The vehicle model you are buying coverage for is probably the most important factor when trying to find affordable auto insurance for college graduates. Vehicles with more horsepower, poor crash test ratings, or an increased likelihood of liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than more modest models. The list below presents auto insurance prices for a handful of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure in California.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,050 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $1,057 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $1,050 |
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $1,087 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,090 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $1,111 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $1,120 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $1,144 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $1,149 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L | $1,170 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,173 |
| Nissan Rogue S 2WD | $1,192 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $1,198 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 2WD | $1,192 |
| GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $1,212 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,232 |
| Ford F-150 Lariat Super Cab 2WD | $1,240 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD | $1,251 |
| Honda Civic LX-S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,258 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,273 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,278 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $1,273 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport Package 4WD | $1,280 |
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Data based on single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Rates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can modify price quotes substantially.
Based on these rates, you can expect vehicles like the Dodge Grand Caravan, Jeep Wrangler, and Honda CR-V are a few of the most economical vehicles to insure for college grads.
Finding dependable, affordable auto insurance is not most people's favorite thing to do, and figuring out which insurers offer the cheapest insurance rates for college graduates will involve even more diligence. Each insurance company has a unique formula for setting rates, so we'll take a look at the insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in Santa Ana, CA.
It's a good idea to be aware that California insurance rates are impacted by many things that may substantially change the price of coverage. Turning one year older, marrying your spouse, or having an at-fault accident can trigger changes in premium that can now make some companies cheaper than competitors.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for Grads
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,109 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,198 |
| 4 | Century National | $1,226 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,433 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,503 |
| 9 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 10 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,575 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 16 | State Farm | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,849 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
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USAA has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Santa Ana at around $1,109 annually. This is $542 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide also qualify as some of the cheaper Santa Ana, CA auto insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you are a policyholder with CSAA and switched to USAA, you might achieve a yearly price reduction of upwards of $89. Drivers with Century National may save as much as $117 a year, and Nationwide customers might realize rate reductions of up to $141 a year.
Remember that these policy prices are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not figured with a specific location for college graduates. So the insurer that fits your age and vehicle best may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That illustrates why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
For college grads, one of the big criteria that determine the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you call home. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims tend to have higher rates, whereas more rural areas benefit from lower rates.
The illustration below rates the priciest cities in California for college graduates to purchase a policy in. Santa Ana is ranked #16 with a yearly premium of $1,439 for the average policyholder, which is around $120 monthly.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 8 | Fontana | $1,581 |
| 9 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 10 | Santa Clarita | $1,548 |
| 11 | Modesto | $1,547 |
| 12 | Moreno Valley | $1,536 |
| 13 | Riverside | $1,527 |
| 14 | Garden Grove | $1,508 |
| 15 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 17 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 18 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 19 | San Diego | $1,381 |
| 20 | Bakersfield | $1,381 |
| 21 | Fremont | $1,361 |
| 22 | Huntington Beach | $1,360 |
| 23 | Chula Vista | $1,350 |
| 24 | Irvine | $1,343 |
| 25 | Oxnard | $1,318 |
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Table data uses approximated as the vehicle garaging location can change premium rates substantially.
How to find a good Santa Ana insurance company
Insuring your vehicle with a good quality insurance provider can be rather challenging considering how many choices you have in Santa Ana. The company information in the next section could help you pick which coverage providers you want to consider when shopping insurance around for college graduates. The ratings below include the largest auto insurers in America, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in California are not taken into consideration for this list.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 98 | 100 | 100 | 94% | A++ | 98.6 |
| American Family | 98 | 89 | 100 | 86% | A | 95.4 |
| AAA of Southern California | 91 | 94 | 97 | 92% | A+ | 94.1 |
| State Farm | 88 | 93 | 96 | 90% | A++ | 92.4 |
| The Hartford | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89% | A+ | 91.7 |
| AAA Insurance | 88 | 89 | 95 | 91% | A | 91.2 |
| GEICO | 84 | 93 | 93 | 89% | A++ | 90.3 |
| The General | 89 | 91 | 89 | 88% | A- | 90 |
| Titan Insurance | 90 | 87 | 91 | 95% | A+ | 89.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 91 | 93 | 87% | A+ | 89.5 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Rate increases following a ticket or accident
A great way to get affordable insurance rates for college grads is to be a good driver and avoid at-fault accidents and violations. The information below shows how traffic citations and fender-benders can drive up yearly insurance costs for different age categories. The costs are based on a married male driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
In the prior example, the average cost of a car insurance policy in California per year with no violations or accidents is $2,882. Receive two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $3,996, an increase of $1,114 each year. Now add one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of insurance for college graduates increases to an average of $5,138. That's an increase of $2,256, or $188 per month, just for being a little careless behind the wheel!
How to get discounts on Santa Ana car insurance rates
Auto insurance companies that sell policies for college graduates may also provide rate discounts that could lower prices by 40% or more if you meet specific criteria. A list of insurance companies and their offered discounts include:
- Farm Bureau may have discounts that include driver training, 55 and retired, renewal discount, multi-vehicle, and youthful driver.
- State Farm discounts include multiple autos, accident-free, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, and student away at school.
- Progressive may offer discounts for online signing, good student, continuous coverage, multi-policy, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and homeowner.
- Allstate has savings for safe driver, passive restraint, defensive driver, auto/life discount, and utility vehicle.
- Nationwide has discounts for easy pay, business or organization, multi-policy, defensive driving, and anti-theft.
- MetLife policyholders can earn discounts including claim-free, good student, good driver, accident-free, multi-policy, and defensive driver.
The chart below illustrates the comparison of insurance prices with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The costs are based on a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, defensive driving course, multiple vehicle, passive restraint, safe-driver, and marriage discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, the average savings per year on insurance for college graduates is 28% or $549.
Why you should be shopping around
Santa Ana, CA insurance rates are impacted by many things which can substantially change the policy premium. Turning one year older, getting married, or getting a driving violation can trigger rate changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than others. In addition, companies modify pricing at least once a year to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. Larger than normal claims can cause price increases, while profitable underwriting can produce lower-priced Santa Ana car insurance rates.
As an example, the graph below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in Santa Ana, CA for a 30-year-old male driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and excellent credit. Based on his current situation, USAA may have the lowest car insurance rates in Santa Ana at $1,261 each year. This is $390 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, CSAA, Wawanesa, and Nationwide also make the list of the best Santa Ana, CA auto insurance companies.
Now we will give the driver in the first example a couple of claims, bad credit, and a speeding citation. Due to the fact that every insurance company has a unique approach for setting prices, analyzing rate quotes may now present a significantly different list of affordable companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best price on car insurance in Santa Ana, CA with Mercury, Progressive, Allstate, and GEICO also having competitive pricing. This example illustrates why it is critical to perform an extensive rate comparison to find the cheapest car insurance quotes for college graduates.
Rates can be determined by many things and can decrease or increase without notice, so the best option two years ago may now be one of the more expensive options.