The words “economical” and “insurance” probably shouldn’t be used together, in particular when comparison shopping for the best coverage prices for retired military. Let’s start off by going over some of the factors that impact auto insurance premiums, and see if we can help you lower the cost of the next policy you buy.
One of the more important factors that determine the cost of insurance is where you live in Long Beach. Larger areas tend to pay slightly more, whereas more rural areas have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.
The information below sorts the most expensive places in California for retired military in which to purchase auto insurance. Long Beach ranks #7 with an annual cost of $1,610 for the average policy, which is about $134 each month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 8 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 9 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 10 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 11 | Moreno Valley | $1,536 |
| 12 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 13 | Modesto | $1,532 |
| 14 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 15 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 20 | Huntington Beach | $1,374 |
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Annual rates are approximated as the specific garaging location can increase or decrease premium rates greatly.
Finding reliable, low-priced car insurance is not the easiest thing to do, and finding out which companies quote the best insurance rates for retired military will take even more shopping around. Each insurance company has their own process to set their prices, so we need to take a look at the insurance companies with the overall best prices in California.
It’s important to understand that Long Beach insurance rates are influenced by many factors that may substantially change the cost of a policy. Things like getting older, buying higher coverage limits, or getting a driving violation may prompt premium changes resulting in some companies being more expensive than competitors.
Best Insurance Companies for Vets
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| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
| 2 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,222 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Progressive | $1,512 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,513 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,513 |
| 11 | Mercury | $1,533 |
| 12 | The Hartford | $1,575 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,590 |
| 14 | Allied | $1,603 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,750 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,860 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
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Wawanesa quotes some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Long Beach at around $1,146 each year. This is $505 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. USAA, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide also qualify as some of the more affordable Long Beach, CA car insurance companies.
In the above example, if you currently buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to USAA, you might achieve savings of roughly $95. California drivers with 21st Century could save as much as $170 a year, and Grange policyholders might realize rate reductions of up to $292 a year.
Understand that those prices are averages for all drivers and vehicles in California and do not take into consideration an exact zip code location for retired military. So the company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That’s why you need to get quotes using your own driver data and vehicle information.
The make and model of vehicle on the policy is probably the biggest factor when comparing quotes for the best coverage for retired military. Vehicles with higher performance, poor passenger safety features, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost more to insure than more modest models.
The data below showcases coverage costs for some of the most budget-friendly automobiles to insure.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,124 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,302 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $1,329 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $1,335 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $1,353 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $1,362 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,353 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4WD | $1,362 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $1,381 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,398 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $1,422 |
| Toyota Corolla XRS | $1,428 |
| Nissan Rogue S AWD | $1,427 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,504 |
| Kia Optima EX | $1,521 |
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Prices based on single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-policy. Price information does not factor in your specific Long Beach, CA location which can affect premiums noticeably.
Based upon these rates, you can see that cars like the Ford Escape, Ford Focus, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Toyota RAV4 are going to be a few of the cheaper vehicles to insure for veterans.
Types of discounts on Long Beach insurance rates
Insurers that provide coverage for retired military may have rate discounts that can lower rates by as much as 30% if you meet specific eligibility requirements. Larger insurance companies and their possible discounts can be read below.
- State Farm includes discounts for driver’s education, defensive driving training, good student, student away at school, Steer Clear safe driver discount, anti-theft, and multiple policy.
- Progressive discounts include continuous coverage, online signing, homeowner, multi-policy, good student, and online quote discount.
- Travelers may include discounts for driver training, early quote, multi-car, continuous insurance, IntelliDrive, and hybrid/electric vehicle.
- American Family has discounts for air bags, TimeAway discount, early bird, good student, and Steer into Savings.
- Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include teen driver discount, multi-policy, exclusive group savings, newly retired, and newly married.
The information below compares premium costs with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The data is based on a male driver, no violations or accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with claim-free, homeowner, accident-free, passive restraint, marriage, and multiple vehicle discounts applied. With discounts applied, the average savings per year on insurance for retired military is 28% or $630.
Buying coverage from a highly-rated car insurance company can be a challenge considering how many choices you have in Long Beach. The ranking data shown next can help you analyze which providers you want to consider buying from.
The rankings below are only comprised of large nationwide companies, so companies that focus mainly on California business are not taken into consideration for the list. To compare rates and find the cheapest rates for retired military, click this link.
| 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 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Impact of violations and accidents on rates
One of the best ways to get the most affordable insurance rates in Long Beach for veterans is to drive safe and not get tickets or have accidents. The example below illustrates how violations and at-fault fender-benders raise insurance prices for different categories of driver ages. The data assumes a married male driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
In the example above, the average cost of auto insurance in California per year with no accidents or violations is $2,157. Add in one speeding ticket and the average cost increases to $2,476, an increase of $319 each year. Now include two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of insurance for retired military goes up to an average of $5,157. That’s an increase of $2,999, or $250 per month, just for not driving safely!
Why it’s important to shop around
Long Beach, CA insurance rates are calculated based on many things that may substantially change the policy premium. Improving your credit rating, having a teen driver, or getting a reckless driving citation may cause policy rate changes resulting in some companies being much cheaper than others.
Not only may your risk profile change, but car insurance companies modify rates multiple times each year to help ensure profitability. An unexpected high level of claims may result in additional price hikes, while a lower level of claims can result in lower-cost Long Beach car insurance rates.
For instance, the graph below demonstrates which company has the cheapest car insurance in Long Beach, CA for a 35-year-old male driver with a good driving record, no prior claims, and great credit. Based on his personal risk profile, USAA may have the most affordable car insurance rates in Long Beach at $1,376 annually. This is $275 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide round out the rest of the best Long Beach, CA auto insurance companies.
The chart below compares rates after we give the driver from the first rate comparison an accident claim, a lower credit rating, and an imperfect driving record. Because each company has their own unique process to determine rates, comparing insurance quotes most likely will result in a different list of the cheapest companies as shown below.
Mercury now has the best insurance rate in Long Beach with Grange, GEICO, Allied, and Progressive now being in the top five. This example illustrates why it is so important to perform an extensive rate comparison to find affordable auto insurance rates for retired military. Insurance rates are calculated by many risk factors and can change without notice, so the most affordable company two years ago may now be costing you a lot of money.