The words “cheap” and “auto insurance” really don’t belong together, in particular when you are searching for the cheapest car insurance for teachers. Because of the high cost, let’s start off by going over some things that significantly impact car insurance premiums, and come up with some ideas to take a little off your next policy.
For teachers and educators, one of the largest factors that are looked at to determine insurance cost is where you keep your vehicle. Areas with increased crime or more people tend to have more expensive car insurance rates, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims have the luxury of lower rates.
The table below lists the most expensive places in California for teachers in which to buy car insurance. Oakland makes the list at #5 with the yearly price of $1,687 for car insurance, which is about $141 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 5 | Oakland | $1,687 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 10 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 11 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 12 | Garden Grove | $1,508 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 14 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
| 20 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 21 | San Diego | $1,381 |
| 22 | Fremont | $1,348 |
| 23 | Oxnard | $1,344 |
| 24 | Irvine | $1,343 |
| 25 | Chula Vista | $1,311 |
| Find the Best Rates Go | ||
Rate quotes are estimated as specific Oakland garaging address can change rates considerably.
The type of vehicle that needs insurance is one of the main factors that determines if you can find low-priced auto insurance for teachers. Vehicles with higher performance, poor passenger safety features, or high incidents of liability claims will cost much more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.
The data below ranks coverage rates for a number of the cheaper automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Toyota Prius | $1,373 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab 2WD | $1,388 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,397 |
| Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $1,391 |
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $1,438 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,441 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $1,469 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $1,549 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SR 4-Dr Sedan | $1,577 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,579 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4WD 4-Dr | $1,592 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,602 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Extended Cab 4WD | $1,609 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $1,618 |
| Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,609 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $1,619 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,642 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | |
Cost estimates assume single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and claim-free. Premium costs do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can impact insurance rates considerably.
Based on these rates, you can assume that cars like the Toyota Prius, Ford F-150, and Dodge Grand Caravan are likely to be the more affordable vehicles to insure for teachers and educators.
Figuring out which companies quote the cheapest insurance rates for teachers will take a tad more effort in order to find the best policy. Every car insurance company uses a little different formula for determining prices, so let’s take a look at the most competitive insurance companies in Oakland.
We do need to point out that California insurance rates are calculated based on many things that may substantially change the price you pay for coverage. Simply turning a year older, having a teen driver, or getting caught speeding can trigger price changes that can now make some companies more affordable than the competition.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Educators
USAA quotes some of the lowest car insurance rates in Oakland at around $1,121 a year. This is $530 less than the average premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National also rank well as some of the most economical Oakland, CA car insurance companies.
As shown in the rates above, if you buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you might realize a yearly price reduction of about $69. Drivers with Century National could save as much as $69 a year, and 21st Century insureds might see rate reductions of $209 a year.
Understand that those policy rates are averaged for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and do not take into consideration a specific vehicle garaging location for teachers. So the car insurance company that is best suited for you may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That affirms the importance of why you need to get auto insurance quotes using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
Choosing the highest-rated insurance provider is hard considering how many companies sell coverage in California. The ranking information below may help you choose which insurers you want to consider shopping prices with. These rankings only include large nationwide companies, so companies that may only write in California are not taken into consideration for these rankings.
Top 10 Large Car Insurance Companies in Oakland Ranked by A.M. Best Rating
- USAA – A++
- Travelers – A++
- State Farm – A++
- GEICO – A++
- Esurance – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Mercury Insurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Titan Insurance – A+
Top 10 Large Car Insurance Companies Overall in Oakland
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
How much more does full coverage cost?
Saving on insurance should be important to most drivers, and an effective way to find cheaper insurance for teachers is to only buy liability coverage. The chart below illustrates the difference between car insurance costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The premiums are based on a clean driving record, no claims, $1,000 deductibles, single marital status, and no policy discounts are applied.
As an overall average, comp and collision coverage costs an additional $2,003 per year more than buying just liability insurance. A very common question is if it’s a good idea to buy full coverage. There is no definitive guideline for dropping physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s book value is $12,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most your company will settle for is $11,000 after paying your policy deductible. If you are currently paying more than $1,100 annually for your policy with full coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
Ideas for buying budget-friendly auto insurance for teachers
Here are a few thrifty suggestions that can help drivers find lower-cost auto insurance.
- Prevent rate increases by staying accident-free
- Do not get tickets
- Don’t have frequent claims
- Increase your deductibles
- Drop full coverage on older vehicles
- Keep rates low by comparing prices once a year
The last tip is remarkably important, as we noted in this write-up. Prices charged by car insurance companies vary greatly, so don’t be unwilling to switch companies if a better deal can be had. Sticking with a specific company is fine, but it’s not recommended if that dedication is costing a fortune every year. Take a couple minutes and compare prices to find cheaper insurance for teachers in Oakland.