Cheapest Car Insurance in San Diego, CA (2024)
- Geico has the cheapest rates for liability and full-coverage car insurance in San Diego.
- State Farm has the cheapest car insurance for San Diego’s young drivers.
- Mercury may be best after an at-fault accident or DUI conviction
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in San Diego: Geico
Geico has the cheapest full-coverage car insurance rates in San Diego with an average annual rate of $1,347.
Progressive has the second lowest rate, at $1,483 a year.
For comparison, the average rate of full-coverage car insurance in San Diego is $1,776 a year.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance companies in San Diego
| Company | Average annual rate | LendingTree star rating |
|---|---|---|
| Geico | $1,347 | 3.5 |
| Progressive | $1,483 | 4 |
| Mercury | $1,490 | NA |
| AAA SoCal | $1,734 | NA |
| State Farm | $1,874 | 4.5 |
| AAA NorCal | $1,912 | NA |
| Allstate | $1,958 | 3 |
| Farmers | $2,410 | 3 |
Full-coverage car insurance usually includes comprehensive and collision car insurance coverages, along with liability. It can be a good investment because it pays for your own damages after an accident, while liability only covers damages and injuries to others.
Cheapest San Diego liability car insurance: Geico
Geico has the cheapest liability car insurance rates for most drivers in San Diego, with an average of $410 a year.
Progressive is the next-cheapest for most drivers in San Diego, at $446 a year.
The average annual rate of liability-only car insurance in San Diego is $554 a year.
Cheapest liability car insurance companies in San Diego
| Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Geico | $410 |
| Progressive | $446 |
| AAA NorCal | $499 |
| Mercury | $504 |
| AAA SoCal | $579 |
| State Farm | $628 |
| Farmers | $640 |
| Allstate | $727 |
Also known as “minimum car insurance,” liability insurance covers the costs of injuries and property damage to others if you’re responsible for an accident.
However, liability car insurance doesn’t cover your own injuries and damage. For that, you would either need personal injury protection, medical payments protection or health insurance. Otherwise, you’d need to have a full-coverage car insurance policy.
Cheapest rates for young drivers in San Diego: State Farm
State Farm is the best option for cheap car insurance for teens in San Diego, with an average of $1,207 a year.
Geico is the next-cheapest choice for teen drivers in San Diego, at $1,267 a year.
Cheapest liability coverage for teen drivers
| Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| State Farm | $1,207 |
| Geico | $1,267 |
| Mercury | $1,280 |
| Progressive | $1,288 |
| Farmers | $1,468 |
| AAA NorCal | $1,591 |
| AAA SoCal | $1,634 |
| Allstate | $1,928 |
Teen drivers usually pay the highest rates of any age group because of their lack of experience behind the wheel.
If you’re looking for a good way to save money on car insurance for your teen, consider adding them to your current policy. While your own rate will increase, it’ll usually still be cheaper than if you had two separate policies.
Cheapest rates after a speeding ticket in San Diego: Geico
Geico is the most affordable insurance company in San Diego for drivers with a speeding ticket or similar traffic violation on their record, at an average rate of $2,107 a year.
Mercury is the second-cheapest option in San Diego after a speeding ticket, averaging $2,110 a year.
Cheapest car insurance companies after a ticket
| Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Geico | $2,107 |
| Mercury | $2,110 |
| Progressive | $2,273 |
| AAA NorCal | $2,420 |
| AAA SoCal | $2,722 |
| Allstate | $2,810 |
| State Farm | $2,859 |
| Farmers | $3,412 |
A speeding ticket in California stays on your driving record for at least three years, during which time you will probably see higher car insurance rates. Other traffic violations will be reported to your record for three years, but how they affect your insurance rates depend on the violation. For example, parking tickets usually do not affect your car insurance rates.
Cheapest rates after an accident in San Diego: Mercury
Mercury has the lowest average rate — $2,366 a year — for San Diego drivers with an accident on their record where they were at fault.
Progressive is the next-most affordable company in San Diego after an accident, with an average rate of $2,441 per year.
Cheapest car insurance companies after an accident
| Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Mercury | $2,366 |
| Progressive | $2,441 |
| AAA SoCal | $2,974 |
| Geico | $3,446 |
| State Farm | $3,693 |
| AAA NorCal | $3,873 |
| Farmers | $4,265 |
| Allstate | $5,269 |
Collisions stay on your driving record for three years from collision date, during which time there will probably be a premium increase.
Cheapest rates after a DUI in San Diego: Mercury
Mercury has the most affordable rates for San Diego drivers needing cheap car insurance with a DUI (driving under the influence) on their record. It charges an average of $2,638 a year.
Geico has the next-lowest rate for those with a DUI, at $3,400 a year.
Cheapest car insurance companies after a DUI
| Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Mercury | $2,638 |
| Geico | $3,400 |
| Progressive | $3,545 |
| Farmers | $4,265 |
| AAA SoCal | $5,472 |
| State Farm | $6,617 |
| AAA NorCal | $6,867 |
| Allstate | $7,615 |
DUI convictions are reported to the record of non-commercial drivers for 10 years. This will result in higher car insurance rates.
After a DUI, California drivers are required to carry an SR-22 for usually three years. An SR-22 is a document that proves you carry California’s minimum liability insurance.
Car insurance companies tend to consider drivers with a DUI to be high risk. Some don’t offer SR-22 filings and may deny coverage or cancel your policy.
If your car insurance company isn’t cooperative in helping with an SR-22, compare car insurance quotes from other companies for a better policy.
San Diego car insurance laws
California state law requires drivers to carry “15/30/5” car insurance limits. This means you need at least these amounts below for bodily injury and property damage liability car insurance:
| Coverage type | Minimum amount needed |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability (per person) | $15,000 |
| Bodily injury liability (per accident) | $30,000 |
| Personal property liability | $5,000 |
But even if your insurance meets California’s car insurance requirements, be careful. Just having the bare minimum of coverage may not be enough if you cause an accident that results in extensive injuries or damage.
Any claim-related expenses that occur once your car insurance policy limit is met will have to be paid by you out-of-pocket. To avoid this, consider raising your liability limits to what your budget can handle.
Methodology
The rates in this article are based on an analysis of auto insurance quotes obtained from Quadrant Information Services for sample drivers from across San Diego.
Unless otherwise noted, our sample driver is a single 30-year-old male who owns a 2015 Honda Civic. Our young base driver is an 18-year-old male with a good driving record.
Minimum-coverage rates reflect the cost of policies meeting the minimum liability limits required by each state.
Full-coverage policies include these coverages, limits and deductibles:
- Bodily injury liability: $50,000 limit per person/$100,000 limit per accident
- Property damage liability: $25,000 limit
- Uninsured motorist: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, where required by law
- Personal injury protection: Minimum limits, where required by law
- Collision: $500 deductible
- Comprehensive: $500 deductible