The words “low-priced” and “auto insurance” probably shouldn’t be used in the same sentence, especially when comparison shopping for the cheapest coverage for retired military. Because it’s not cheap, let’s learn about a few of the factors that influence car insurance premiums, and see if you can shave a little off the next policy you buy.
Figuring out which companies quote the cheapest auto insurance rates for retired military will require more time than just getting one or two price quotes. Every insurance company has a unique approach to establish rates, so let’s rank the auto insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in California.
It’s important that you understand San Jose, CA auto insurance rates are calculated based on many things that will increase or decrease your annual premium. Getting older, buying another vehicle, or getting a ticket for careless driving may generate price changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than competitors.
Compare Cheap Insurance Quotes for Vets
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,143 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
| 5 | CSAA | $1,222 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 8 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 10 | Progressive | $1,558 |
| 11 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,603 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,639 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,788 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
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USAA has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Jose at around $1,143 each year. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA also make the cut as some of the cheapest San Jose, CA auto insurance companies.
In this example, if you are currently insured with Nationwide and switched to Wawanesa, you could see yearly savings of upwards of $67. Customers with CSAA may save as much as $76 a year, and 21st Century customers might lower prices by $220 a year.
It’s important to note that these premium estimates are averaged across all types of insureds and vehicles and and are not figured with an exact zip code location for retired military. So the car insurance company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the list above. That is why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own driver data and vehicle information.
For veterans, one of the largest factors that are looked at to help calculate the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you normally keep your vehicle in San Jose. Areas with high crime rates or more dense population tend to have higher rates, whereas less populated areas benefit from lower prices.
The illustration below rates the most costly cities in California for retired military to buy an auto insurance policy in. San Jose makes the list at #20 with an annual cost of $1,381 for the average policyholder, which is approximately $115 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,738 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 7 | Stockton | $1,603 |
| 8 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 10 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 12 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 14 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 15 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 16 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 18 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
| 20 | San Jose | $1,381 |
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Prices are estimated as the garaging address in San Jose can revise premium rates considerably.
Choosing the best car insurance company can be challenging considering how many choices drivers have in San Jose. The ranking data shown next may help you pick which providers to look at purchasing from.
The rankings below are only comprised of large nationwide companies, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in California are not taken into consideration for the list. To get rate quotes from the insurers below and more, simply click here.
| 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 |
| Mercury Insurance | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85% | A+ | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 85 | 90 | 92 | 88% | A+ | 89.3 |
| Nationwide | 87 | 88 | 84 | 90% | A+ | 88.7 |
| Liberty Mutual | 84 | 87 | 93 | 88% | A | 88.5 |
| 21st Century | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88% | A | 86.7 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Get discount San Jose car insurance rates
Insurance providers that sell policies for retired military may also offer price discounts that can reduce rates by 35% or more if you are eligible for them. A few of the larger companies and some of their more popular discounts can be read below.
- 21st Century includes discounts for good student, homeowners, student driver, 55 and older, teen driver, and air bags.
- State Farm may include discounts for good student, safe vehicle, driver’s education, anti-theft, multiple policy, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- AAA discounts include pay-in-full, education and occupation, anti-theft, good student, and multi-policy.
- Liberty Mutual policyholders can earn discounts including teen driver discount, newly married, new move discount, new vehicle discount, good student, and preferred payment discount.
- Progressive offers discounts including online signing, good student, multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, and online quote discount.
The example below shows the difference between insurance costs with and without discounts applied. The prices are based on a male driver, no claims, a clean driving record, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with claim-free, homeowner, anti-theft, passive restraint, vehicle safety, and safe-driver discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, the average savings per year on auto insurance for retired military is 28% or $707.
Why you should be shopping around
California auto insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can significantly increase or decrease the price you have to pay. Simply having another birthday, buying a different vehicle, or getting a DUI can trigger price changes that may make certain companies much cheaper than others.
Not only may things change on your end, but companies amend premium rates without warning to reflect underwriting profits or losses. Larger than normal claims may cause rate increases, while long-term profits can produce more affordable San Jose car insurance rates.
The graph below analyzes the cheapest car insurance in San Jose, CA for a 45-year-old male driver with no prior claims, no tickets, and excellent credit. If we estimate prices based on his current risk factors, USAA might offer the cheapest car insurance rates in San Jose at $1,192 per year. This is $459 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are also included in the best San Jose, CA auto insurance companies.
Now we will give the driver in the first example a couple of claims, poor credit, and a couple of points charged on his driving record. Because each insurer uses their own calculation to determining premium rates, analyzing rates most likely will result in a completely different list of affordable San Jose car insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest auto insurance in San Jose with Progressive, GEICO, Mercury, and Allstate now rounding out the top five. This illustrates why it is crucial to perform a complete rate comparison to get the best auto insurance rates for retired military.
Rates are influenced by many risk factors and change frequently, so the cheapest rate a year ago may now not even be in the top five.
How to find low-cost car insurance for retired military
The list below shows a few thrifty solutions that can help San Jose drivers locate low-cost coverage.
- Good credit scores may make rates cheaper
- Maintain a safe distance and avoid accidents
- Serious violations like DUI or reckless driving can increase rates dramatically
- Try to remain claim-free
- Vehicles with safetly features generally cost less to insure
- Shop around for cheaper prices
That last tip is very important, as we emphasized in the article above. Prices in San Jose can be changed at any time, so don’t be unwilling to switch carriers if you find a cheaper price. Loyalty to a specific company is fine, but is isn’t recommended if that dedication is costing major coinage every year. In just a few minutes you could shop around to find cheaper car insurance for retired military.