The words “affordable” and “insurance” really don’t belong together, specifically when you are searching for the best car insurance for inexperienced drivers. Because of the high cost, let’s familiarize you with some of the factors that have an effect on insurance prices, and figure out some ways to take the bite out of your next policy.
Finding reliable, budget car insurance is confusing at best, and figuring out which companies offer the most affordable car insurance rates for inexperienced drivers will require even more rate comparisons. Every insurance company uses slightly different criteria to set policy rates, so first let’s look at the rankings for the overall cheapest car insurance companies in Irvine, CA.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance for Newbies
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
| 5 | Century National | $1,226 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 8 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 9 | GEICO | $1,529 |
| 10 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,682 |
| 16 | State Farm | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
USAA has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Irvine at around $1,121 per year. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National also rank well as some of the lowest-priced Irvine, CA car insurance companies.
In the above rates, if you currently buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to USAA, you could realize savings of around $92. Insureds with Century National could save as much as $105 a year, and 21st Century customers might reduce rates by $204 a year.
If you want to find out if you’re overpaying, click here to start a quote or visit any of the low-priced companies below.
Understand that those policy rates are averages across all drivers and vehicles in California and and are not figured with an exact zip code location for inexperienced drivers. So the insurer that fits your situation best may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That affirms the importance of why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
One of the many components that aid in calculating the amount you pay for auto insurance is where your car is garaged. More densely populated places tend to have higher rates, whereas more rural areas get the luxury of paying less.
The illustration below shows the highest-priced areas in California for inexperienced drivers to purchase auto insurance in. Irvine is listed at #24 costing $1,330 for the average insurance policy, which is around $111 per month.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,121 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Fontana | $1,581 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,554 |
| 12 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 14 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 15 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 16 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,416 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 21 | San Diego | $1,381 |
| 22 | Bakersfield | $1,381 |
| 23 | Chula Vista | $1,337 |
| 24 | Irvine | $1,330 |
| 25 | Oxnard | $1,318 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||
Annual rates are approximated as the specific geographic location can modify price quotes substantially.
Car insurance companies ranked
Choosing the highest-rated car insurance provider can be a challenge considering how many companies provide coverage in Irvine. The company rank data shown next can help you choose which car insurance companies you want to consider when comparing rates. The rankings below are only comprised of the largest auto insurers in America, so smaller regional companies are not factored into 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 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Impact of careless driving on car insurance rates
The best way to find cheap car insurance rates for new drivers is to be a cautious driver and avoid accidents and traffic citations. The information below shows how violations and at-fault fender-benders drive up insurance costs for each age group. The data assumes a married male driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.
The data in the chart shows the average cost of auto insurance in California per year with no accidents or violations is $2,396. Receive one speeding ticket and the average cost increases to $2,757, an increase of $361 each year. Then include one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the annual cost of car insurance for inexperienced drivers increases to an average of $3,764. That’s an increase of $1,368, or $114 per month, just for being a careless driver!
How to get discounts on Irvine auto insurance
Car insurance companies that offer coverage for inexperienced drivers may provide policy discounts that can lower rates by as much as 35% if you meet eligibility requirements. Popular car insurance companies and their possible discounts include:
- GEICO may offer discounts for military active duty, multi-vehicle, driver training, defensive driver, membership and employees, air bags, and emergency military deployment.
- Auto-Owners Insurance offers premium reductions for company car, student away at school, multi-policy, good student, and paid in full.
- American Family may have discounts that include early bird, air bags, defensive driver, bundled insurance, and good student.
- Esurance has discounts for Switch & Save, anti-theft, emergency road assistance, homeowner, multi-policy, paid-in-full, and DriveSense.
- Progressive offers discounts including multi-policy, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, homeowner, online quote discount, and good student.
- State Farm offers discounts for accident-free, multiple policy, defensive driving training, student away at school, good student, and passive restraint.
- AAA may include discounts for anti-theft, multi-policy, AAA membership discount, pay-in-full, and multi-car.
The example below illustrates the comparison of insurance premiums with and without discounts applied to the rates. The premiums are based on a male driver, no violations or accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the average rate with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, passive restraint, anti-theft, vehicle safety, multiple vehicle, and defensive driving course discounts applied. When drivers qualify for the discounts, theamount saved on car insurance for inexperienced drivers is 28% or $777.