4.8out of 3,000+ reviews
Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in San Jose, CA (June 2022)
Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Edited by Olivia Oksenhorn | Reviewed by licensed insurance agent, Amber Benka
Last Updated February 4, 2022
Why you can trust Insurify
Insurify partners with top insurance companies and is a licensed agent in all 50 states. However, the insurance experts writing our content operate independently of our partners. Check out reviews from over 3,000 satisfied customers, how we make money, our data methodology, and our editorial standards.
Car Insurance in San Jose, CA
Drivers in California are required to have at least state minimum auto insurance to drive legally. Still, motorists who want more protection for themselves and their vehicle have other options available, such as liability coverage, comprehensive coverage, and full coverage.
No matter which coverage you choose, using a platform like Insurify to review and compare quotes is the best way to find the cheapest rates.
Quick Facts
- The average cost of car insurance in San Jose is $201 per month, or $2412 annually.
- Car insurance in San Jose is $24 more than the average cost of car insurance in California.
- The cheapest car insurance provider in San Jose on average is Mile Auto, but you should always compare quotes to find your best personal rate.
Quotes by Top Companies
Bluefire$97
Metromile$133
Travelers$137
Anchor$139
Freedom National$139
Cheapest Car Insurance in San Jose, CA
To find the best cheap car insurance in San Jose, you’re going to need to shop around with multiple companies. Requesting a free quote from large insurance providers and smaller regional companies can be a great way to ensure you receive the best rates. Here are a few insurance providers to consider when shopping for auto coverage in the San Jose area.
| Insurance Provider in San Jose | Quotes |
|---|---|
| Bluefire | $97 /mo |
| Metromile | $133 /mo |
| Travelers | $137 /mo |
| Anchor | $139 /mo |
| Freedom National | $139 /mo |
Compare Car Insurance Quotes Instantly
- Personalized quotes in 5 minutes or less
- No signup required
Best Car Insurance in San Jose, CA
Using a consistent methodology to rank the best car insurance companies can be a great way to showcase which providers offer the most value to customers. Insurify the ICS, or the Insurify Composite Score, to rank companies based on quality, reliability, and health. Below is a list of the top insurance providers in San Jose based on their ICS.
| Best Companies | Score | Quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Clearcover | 97 | $150 /mo |
| Safeco | 86 | $190 /mo |
| Travelers | 80 | $137 /mo |
| 21st Century | 80 | $170 /mo |
| National General | 58 | $158 /mo |
See More: Best Car Insurance Companies
Average Car Insurance Cost
| California Cities | |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $195/mo |
| San Diego | $172/mo |
| San Francisco | $132/mo |
| Sacramento | $112/mo |
| San Jose | $210/mo |
| California | $164/mo |
Sacramento$112
San Francisco$132
Average for CA$164
San Diego$172
Los Angeles$195
San Jose$210
Click here to learn about car insurance quotes and save on your current policy.
Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in California
All motor vehicles operated or parked on California roadways are required to be insured. Proof of insurance must be carried in your car at all times and must be available when:
- Requested by law enforcement
- Renewing vehicle registration
- The vehicle is involved in a car accident
The minimum liability insurance requirements for private passenger vehicles in California[1] are:
- $15,000 per person for bodily injury
- $30,000 per accident for bodily injury
As a major part of your liability insurance, bodily injury coverage covers medical bills for people other than the policyholder who are injured during an accident. California is an at-fault state, meaning the driver who is responsible for the collision is also responsible for paying for any resulting expenses, either through their car insurance provider or out of pocket.
- $5,000 per accident for property damage
If it’s determined that an insured driver is at fault for an accident, this coverage pays for repairs to the property of the other involved parties. Additionally, property damage coverage can cover legal costs if the insured driver is involved in a lawsuit following the accident.
San Jose Car Insurance Rates by Driver Age
As a driver gains more experience behind the wheel, insurance companies tend to offer lower rates for auto insurance. This trend is visible throughout California, where teenage drivers pay the most for coverage with an average monthly cost of $388. Drivers in their 50s only pay $136 per month for a car insurance policy.
Discover what averages each age group pays throughout California with the chart below.
| Driver's Age | Avg. Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Teens | $388 |
| 20s | $272 |
| 30s | $174 |
| 40s | $148 |
| 50s | $136 |
| 60s | $133 |
| 70s | $150 |
| 80+ | $157 |
San Jose Car Insurance Rates by Driving and Accident History
If you can keep a clean driving record, you are more likely to pay less for auto insurance. Drivers who avoid high-risk incidents such as speeding tickets, DUIs, and accidents only spend an average of $226 a month for coverage. Use the chart below to see how a driving incident can affect your monthly premium.
| Driving History | Avg. Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Clean Record | $226 |
| Speeding Ticket | $291 |
| At-Fault Accident | $271 |
| DUI | $266 |
Find local San Jose agents
SBC Insurance Services, Inc.
200 N. Almaden Blvd 3rd Fl,
San Jose, CA 95110Brian Ruiz Insurance
4010 Moorpark Avenue,
Suite 209, San Jose, CA 95117Jack Healey Insurance Agency, Inc
1602 The Alameda,
#203, San Jose, CA 95126Wallis & Wallis Insurance Agency
1249 Park Avenue,
San Jose, CA 95126Asero Insurance Services, Inc.
200 N. Almaden Blvd.,
3rd Floor, San Jose, CA 95110McSherry & Hudson - San Jose
35 Penny Lane,
Suite #6, San Jose, CA 95113Sanfilippo & Sons Insurance Services, LLC
888 North First Street,
Suite D, San Jose, CA 95112The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers
1122 Meridian Avenue,
San Jose, CA 95125The J. Morey Company, Inc Insurance Agents and Brokers
184 Jackson Street,
San Jose, CA 95112Care Insurance Agency, Inc.
