The words “low-priced” and “auto insurance” really don’t belong together, especially when you are trying to find the cheapest auto insurance for immigrants. Because it’s so expensive, let’s lead off by showing you some of the factors that can significantly affect auto insurance premiums, and find some ways to take the sting out of your next policy.
The car, truck, or SUV you are insuring is probably the biggest factor that determines if you can find the best auto insurance for immigrants. Vehicles with high performance features, poor crash test ratings, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost more to insure than more economical and safe models. The information below estimates car insurance rates for a selection of the cheapest automobiles to insure in California.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $918 |
| Honda Accord LX-P 4-Dr Sedan | $1,008 |
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $1,030 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $1,067 |
| GMC Sierra SL Extended Cab 2WD | $1,086 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $1,093 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $1,086 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport Islander Package 4WD 4-Dr | $1,119 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,128 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $1,123 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $1,140 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $1,144 |
| Nissan Rogue SL 2WD | $1,164 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,166 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD | $1,176 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,166 |
| GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE Extended Cab 2WD | $1,185 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,188 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Off-Road Package 4WD | $1,211 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,231 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,244 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab 4WD | $1,252 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $1,260 |
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Data based on single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Information does not factor in specific zip code location which can modify premium rates noticeably.
Based on these rates, we can assume that vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Honda Accord, Ford Escape, Honda Odyssey, and GMC Sierra will be a few of the more affordable vehicles to insure for foreigners.
One of the many factors that are looked at to help calculate insurance cost is where you choose to live in San Jose. Cities with larger populations likely pay more, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims benefit from lower rates.
The next table ranks the most expensive places in California for immigrants to purchase car insurance in. San Jose is listed at #18 with the yearly price of $1,437 for the average insurance policy, which is around $120 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 8 | Fontana | $1,581 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 11 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 12 | Moreno Valley | $1,551 |
| 13 | Modesto | $1,532 |
| 14 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 15 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
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Rate quotes are estimated as specific San Jose zip code can affect rates noticeably.
Finding decent, low-priced insurance is tough enough, and determining which company quotes the best car insurance rates for immigrants requires more quotes for comparison. Every insurance company uses their own method for setting rates, so we’ll take a look at the car insurance companies with the overall best prices in San Jose, CA.
Best Car Insurance Prices for Migrants
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,143 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,214 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,234 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,477 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 9 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,559 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,026 |
| Get Personalized Rates Go | ||
USAA may have some of the lowest car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,143 per year. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also qualify as some of the best San Jose, CA insurance companies.
As the example above demonstrates, if you are currently insured with CSAA and switched to Wawanesa, you could realize annual savings of around $42. California drivers with Nationwide could save as much as $58 a year, and 21st Century insureds might reduce rates by $133 a year.
Understand that those prices are averaged across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and do not take into consideration a vehicle location for immigrants. So the insurer that fits you best may not even be in the list above. That emphasizes why you need to get auto insurance quotes using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Liability rates compared to full coverage
Paying a lower price for car insurance is important to most drivers, and one way to find cheap insurance for immigrants is to buy only liability coverage. The diagram below visualizes the comparison of insurance premiums when comparing full coverage to liability only. The premiums are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no policy discounts are applied.
Averaged for all ages 20 through 70, full coverage costs $2,467 per year more than just insuring for liability. Many drivers may wonder when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no clear-cut rule of when to phase out full coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
Get discounts on San Jose insurance rates
Auto insurance companies that sell policies for immigrants could also offer policy discounts that may potentially lower prices by 30% or more if you qualify for them. A list of companies and their offered discounts can be found below.
- State Farm includes discounts for driver’s education, passive restraint, good student, accident-free, defensive driving training, and multiple autos.
- American Family may offer discounts for TimeAway discount, defensive driver, bundled insurance, accident-free, good student, and Steer into Savings.
- AAA offers premium reductions for pay-in-full, education and occupation, AAA membership discount, good student, good driver, multi-car, and multi-policy.
- GEICO may have discounts that include driver training, multi-vehicle, emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, multi-policy, and defensive driver.
- Mercury Insurance may include discounts for professional/association, multi-policy, age of vehicle, ease of repair, multi-car, and annual mileage.
- Farmers Insurance discounts include business and professional, youthful driver, mature driver, electronic funds transfer, multi-car, and distant student.
- Progressive offers discounts for homeowner, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, good student, online signing, and multi-policy.
The example below compares insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The data is based on a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $100 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with accident-free, defensive driving course, multiple policy, vehicle safety, anti-theft, and safe-driver discounts applied. When drivers take advantage of discounts, the average amount saved each year on car insurance for immigrants is 28% or $661.
How to find economical car insurance for immigrants
The list below shows some of the better money-saving ideas that can help California drivers locate cheaper auto insurance.
- Try to remain claim-free
- Pay cheaper rates with good credit scores
- Save money by bundling your home and auto policies
- Serious violations like DUI or reckless driving can increase rates dramatically
- Raise your deductibles
- Being accident-free can lower rates significantly
- Compare rates once a year for cheaper prices
The last tip is extraordinarily important, as was stressed in this write-up. Prices charged by auto insurers fluctuate considerably, so don’t be tentative to switch companies if you find a cheaper price.
Sticking with a specific company is fine, but we do not recommend it if that inflexibility results in costing you hundreds of dollars year after year. It takes less than five minutes to compare prices to find cheaper car insurance for immigrants in San Jose.