Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for College Students in Irvine?

For students in college, one of the largest criteria that aid in calculating the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you choose to live in Irvine. Areas with more people or higher crime rates are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas less populated areas benefit from having to pay less for coverage.

The illustration below sorts the most expensive areas in California for college students to buy car insurance in. Irvine shows up at #19 with the yearly price of $1,384 for car insurance, which is approximately $115 monthly.

How much does auto insurance cost in Irvine?
Rank City Annual Premium
1 Glendale $2,121
2 Los Angeles $2,104
3 San Francisco $1,763
4 Oakland $1,738
5 Sacramento $1,669
6 Long Beach $1,610
7 San Bernardino $1,596
8 Santa Clarita $1,595
9 Moreno Valley $1,551
10 Stockton $1,541
11 Fontana $1,535
12 Garden Grove $1,524
13 Fresno $1,517
14 Santa Ana $1,497
15 Riverside $1,497
16 Anaheim $1,488
17 Modesto $1,487
18 San Jose $1,437
19 Irvine $1,384
20 Huntington Beach $1,374
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Premium costs are estimated as specific location information can influence auto insurance rates substantially.

The type of vehicle that needs insurance is a significant factor when shopping for low-cost coverage for college students. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, a plethora of safety features, or low incidents of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than adrenaline junky models. The next table shows auto insurance costs for a selection of the most affordable automobiles to insure in California.

Cheapest Vehicles to Insure in Irvine, CA
Vehicle Estimated Cost for Full Coverage
Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD $2,306
Ford Escape XLT 4WD $2,314
Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon $2,475
Toyota Prius $2,508
Ford F-150 XL Regular Cab 4WD $2,527
Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD $2,696
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD $2,703
Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD $2,696
Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan $2,701
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 2WD 4-Dr $2,700
Dodge Grand Caravan SXT $2,730
Chevrolet Malibu LT $2,738
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD $2,730
Toyota Camry XLE $2,865
Toyota Corolla XLE $2,875
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Data based on single male driver age 20, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Rates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can modify premiums greatly.

Looking at the numbers, you can conclude that makes and models like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Volkswagen Jetta, and Toyota Prius should be a few of the most economical vehicles to insure for students in college. The cost of auto insurance will tend to be more expensive because there is more claim exposure for college students, but in general those makes and models will probably have the least expensive rates possible.

Should you buy full coverage?

Reducing the cost of auto insurance should be important to most vehicle owners, and one easy way to buy cheap insurance for college students is to only buy liability coverage. The information below illustrates the comparison of car insurance costs with full coverage and liability only. The premiums assume no claims or driving citations, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

If we average the cost for ages 20 through 70, physical damage coverage costs an extra $2,075 per year more than just insuring for liability. At some point, almost every driver questions when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no clear-cut rule to delete comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.

How to get discounts on Irvine car insurance

Save on auto insurance for students in college in IrvineAuto insurance companies that offer coverage for college students may additionally offer discounts that can reduce rates by as much as 35% or more if you qualify. A few popular companies and a selection of discounts include:

The diagram below compares premium costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The premiums assume a female driver, no claims or driving citations, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with passive restraint, good student, anti-theft, paperless filing, vehicle safety, and paid-in-full discounts applied. With discounts applied, theaverage yearly reduction on auto insurance for college students is 21% or $420.

Why you should be comparing rates

Irvine, CA auto insurance rates are impacted by many factors which can significantly increase or decrease your annual premium. Simply having a birthday, having a teenage driver, or getting into an accident may generate price changes resulting in some companies being cheaper than before.

In addition, car insurance companies file new California car insurance rates without warning to adjust for gains or losses. Higher than normal claims can cause more expensive prices, while a better loss history may produce lower-cost Irvine car insurance rates.

To illustrate this example, the chart below shows which company has the cheapest car insurance in Irvine, CA for a 40-year-old female driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and a good credit rating. When comparing rates based on her current situation, USAA may have the cheapest car insurance rates in Irvine at $1,219 a year. This is $432 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Nationwide, CSAA, and Century National are also on the list of the best Irvine, CA auto insurance companies.

Now we will give the driver from the above example a chargeable accident, slightly worse credit, and a speeding citation. Since each auto insurer has a proprietary method for setting prices, analyzing rate quotes most likely will result in a different list of affordable Irvine car insurance companies as shown below.

Grange now has the lowest price in Irvine, CA with Mercury, Allstate, Allied, and Progressive completing the list. This example shows why California drivers need to perform an extensive rate comparison to find the cheapest insurance rates for college students. Auto insurance prices are impacted by many factors and change substantially, so the cheapest rate the last time you compared rates may now be costing you a lot of money.

How to find low-cost car insurance for college students

Lowering your rates is not difficult, and here are some of the recommended money-saving ideas that can help Irvine drivers buy low-cost car insurance.

That last tip is notably necessary, as we hit on in the prior information. Insurance prices in Irvine go up and down frequently, so don’t be tentative to buy a different policy if a cheaper price is available. Being loyal to a particular company is commendable, but we do not recommend it if that faithfulness ends up costing you a small fortune year after year. In just a few minutes you could shop around and find cheaper car insurance for college students.

If you aren’t sure which coverage you need and prefer to get some professional advice when shopping around for cheaper insurance for college students, the agencies below can help you decide which policy fits your needs best. To find an agent using an interactive map, click the button at the bottom or click here to get price quotes now.

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