You have probably seen the ads from car insurance companies like Progressive, Nationwide, and Allstate that make claims of enormous savings, so drivers should just pick the one with the catchiest commercial, right?
It’s just not that easy, however, as there are a whole bunch of unknowns like if you have any tickets or accidents, your annual mileage driven, when you were born, and if you just need liability coverage. This article goes into detail about the different ways you can keep rates low and will hopefully give you a good start in finding the cheapest car insurance.
The vehicle needing coverage is one of the largest considerations in finding low-cost insurance for drivers under 21. Vehicles with higher performance characteristics, poor passenger safety features, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than more modest models.
The list below shows insurance premiums for the most economical vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $5,052 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $5,062 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $5,445 |
| Toyota Prius | $5,503 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $5,661 |
| Ford F-150 XL Crew Cab 4WD | $5,719 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $5,939 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $5,949 |
| Ford Edge SE AWD | $5,939 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $5,997 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $6,006 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $5,997 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $6,006 |
| Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $5,997 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LS Extended Cab 4WD | $6,002 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | |
Prices based on single male driver age 18, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Price estimates do not factor in specific location information which can lower or raise price quotes greatly.
Based upon the table data, you can infer that models like the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Escape, and Toyota Prius are most likely going to be a few of the cheaper vehicles to insure for minors. The cost of auto insurance will tend to be higher because there is more risk for drivers under 21, but in general those specific models will tend to have the cheapest car insurance rates that you are likely to find.
For minors, one of the big components that help determine the cost of insurance is where your residence is. Areas with increased crime or more people will most likely pay more, whereas more rural areas tend to receive cheaper rates.
The illustration below shows the most expensive cities in California for drivers under 21 to buy auto insurance in. Oakland comes in at #4 with an annual cost of $1,704 for coverage, which is about $142 each month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 7 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
| 8 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 9 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 10 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
| 11 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 12 | Moreno Valley | $1,536 |
| 13 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 14 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 15 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
| 20 | San Diego | $1,368 |
| 21 | Bakersfield | $1,353 |
| 22 | Chula Vista | $1,350 |
| 23 | Fremont | $1,348 |
| 24 | Irvine | $1,343 |
| 25 | Oxnard | $1,304 |
| Find the Best Rates Go | ||
Rate information is approximated as specific location information can lower or raise coverage prices considerably.
Figuring out which companies offer the best insurance rates for drivers under 21 calls for a bit more effort in order to find coverage that fits your budget. Every insurance provider uses their own calculation for determining rates in each state, so we will examine the insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in Oakland.
It’s important that you understand Oakland insurance rates are based on many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price you have to pay for coverage. Improving your credit score, increasing deductibles, or getting caught speeding may prompt premium changes that may make certain companies cheaper than competitors.
Find the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Minors
USAA normally has some of the best car insurance rates in Oakland at around $1,143 each year. This is $508 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide also rank well as some of the cheaper Oakland, CA auto insurance companies.
As shown in the table above, if you are currently insured with Century National and switched to Wawanesa, you might see annual savings of about $22. Insureds with Nationwide might save as much as $71 a year, and 21st Century insureds might realize rate reductions of up to $133 a year.
To get a fast rate comparison, click here or visit any of the low-priced companies below.
Understand that those policy rates are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with an exact vehicle garaging location for drivers under 21. So the auto insurance company that fits you best may not even be in the list above. That is why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own driver data and vehicle information.
Finding the best company is hard considering how many different companies sell coverage in Oakland. The company ratings shown below may help you analyze which providers to look at comparing rate quotes with. The rankings below are for the largest auto insurers in America, so companies without a large exposure will not be included in this list.
Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Companies in Oakland Ranked by Claims Service
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- Esurance
- AAA Insurance
- Progressive
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- Allstate
- Titan Insurance
- The Hartford
The information below demonstrates how deductible levels can increase or decrease insurance costs when trying to find cheap insurance for drivers under 21. The information is based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
As shown above, a 40-year-old driver could cut expenses by $300 a year by switching their comprehensive and collision coverages from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $456 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the Age 20 category, can cut $750 each year just by choosing larger deductibles. If you do decide to increase your deductibles, it is necessary to have plenty of savings on hand to enable you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which deters some people from using high deductibles.
How to find more affordable car insurance for drivers under 21
Here are some of the better penny-pinching solutions that can help drivers quote cheaper coverage.
- Good credit scores may make rates cheaper
- Maintain a safe distance and avoid accidents
- Safer vehicles generally have cheaper insurance rates
- You will pay more if you get tickets or have at-fault accidents
- Increase your policy deductibles
- On older vehicles, drop full coverage
- Shop around and save
The last item on the list is incredibly necessary, as we noted in this piece. Prices charged by companies can change significantly in a year, so drivers shouldn’t hesitate to buy a policy from a new company if a better deal can be had.
Many drivers tend to have loyalty to a certain company, but it isn’t a good idea if that inflexibility results in costing you potentially thousands of dollars a year. If you have a few minutes, compare prices to find cheaper car insurance for drivers under 21 in Oakland.
The insurance agents in Oakland listed below can help you determine which auto insurance policy would work best for you, as some drivers have questions and prefer to have some professional guidance when trying to find the best insurance rates for drivers under 21. It can be difficult to find the cheapest auto insurance company, so getting advice from a licensed California insurance agent can give you peace of mind knowing you have sufficient coverage at claim time.
To locate an agency nearest to you, click the button at the bottom.
- Farmers Insurance – Margarita Rodriguez
3028 International Blvd – Oakland, CA 94601 – (510) 532-8426 - Farmers Insurance: Howard Ruud
5956 MacArthur Blvd – Oakland, CA 94605 – (510) 635-0608 - Farmers Insurance – Thy Le
745 E 12th St #101 – Oakland, CA 94606 – (510) 465-2029 - Bucheku Insurance Agency
1714 Franklin St Suite 305 – Oakland, CA 94612 – (510) 655-6969 - Frank Sanchez – State Farm Agent
5301 Claremont Ave – Oakland, CA 94618 – (510) 658-2722