How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Veterans in San Jose?

For veterans, one of the largest things that are used to help calculate the cost of insurance is your address in San Jose. Regions with larger populations or more claims are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims benefit from lower coverage costs.

The table below ranks the highest-priced places in California for veterans to purchase auto insurance in. San Jose is listed at #17 with an annual premium of $1,437 for the average policyholder, which is about $120 monthly.

How much is auto insurance in San Jose, CA?
Rank City Annual Rate
1 Los Angeles $2,168
2 Glendale $2,142
3 San Francisco $1,745
4 Oakland $1,704
5 Sacramento $1,669
6 San Bernardino $1,644
7 Stockton $1,588
8 Long Beach $1,562
9 Fontana $1,535
10 Santa Clarita $1,533
11 Modesto $1,532
12 Garden Grove $1,524
13 Moreno Valley $1,491
14 Santa Ana $1,483
15 Riverside $1,482
16 Fresno $1,472
17 San Jose $1,437
18 Anaheim $1,430
19 Huntington Beach $1,416
20 Fremont $1,389
21 Irvine $1,384
22 Bakersfield $1,353
23 Oxnard $1,344
24 San Diego $1,340
25 Chula Vista $1,337
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Table data uses estimated as the vehicle garaging location can decrease or increase coverage rates greatly.

Finding reliable, reasonably-priced car insurance is easier said than done, and deciding which companies quote the cheapest auto insurance rates for veterans takes a little more work. Each auto insurer has a proprietary formula for setting prices, so to begin we’ll rank the auto insurance companies with the most affordable rates in San Jose, CA.

Best Auto Insurance Prices for Vets

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California auto insurance company rankings
Rank Company Cost Per Year
1 USAA $1,155
2 Wawanesa $1,181
3 Century National $1,190
4 Nationwide $1,213
5 CSAA $1,234
6 21st Century $1,338
7 Grange $1,433
8 Mercury $1,488
9 Allstate $1,513
10 Progressive $1,542
11 GEICO $1,559
12 Allied $1,588
13 MetLife $1,606
14 The Hartford $1,623
15 Unitrin $1,682
16 Esurance $1,688
17 State Farm $1,750
18 Bristol West $1,777
19 Travelers $1,806
20 Farmers $1,946
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USAA quotes some of the lowest car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,155 each year. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA also qualify as some of the more affordable San Jose, CA insurance companies.

As shown in the rates above, if you currently have a policy with Century National and switched to USAA, you may realize a yearly savings of upwards of $35. Insureds with Nationwide could save as much as $58 a year, and CSAA policyholders might cut rates by $79 a year.

Understand that those policy rates are averaged across all drivers and vehicles and and are not figured with an exact vehicle garaging location for veterans. So the auto insurance company that can offer you the lowest price may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That point stresses why you need to get quotes using your own specific driver and vehicle information.

The diagram below illustrates how your choice of deductibles can change insurance prices when researching cheap insurance for veterans. The data is based on a married male driver, full coverage, and no discounts are factored in.

A 50-year-old driver could pocket $308 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $466 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the 20-year-old example, could save $1,026 or more just by choosing higher deductibles.

If you do raise deductibles, it will be important to have enough savings to allow you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the primary disadvantage of high deductibles.

Comparison of full coverage and liability-only policies

Saving money when shopping for auto insurance is the goal of most people, and one common way to buy cheap insurance for veterans is to not buy full coverage. The diagram below illustrates the comparison of premium costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The rates are based on a clean driving record, no claims, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.

Averaged out for all age groups, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs $3,444 per year over having just liability coverage. That is a large expense and it proposes the question if you should buy full coverage. There is no definitive guideline to exclude full coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is 10% or more of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then it could be time to drop full coverage.

For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s replacement value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would get paid by your company is $7,000 after you pay the deductible. If premium cost is more than $700 a year for physical damage coverage, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

There are some situations where only buying liability is not a good plan. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should keep full coverage in place.

Which auto insurance company is best in California?

Selecting a highly-rated auto insurance provider is difficult considering how many companies there are in California. The rank data below may help you pick which companies to look at shopping your coverage with.

The rankings below are only comprised of companies that insure vehicles nationwide, so smaller regional companies will not be included in these rankings. If you wish to compare rates from these and other companies in California, click here.

Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Companies in San Jose Ranked by Value

  1. USAA
  2. American Family
  3. The Hartford
  4. AAA of Southern California
  5. Titan Insurance
  6. The General
  7. AAA Insurance
  8. State Farm
  9. Mercury Insurance
  10. Nationwide

Top 10 Large Auto Insurance Companies Overall in San Jose

  1. USAA
  2. American Family
  3. AAA of Southern California
  4. State Farm
  5. The Hartford
  6. AAA Insurance
  7. GEICO
  8. The General
  9. Titan Insurance
  10. Progressive

The agents listed below can provide answers to your questions and help you determine which auto insurance policy would work best for you, since lots of people like to get some professional input when trying to find lower insurance rates for veterans. It can be hard to find the cheapest car insurance policy, and using a licensed agent can give satisfaction knowing your policy gives you adequate protection in case of an accident or claim. To locate a San Jose insurance agent in your neighborhood, click the button after the list.

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How to find economical insurance for veterans

The list below summarizes some thrifty ideas that can help California drivers get cheaper coverage.

That last tip is particularly valuable, as was emphasized in the prior article. Prices charged by companies can change considerably in a year, so don’t be tentative to change to a new company if you find a better deal. Loyalty to a specific company is fine, but it’s not a good idea if that stubbornness costs you lots of money. In just a couple of minutes you could compare rates and find cheaper insurance for veterans in San Jose.