You have surely seen all the catchy advertisements from insurers like The General and State Farm that make promises of big savings. So you should just choose any of them, right?
It's just not that simple, as there are a lot of unknown aspects like if you just need liability coverage, whether you are female or male, the annual mileage you drive, and if you own or rent your home. The content below will cover the best ways to find cheap car insurance and will hopefully give you a good start to your coverage search.
The type of vehicle requiring insurance is a large factor that determines the availability of cheap car insurance for uninsured drivers. Vehicles with lower performance, excellent safety ratings, or low incidents of liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than high performance models.
The data below shows insurance premiums for a selection of the most cost-effective automobiles to buy coverage for.
Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $948 |
Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $968 |
Toyota Prius | $1,052 |
Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,069 |
Ford Edge SE AWD | $1,102 |
Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $1,111 |
Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $1,122 |
Nissan Rogue SL 2WD | $1,203 |
Chevrolet Malibu LTZ | $1,208 |
Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $1,205 |
Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $1,212 |
Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,236 |
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4WD 4-Dr | $1,238 |
Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 4WD | $1,253 |
Ford Focus SES 2-Dr Coupe | $1,262 |
GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $1,264 |
Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,284 |
Dodge Grand Caravan SXT | $1,293 |
Honda Civic LX-S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,295 |
Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $1,302 |
Toyota Camry SE | $1,297 |
Toyota Corolla XLE | $1,305 |
Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $1,322 |
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Table data represents 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-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, and claim-free. Table data does not factor in Santa Ana, CA location which can affect premiums significantly.
Based upon the rates shown, vehicles like the Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, and Ford Escape are a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for drivers with no prior coverage.
For drivers with no prior coverage, one of the big criteria that are used to help calculate the price you pay for insurance is where your residence is in Santa Ana. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims tend to pay more, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims receive better rates.
The illustration below lists the highest-priced areas in California for uninsured drivers to buy car insurance in. Santa Ana is listed at #17 with the yearly price of $1,453 for the average insured, which is approximately $121 each month.
Rank | City | Annual Premium |
---|---|---|
1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
3 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
4 | Oakland | $1,687 |
5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
6 | San Bernardino | $1,644 |
7 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
8 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
9 | Stockton | $1,556 |
10 | Santa Clarita | $1,548 |
11 | Modesto | $1,532 |
12 | Riverside | $1,527 |
13 | Fontana | $1,519 |
14 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
15 | Anaheim | $1,474 |
16 | Fresno | $1,472 |
17 | Santa Ana | $1,453 |
18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
19 | Huntington Beach | $1,416 |
20 | Irvine | $1,384 |
21 | San Diego | $1,381 |
22 | Fremont | $1,361 |
23 | Bakersfield | $1,353 |
24 | Chula Vista | $1,350 |
25 | Oxnard | $1,344 |
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Prices are estimated as specific location information can raise or lower price quotes greatly.
Finding reliable, reasonably-priced insurance is not the easiest thing to do, and finding out which company quotes the most affordable car insurance rates for uninsured drivers will involve even more perseverance. Each insurer has a unique approach for determining rates, so we need to take a look at the lowest cost car insurance companies in Santa Ana, CA.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance in California
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | USAA | $1,109 |
2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
3 | Century National | $1,178 |
4 | CSAA | $1,186 |
5 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
7 | Grange | $1,447 |
8 | Mercury | $1,488 |
9 | Allstate | $1,543 |
10 | Allied | $1,556 |
11 | Progressive | $1,558 |
12 | GEICO | $1,575 |
13 | The Hartford | $1,575 |
14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
16 | Esurance | $1,688 |
17 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
18 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
20 | Farmers | $2,026 |
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USAA may offer some of the best car insurance rates in Santa Ana at around $1,109 each year. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also rank well as some of the best Santa Ana, CA auto insurance companies.
In this example, if you are a customer of Century National and switched to USAA, you might achieve an annual premium reduction of in the vicinity of $69. Insureds with CSAA may save as much as $77 a year, and Nationwide policyholders might see rate reductions of $104 a year.
