You have probably watched the commercials from companies like GEICO and State Farm claiming big savings, so you should just choose one randomly, right?
It’s not that easy, however, as there are a whole bunch of unknown factors such as whether you just want liability only, the type of vehicle you drive, citations or tickets, and if you have a spouse, that all have an effect on the price of a policy. This article goes into detail about the things that cause high insurance rates and will hopefully give the reader a good beginning to your quest for cheaper car insurance in California.
For pre-owned vehicles, one of the big components that are looked at to determine the annual cost of car insurance is where you keep your car. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents have the luxury of lower rates.
The table below rates the most expensive cities in California for used cars to purchase a policy in. Sacramento shows up at #4 costing $1,720 on average, which is approximately $143 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,738 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
| 5 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 7 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 9 | Fontana | $1,581 |
| 10 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 12 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 14 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 15 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 16 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 18 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 19 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 20 | Irvine | $1,384 |
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Annual rates are approximated as specific Sacramento garaging address can decrease or increase coverage prices significantly.
The make and model of vehicle you are buying coverage for is a significant factor that determines whether or not you can buy economical car insurance for used cars. Vehicles with lots of horsepower, a lack of modern safety features, or a high likelihood of having liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer models. The next table illustrates car insurance prices for a selection of the most economical automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,264 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab 2WD | $1,416 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $1,426 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,431 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,497 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $1,505 |
| Ford Explorer Limited AWD | $1,525 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,537 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,542 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $1,565 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 4WD | $1,603 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $1,636 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $1,644 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,644 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ Crew Cab 2WD | $1,659 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,669 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SXT | $1,678 |
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Data based on single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, and homeowner. Information does not factor in specific location which can lower or raise insurance rates noticeably.
Looking at the numbers, models like the Honda Accord, Ford F-150, and Honda CR-V are likely to be a few of the cheaper vehicles to insure for pre-owned vehicles.
Liability-only versus full coverage
Finding cheaper auto insurance is probably important to most people, and one of the quickest ways to lower the cost of insurance for used cars is to not insure for full coverage. The illustration below illustrates the difference between insurance prices with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The data is based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are factored in.
Averaged for all ages 20 through 70, physical damage insurance costs an extra $2,314 per year over liability only. Many drivers will wonder if full coverage is worth the money. There isn’t a steadfast formula for eliminating full coverage on your policy, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of having full coverage is about 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.
Sacramento auto insurance companies ranked
Finding the top auto insurance company can be challenging considering how many different companies there are to choose from in Sacramento. The company ratings listed below could help you choose which car insurance providers to look at when looking for cheaper rates.
These ratings are only comprised of the companies with a significant amount of written premium nationwide, so companies that focus mainly on California business are not included in this list. To check rates from these top insurers and more, click this link.
Top 10 Large Car Insurance Companies in Sacramento Ranked by Value
- USAA
- American Family
- The Hartford
- AAA of Southern California
- Titan Insurance
- The General
- AAA Insurance
- State Farm
- Mercury Insurance
- Nationwide
Top 10 Large Car Insurance Companies in Sacramento Ranked by Customer Service
- AAA of Southern California
- GEICO
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- Mercury Insurance
- The General
- Progressive
- Allstate
- AAA Insurance
- American Family
How to get discounts on Sacramento car insurance
Auto insurance companies that provide policies for used cars may have policy discounts that may potentially lower prices by as much as 40% or more if you meet the requirements. Popular auto insurance companies and the discounts they provide are shown below.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including seat belt use, defensive driver, multi-vehicle, emergency military deployment, air bags, good student, and military active duty.
- Travelers may offer discounts for student away at school, home ownership, save driver, IntelliDrive, and early quote.
- Nationwide offers discounts for family plan, good student, Farm Bureau membership, defensive driving, and business or organization.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts including good student, electronic funds transfer, distant student, youthful driver, alternative fuel, and switch companies.
- Esurance offers premium reductions for good driver, homeowner, online quote, emergency road assistance, and good student.
- State Farm may include discounts for good student, safe vehicle, multiple policy, student away at school, and accident-free.
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, good student, online quote discount, multi-policy, and online signing.
- Mercury Insurance includes discounts for accident-free, anti-theft, annual mileage, ease of repair, and good driver.
The chart below shows the difference between insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The premiums assume a male driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $1,000 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with vehicle safety, safe-driver, defensive driving course, marriage, multiple policy, and multiple vehicle discounts applied. When drivers take advantage of discounts, the average savings per year on auto insurance for used cars is 28% or $703.