Wouldn’t it be so easy if you could just magically know the one best car insurance company that has the cheapest rate quotes for college students? That is not the case, however, as there are a whole slew of unknowns like if you are a man or woman, the annual mileage you drive, and if you have a tendency to get into accidents, that all impact the cost of coverage. We are going to cover some of these factors and educate you enough to have a good start in finding the cheapest insurance.
For students in college, one of the more important factors that are looked at to determine the cost of insurance is where you normally keep your vehicle. Areas with more people or more claims will most likely have higher rates, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates benefit from lower prices.
The following table shows the highest-priced areas in California for college students to purchase auto insurance in. Long Beach ranks #8 with an annual rate of $1,578 for coverage, which is around $132 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,738 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,652 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
| 7 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 8 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
| 9 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 12 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 13 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 14 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 15 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,444 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | San Diego | $1,368 |
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Prices are approximated as zip code location can lower or raise premiums substantially.
The car, truck, or SUV you are insuring is a large factor that determines the availability of the most affordable auto insurance for college students. Vehicles with high performance features, a lack of safety features, or an increased likelihood of liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than more modest models. The list below features car insurance premiums for a handful of the cheaper automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 2WD | $3,015 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $3,282 |
| Ford F-150 STX Regular Cab 2WD | $3,312 |
| Toyota Prius | $3,326 |
| Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $3,355 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $3,535 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $3,540 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $3,579 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $3,587 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD | $3,579 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $3,586 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $3,579 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $3,588 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4WD 4-Dr | $3,625 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $3,761 |
| Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $3,766 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $3,805 |
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Table data assumes single male driver age 20, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Premium costs do not factor in zip code location which can decrease or increase prices significantly.
By looking at the data, you can infer that vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Ford F-150, and Toyota Prius should be some of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for students in college. The price for car insurance will be more costly just due to the fact that there is more liability exposure for college students, but generally speaking those vehicles will probably have the best rates possible.
Deciding which companies offer the cheapest car insurance rates for college students takes a bit more work in order to find the lowest price quote. Every auto insurer uses their own calculation for determining rates, so let’s rank the car insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in California.
We do need to point out that Long Beach, CA car insurance rates are calculated based on many things that control the price you have to pay. Improving your credit rating, getting married, or getting a DUI can produce rate changes that may make certain companies cheaper than competitors.
Cheap Insurance Rates for College Students
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,109 |
| 2 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 3 | Wawanesa | $1,181 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 5 | CSAA | $1,234 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,433 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 9 | GEICO | $1,529 |
| 10 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 12 | Allstate | $1,559 |
| 13 | MetLife | $1,590 |
| 14 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,705 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,831 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,842 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
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USAA quotes some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Long Beach at around $1,109 a year. This is $542 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, Nationwide, and CSAA also rank well as some of the lowest-priced Long Beach, CA car insurance companies.
In this example, if you currently buy coverage from Nationwide and switched to USAA, you might realize a yearly price reduction of in the vicinity of $117. California drivers with CSAA may save as much as $125 a year, and 21st Century policyholders might reduce rates by $216 a year.
To find the cheapest coverage for you, click here or visit several of the following companies.
Bear in mind that those policy prices are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with a vehicle location for college students. So the auto insurance company that fits your situation best may not even be in the list above. That affirms the importance of why you need to get car insurance quotes using your own individual information.
Which car insurance company is best in California?
Finding the highest-rated company can be a challenge considering how many companies sell insurance in Long Beach. The company information shown next can help you decide which car insurance companies you want to consider when comparing auto insurance rates for college students.
These ratings are only made up of the largest auto insurers in America, so companies with more of a regional focus are not taken into consideration for these rankings. If you’d like to compare prices from these and other companies in California, click here.
Top 10 Major Car Insurance Companies Overall in Long Beach
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
Difference between full coverage and liability only rates
Buying cheaper car insurance is the goal of the majority of drivers, and one of the easiest ways to reduce the cost of insurance for college students is to buy only liability coverage. The illustration below visualizes the comparison of car insurance rates with full coverage and liability only. The premiums assume no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are factored in.
On average, physical damage coverage costs an additional $2,525 per year more than insuring for liability only. That is a significant amount which raises the question if you should buy full coverage. There isn’t a steadfast formula that is best for determining when to drop physical damage insurance, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of having full coverage is 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s replacement cost is $5,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most you would receive is $4,000 after the deductible is paid. If premium cost is more than $400 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
Safe drivers pay less for car insurance
The ideal way to snag affordable car insurance premiums in Long Beach for students in college is to drive cautiously and not receive tickets or have accidents. The diagram below shows how speeding tickets and fender-benders increase insurance premiums for each different age group. The data assumes a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $500 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
The data above shows the average cost of an auto insurance policy per year with no violations or accidents is $1,768. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost increases to $2,034, an increase of $266 each year. Then throw in two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the annual cost of car insurance for college students goes up to an average of $4,417. That’s an increase of $2,649, or $221 per month, just for a couple of infractions!