
San Diego has much lower average rates for car insurance premiums than other cities in California. Generally, the average cost of car insurance for San Diego drivers is $171 per month, but rates can vary depending on several factors like age and driving history.
Many factors can drive car insurance rates up in San Diego, CA. For example, one car accident could cause your monthly premium to increase significantly. Other items that could cause an increase in your auto insurance policy include age, credit score, vehicle type, driving history, and location.
The car insurance quotes displayed are based on an analysis of Insurify’s database of over 40 million quotes from 500 ZIP codes nationwide. To obtain representative rates, Insurify’s data science team performs frequent comprehensive analyses of the factors car insurance providers weigh to calculate rates including driver demographics, driving record, credit score, desired coverage level, and more.
Insurify’s analysis also incorporates the Insurify Composite Score (ICS) assigned to each insurance provider. The ICS is a proprietary rating that weighs multiple factors reflecting the quality, reliability, and health of an insurance company. Ratings used to calculate the ICS include Financial Strength Ratings from A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch; J.D. Power ratings; Consumer Reports customer satisfaction surveys and customer complaints; mobile app reviews; and user-generated company reviews.
With the above insights and ranking methods, Insurify is able to offer car insurance shoppers insight into how various insurance providers compare to one another in terms of both cost and quality. Note, actual quotes will vary based on unique attributes including the policyholder’s driver history and their garaging address.
While most drivers know that car insurance quotes are determined in part by your personal driving history, many may be unaware that rates are also impacted by the average risk of the drivers around you as well. Check out Insurify's latest analysis of driving records in San Diego, California below:
Drawing from an internal database of over 4 million car insurance applications, the research team at Insurify analyzes patterns in car ownership and driver behavior - including how San Diego drivers measure up to their fellow motorists across California in areas including speeding, DUIs, and more.
Insurify Insights publishes data-driven articles, trend analyses, and national rankings each week on all factors related to cars and those who drive them.
Most Popular Car in San Diego
City with the Most Speeding Tickets Rank in California
City with the Most Moving Violations Rank in California
City with the Most DUIs Rank in California
City with the Most Suspended Licenses in California
While car accidents are a sadly unavoidable feature of time spent on the road, rates of accidents do vary from city to city and from state to state. San Diego drivers rank 82 in the number of car accidents per driver across all cities in California.
Exceeding the speed limit can endanger others and leave a permanent stain on your driving record. When compared to other cities in California, San Diego drivers rank 120 in the number of speeding infractions per driver.
While driving while intoxicated is never acceptable, it’s a more common offense than many assume. San Diego drivers rank 121 in the number of DUI’s per driver across all cities in California.
Some car models are just more popular than others and trends can vary from place to place. The most popular vehicle in San Diego is the Honda Civic.
The Insurify team classifies rude drivers as those who commit the following driving offenses: failure to yield or failure to stop, improper backing, passing where prohibited, tailgating, street racing, or hit-and-runs. Among all cities in California, San Diego drivers rank 59 in rude driving infractions.
Having a squeaky-clean driving record is an accomplishment to be proud of. Some cities have safer drivers than others; San Diego drivers rank 43 in clean driving records across all cities in California.
Failing to yield the right of way isn’t just frustrating for other drivers; it’s dangerous, too. San Diego drivers rank 34 in failure to yield violations per driver across all cities in California.
Reckless driving refers to a specific traffic violation: when drivers willfully act dangerously in spite of the risks they’re imposing on both themselves and others. Among all cities in California, San Diego drivers rank 50 in the number of reckless driving offenses per driver.
As auto manufacturers increasingly turn towards producing greener car models, more and more motorists are embracing hybrids and EV’s. San Diego drivers rank 88 in hybrid and electric vehicle ownership across all cities in California.
Insurify's team of data scientists and content specialists presents Insurify Insights, a series of automotive, home, and health studies focusing on the topics that impact us all. through expert analysis of over 4 million car insurance applications and an array of top data sources, the Insurify Insights team produces new data-driven articles, trend analyses, regional superlatives, and national rankings every week. See Insurify Insights as featured in Forbes, Fox News, USA Today, NPR, and more.