How California’s largest cities compare for automobile insurance rates

How California’s largest cities compare for automobile insurance rates

Even if you reside in one among the foremost big-ticket nada codes in Calif. for automobile insurance, you'll cut your rate by fifty p.c or a lot of in some cases simply by searching around, a replacement analysis to finds.

Drivers in l. a. postal code 90029 pay the best average automobile insurance rate in Calif., $2,416 a year, in step with a http://autoinsurance-informations.blogspot.com/ survey of rates from six major carriers. however the distinction between the best rate ($3,194) for that nada and also the lowest ($1,464) is $1,730.

Coverage in Los Olivos, the least expensive ZIP code in the state, averaged $996 a year. Even there, the same driver could pay as little as $642 or as much as $1,373.

"You don't need to have a coupon-cutter personality to save a lot on car insurance," says Penny Gusner, consumer analyst for Insure.com. "You just need to be aware that rates can differ dramatically, sometimes by thousands, so it pays to get several quotes before you decide on a policy."

CarInsurance.com compared rates for a 2014 Honda Accord with full coverage in more than 1,800 ZIP codes in California and more than 30,713 ZIP codes across the U.S. , then ranked them by average premium.


You can explore California car insurance rates by using CarInsurance.com’s average rates tool.  Enter a ZIP code to see the average premium for the location, as well as the highest and lowest rates from the six carriers surveyed.

The most expensive ZIP codes, on average, for car insurance in each of California's 20 largest cities are:

Los Angeles ZIP 90029
                $2,416

 Glendale ZIP 91204
                $2,365

Oakland ZIP 94607
               $1,868

Sacramento ZIP 95824
               $1,833

San Francisco ZIP 94134
               $1,815

Long Beach ZIP 90813
               $1,702

San Bernardino ZIP 92410
               $1,656

Fresno ZIP 93701
               $1,624

Stockton ZIP 95202
               $1,612

     10. Modesto ZIP 95351

               $1,585

Anaheim ZIP 92804
               $1,559

Santa Ana ZIP 92703
               $1,543

    13. Riverside ZIP 92501

              $1,528

San Jose ZIP 95122
              $1,475

San Diego ZIP 92135
              $1,467

Fremont ZIP 94555
              $1,430

Bakersfield ZIP 93305
              $1,413

Oxnard ZIP 93033
              $1,388

Huntington Beach ZIP 92646
              $1,370

Chula Vista ZIP 91911
              $1,340

Car insurance quotes, California style

Your location – where your car is parked at night -- is chief among the variables that car insurance companies use to calculate your rate. Insurers assign ZIP codes different risk levels based on the number and severity of claims within the area.

California state laws require car insurance companies to give more weight to your driving record, annual mileage and years of driving experience than to your location.

That makes differences between California cities less dramatic than in other states. Drivers in Detroit, for example, pay four or even five times as much for the same coverage as some of their fellow Michiganders.

Even so, it's important to comparison shop even in California because each car insurance company has its own base rate and uses its own formulas to write policies. In tony Glendale ZIP 91204, there's a savings of $1,828 if you nab the lowest quote ($1,531) instead of paying the highest ($3,359).

Methodology

CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to run auto insurance rates for a 2014 Honda Accord for 30,713 ZIP codes in the United States using six large carriers -- Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm. (In cases where an insurer’s rate wasn’t available, another major carrier's rate was substituted.)

Insurance companies use a process called territorial rating when assessing your location. Each insurer has its own formula for creating these territories and the territories' boundaries do not always match those of ZIP codes. As a result, a specific ZIP code may sometimes be in more than one rating territory, which means insurance companies may assign different rates within the same ZIP code.

Averages are based on insurance for a single 40-year-old male who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/50 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. This hypothetical driver has a clean record and good credit. The rate includes uninsured motorist coverage. Average rates are for comparative purposes. Your own rate will depend on your personal factors and vehicle.