Finding decent, affordable car insurance is not easy, and finding out which companies have the most affordable car insurance rates for college students requires even more work. Every auto insurer uses their own calculation to determine rates, so let's take a look at the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in California.
Best Car Insurance Prices for College Students
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,109 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
| 5 | Century National | $1,214 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 9 | GEICO | $1,529 |
| 10 | Mercury | $1,533 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 12 | Allstate | $1,559 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 16 | State Farm | $1,750 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,756 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,788 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,849 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,026 |
| Quote Your Rates Go | ||
USAA may have some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Santa Ana at around $1,109 annually. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National are also some of the cheaper Santa Ana, CA car insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are a customer of Wawanesa and switched to USAA, you might see a yearly savings of around $37. California drivers with CSAA may save as much as $77 a year, and Nationwide customers might realize rate reductions of up to $104 a year.
To get a fast rate comparison, click here to get a free quote or quote rates from the companies below.
Understand that those prices are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not factor in an exact location for college students. So the auto insurance company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the list above. That point stresses why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
The type of vehicle to be insured is one of the largest considerations when quoting cheaper auto insurance for college students. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, a plethora of safety features, or low incidents of liability claims will cost much less to insure than higher performance models.
The table below ranks coverage premiums for a number of the most economical automobiles to insure in California.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $2,710 |
| Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $2,720 |
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $2,710 |
| Ford F-150 STX Super Cab 2WD | $2,978 |
| Toyota Prius | $2,994 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $3,181 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $3,188 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $3,222 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $3,231 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $3,222 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $3,232 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport Islander Package 4WD 4-Dr | $3,262 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD | $3,271 |
| Honda Civic EX 4-Dr Sedan | $3,382 |
| Toyota Camry XLE | $3,423 |
| Ford Edge Limited AWD | $3,433 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $3,423 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $3,428 |
| Toyota Tacoma X-Runner 2WD | $3,423 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $3,433 |
| Get a Custom Quote Go | |
Cost estimates assume single male driver age 20, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Rate quotes do not factor in specific garaging location which can modify price quotes substantially.
By looking at the data, we can assume that makes and models like the Honda CR-V, Honda Accord, and Ford Escape are likely to be a few of the more affordable vehicles to insure for students in college. Rates will trend higher just because there is more claim risk for college students, but generally speaking those vehicles will most likely have the lowest insurance prices that you are likely to find.
Full coverage versus liability only rates
Buying cheaper car insurance is the goal of the majority of vehicle owners, and one good way to reduce the cost of insurance for college students is to not insure for full coverage. The diagram below visualizes the comparison of car insurance rates with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The premiums are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are factored in.
On average, full coverage costs an extra $3,147 per year more than just insuring for liability. Many drivers will wonder if it's worth it to buy full coverage. There isn't a steadfast formula to eliminate comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
For example, let's say your vehicle's book value is $8,500 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most your company will settle for is $7,500 after the deductible is paid. If you are paying in excess of $750 annually for your policy with full coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
The example below shows how different deductible levels can change insurance costs when quoting cheap insurance for college students. The rate quotes are based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.
The data above shows that a 40-year-old driver could lower rates by $490 a year by switching their comprehensive and collision coverages from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $736 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, like the 20-year-old, could lower their rates as much as $1,246 each year by choosing a higher deductible.
If you make the decision to raise deductibles, it will be required to have emergency funds available to allow you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense. This is the primary disadvantage of choosing high deductibles.
Drive safe and save
The easiest method to maintain cheap car insurance rates for students in college is to be an attentive driver and avoid accidents and traffic citations. The illustration below illustrates how violations and accident claims can drive up insurance premiums for each different age category. The premium estimates are based on a married female driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
The chart shows that the average cost of a car insurance policy per year with no accidents or violations is $2,372. Add in two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $3,382, an increase of $1,009 each year. Now get one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the yearly cost of car insurance for college students increases to an average of $4,412. That's an increase of $2,040, or $170 per month, just for being a less-than-perfect driver!
Santa Ana car insurance rates
Santa Ana car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that may substantially change the cost of coverage. Simply getting older, buying higher coverage limits, or getting a couple of tickets can produce rate changes that can now make some companies cheaper than before. Not only may your situation change, but car insurance companies modify pricing as needed in order to be able to pay unexpected claims. Unexpectedly high claims can result in additional premium costs, while profitable underwriting can result in more affordable Santa Ana car insurance rates.
For example, the graph below shows which company has the cheapest car insurance in Santa Ana, CA for a 45-year-old female driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and good financial standing. If we estimate rates based on her personal risk profile, USAA might quote the best car insurance rates in Santa Ana at $1,292 each year. This is $359 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National are also included in the cheapest Santa Ana, CA auto insurance companies.
Now let's give the driver from the first rate comparison an at-fault accident, a little lower credit rating, and a couple of points charged on her driving record. Since every insurance provider has their own formula to determine rates, analyzing rate quotes could now result in a significantly different list of cheap Santa Ana auto insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest auto insurance in Santa Ana with Progressive, Allstate, Allied, and Mercury now rounding out the top five. This example demonstrates why California drivers need to compare many different companies when trying to get cheap insurance rates for college students.
Prices are influenced by many factors and change substantially, so the most affordable company three years ago may now cost much more than other companies.