900 N. First Street,
Suite E, San Jose, CA 95112-4918
Regardless of whether you are just starting your driving career or have been driving for years, at some point, you will need to visit the DMV. For drivers in San Jose and the Silicon Valley area, the closest option is at 111 W Alma Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110.
The San Jose DMV offers a wide range of services for local drivers. For example, teenage drivers can get their learner’s permit and take their driver’s license exam at this location. Drivers are also able to transfer the title of their vehicle.
Here are a few of the other services offered by the San Jose DMV:
- Replace a damaged, lost, or stolen driver’s license
- Obtain new plates for your vehicle
- Test for specialty licenses that allow you to operate a motorcycle
- Register a new vehicle
- Request records on a vehicle
In addition, the San Jose DMV offers a self-serve kiosk that can be used for a wide range of services, from registrations to driver’s license renewals.
Public Transportation in San Jose
Citizens and visitors of San Jose will be happy to know that there are many options available for public transportation. Caltrain, Altamont Corridor Express, and Capitol Corridor all provide rail services to the city, Greyhound and Megabus provide bus routes, and the VTA Light-Rail and Bus offers both transit options to San Jose residents.
How to Get the Cheapest Car Insurance in San Jose
In California, many companies offer auto insurance services ranging from small boutique shops to large national providers like GEICO and State Farm, making it all the more important to shop quotes and compare rates to get the cheapest car insurance. Often, you will find that some insurance providers offer better rates and discounts than others.
Insurify has simplified the auto insurance shopping process by creating an easy-to-use platform. By submitting a little information about yourself and providing answers to a couple of basic questions, you will be presented with a list of quotes to review. To ensure the process is quick and simple, Insurify allows you to compare multiple quotes on a single page.
FAQs - San Jose, CA Car Insurance
Shopping around is often the best way to find policies with cheap car insurance premiums. When you start your search, you will want to ensure you include a wide range of auto insurance companies. Even though large insurance providers such as USAA, Liberty Mutual, and Allstate offer lower average rates, you should also consider regional companies.
San Jose may not have the lowest auto insurance rates, but the average cost for a car insurance policy is still lower than in other cities like Los Angeles. Generally, San Jose drivers will pay around $209 per month for coverage. However, the rates you receive could vary depending on your driving history and age.
Several elements can drive the cost of car insurance rates up in San Jose, CA. For instance, a motorist who receives a DUI will notice that their rates for insurance coverage are much higher than a driver who has a clean driving record. Your California car insurance rates may also increase based on your credit score, coverage type, and age.
Compare Car Insurance Quotes Instantly
- Personalized quotes in 5 minutes or less
- No signup required
Methodology
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.
Insurify Insights
How San Jose Drivers Measure Up
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 Jose, California below:
Methodology
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 Jose 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.
Honda Accord
Most Popular Car in San Jose
#116
City with the Most Speeding Tickets Rank in California
#200
City with the Most Moving Violations Rank in California
#113
City with the Most DUIs Rank in California
#139
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 Jose drivers rank 74 in the number of car accidents per driver across all cities in California.
- Rank within state: #74
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with an accident: 11.97%
- Drivers in San Jose, CA with an accident in their driving history pay on average 28.5% more than drivers with a clean record
Exceeding the speed limit can endanger others and leave a permanent stain on your driving record. When compared to other cities in California, San Jose drivers rank 116 in the number of speeding infractions per driver.
- Rank within state: #116
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with a speeding ticket: 6.99%
- Drivers in San Jose, CA with a speeding ticket in their driving history pay on average 38% more than drivers with a clean record
While driving while intoxicated is never acceptable, it’s a more common offense than many assume. San Jose drivers rank 113 in the number of DUI’s per driver across all cities in California.
- Rank within state: #113
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with a DUI: 2.39%
- Drivers in San Jose, CA with a DUI in their driving history pay on average 23.5% more than drivers with a clean record
Some car models are just more popular than others and trends can vary from place to place. The most popular vehicle in San Jose is the Honda Accord.
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 Jose drivers rank 49 in rude driving infractions.
- Rank within state: #49
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with a reckless driving violation: 2.39%
- Drivers in San Jose, CA with a reckless driving violation in their driving history pay on average 16% more than drivers with a clean record.
Having a squeaky-clean driving record is an accomplishment to be proud of. Some cities have safer drivers than others; San Jose drivers rank 45 in clean driving records across all cities in California.
- Rank within state: #45
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with clean record: 80.67%
Failing to yield the right of way isn’t just frustrating for other drivers; it’s dangerous, too. San Jose drivers rank 36 in failure to yield violations per driver across all cities in California.
- Rank within state: #36
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with a failure to yield violation: 0.29%
- Drivers in San Jose, CA with a failure to yield violation in their driving history pay on average 0% more than drivers with a clean record
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 Jose drivers rank 26 in the number of reckless driving offenses per driver.
- Rank within state: #26
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with a reckless driving offense: 0.14%
As auto manufacturers increasingly turn towards producing greener car models, more and more motorists are embracing hybrids and EV’s. San Jose drivers rank 35 in hybrid and electric vehicle ownership across all cities in California.
- Rank within state: #35
- Percent of drivers in San Jose with a hybrid/electric vehicle: 5.23%
Insurify Insights
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.
Content Manager at Insurify
Tanveen Vohra is a content manager at Insurify specializing in writing property and casualty insurance content. Through her content, Tanveen helps consumers better understand the components of their insurance policies so they can make smarter purchase decisions. Tanveen's work has been cited by CNBC, Fox Business, Business Insider, Fortune, and Market Watch, among others.
Sources
- California Department of Motor Vehicles. "State Minimum Car Insurance." Accessed May 28, 2022