Bear in mind that those premiums are averages for all insureds and vehicles and do not factor in a specific vehicle garaging location for uninsured drivers. So the company that fits you best may not even be in the list above. That is why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
Get discount Santa Ana auto insurance
Insurers that offer cheap quotes for uninsured drivers may additionally offer premium discounts that can reduce rates by 25% or more if you are eligible for them. The best car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts include:
- AAA policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, AAA membership discount, good student, pay-in-full, good driver, education and occupation, and anti-theft.
- Progressive has discounts for multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, continuous coverage, online signing, and online quote discount.
- State Farm includes discounts for passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, driver's education, safe vehicle, multiple policy, good student, and defensive driving training.
- Esurance may have discounts that include safety device, Pac-12 alumni, claim free, online quote, multi-policy, and emergency road assistance.
- Nationwide may offer discounts for defensive driving, multi-policy, good student, business or organization, Farm Bureau membership, and easy pay.
The chart below illustrates the comparison of annual premium costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The premiums are based on a male driver, no violations or claims, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $250 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with safe-driver, anti-theft, multiple vehicle, claim-free, multiple policy, and homeowner discounts applied. When drivers qualify for the discounts, theaverage yearly reduction on car insurance for uninsured drivers is 28% or $875.
Choosing the top auto insurance provider can be difficult considering how many companies sell coverage in California. The ranking information in the lists below can help you choose which insurers to look at when trying to find the cheapest insurance for uninsured drivers. The ratings below only include companies with a national presence, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in California are not taken into consideration for these rankings.
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 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Full coverage or liability only
Paying a lower price for car insurance should be important to the majority of vehicle owners, and a great way to reduce the cost of insurance for uninsured drivers is to not buy full coverage. The illustration below visualizes the comparison of insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The price estimates are based on no claims or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are factored in.
If the expense is averaged for all age categories, comp and collision coverage costs $1,849 per year more than carrying just liability coverage. That is a significant amount which raises the question if paying for full coverage is worth it. There is no exact rule of when to exclude comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of having full coverage is 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
Don't make the mistake of not shopping around
Santa Ana, CA car insurance rates are based on many factors that control your annual premium. Improving your credit rating, buying another vehicle, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can produce rate changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than before. Additionally, auto insurance companies amend pricing as often as every three months to ensure their profitability. A period of increased losses can result in additional price hikes, while lower claim levels may produce lower-priced Santa Ana car insurance rates.
As an example, the data below shows the cheapest car insurance in Santa Ana, CA for a 40-year-old female driver with no prior accidents, a clean driving record, and good financial standing. If we estimate prices based on her personal risk profile, USAA may offer the lowest car insurance rates in Santa Ana at $1,267 each year. This is $384 less than the average premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are the remaining most affordable Santa Ana, CA auto insurance companies.
Now let's give the driver from the above example a claim, less-than-perfect credit, and a few traffic violations. Since every car insurance company has a different formula to establish rates, analyzing rates will most likely result in a significantly different list of cheap Santa Ana auto insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest price in Santa Ana with Allstate, Allied, Mercury, and Progressive also having competitive pricing. This example proves why it is crucial to shop around when trying to find the most economical insurance quotes for uninsured drivers. Insurance rates can be determined by many things and change frequently, so the cheapest company a year ago may now be wasting a lot of money.
If you aren't sure which coverage you need and prefer to have the advice of a professional agent when trying to find the best insurance rates for uninsured drivers, the professional agents shown below are a good start to answer your questions and help you decide which insurance coverage you need. To locate a Santa Ana auto insurance agent using an interactive map, click the button link following the list or click here to compare rates now.
Farmers Insurance - Daniel Canzone
2323 N Tustin Ave, Ste E-F - Santa Ana, CA 92705 - (714) 203-6033
Farmers Insurance - Maria Guerrero
1647 E First St a - Santa Ana, CA 92701 - (714) 285-0303
Farmers Insurance: Sandy Hocking-Cline
1801 Park Ct Pl - Santa Ana, CA 92701 - (714) 973-9100