The car, truck, or SUV that is being insured is one of the primary factors when trying to find the best cheap car insurance for 18 year olds. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, excellent safety ratings, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than high performance models. The next list outlines auto insurance rates for some of the most affordable automobiles to insure in California.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $7,484 |
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $7,491 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $7,979 |
| Toyota Prius | $8,065 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Regular Cab 2WD | $8,205 |
| Honda Odyssey EX | $8,701 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $8,783 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $8,788 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $8,783 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $8,788 |
| Ford Explorer Limited AWD | $8,869 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Off-Road Package 4WD | $8,876 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $8,869 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport Islander Package 4WD 4-Dr | $9,133 |
| Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $9,193 |
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Prices based on single male driver age 18, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Price estimates do not factor in zip code location which can lower or raise auto insurance rates considerably.
Based on these rates, cars like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Volkswagen Jetta will be the most affordable vehicles to insure for teen drivers. The price for an auto insurance policy will tend to be more expensive anyway just because there is more liability exposure for 18 year olds, but in general those models will have the lowest insurance rates that you’ll find.
For teen drivers, one of the largest criteria that are used to help calculate the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you choose to live in Los Angeles. Areas with high crime rates or more dense population are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas less populated areas profit from lower rates.
The next table rates the priciest cities in California for 18 year olds to buy an auto insurance policy in. Los Angeles comes in at #2 with an annual premium of $2,104 for car insurance, which is about $175 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $2,142 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | $2,104 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,687 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 9 | Stockton | $1,541 |
| 10 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 11 | Garden Grove | $1,508 |
| 12 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 13 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 14 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 15 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 16 | Riverside | $1,482 |
| 17 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 18 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 21 | San Jose | $1,381 |
| 22 | San Diego | $1,368 |
| 23 | Irvine | $1,330 |
| 24 | Chula Vista | $1,311 |
| 25 | Oxnard | $1,304 |
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Premium amounts are comparative as the specific Los Angeles residence address can modify coverage rates significantly.
Discounts on Los Angeles insurance
Insurance companies that offer coverage for 18 year olds could also offer price discounts that may potentially lower prices by as much as 35% or more if you meet specific eligibility requirements. Large auto insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer can be found below.
- Progressive has discounts for continuous coverage, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, homeowner, online signing, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance has savings for mature driver, pay in full, switch companies, homeowner, distant student, and bundle discounts.
- Farm Bureau policyholders can earn discounts including 55 and retired, youthful driver, safe driver, renewal discount, and multi-vehicle.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for Drive Safe & Save, multiple autos, Steer Clear safe driver discount, safe vehicle, and accident-free.
- GEICO may offer discounts for emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, driver training, defensive driver, membership and employees, good student, and multi-policy.
- SAFECO offers discounts for accident prevention training, safe driver, anti-theft, teen safe driver, teen safety rewards, and multi-car.
- Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include new move discount, new vehicle discount, exclusive group savings, preferred payment discount, good student, and hybrid vehicle.
The information below illustrates the difference between auto insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The information is based on a male driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $250 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with paperless filing, good student, vehicle safety, paid-in-full, anti-theft, and passive restraint discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, theamount saved on auto insurance for 18 year olds is 28% or $1,079.
Choosing a highly-rated insurance provider is hard considering how many different companies there are to choose from in Los Angeles. The information below could help you select which companies to look at when shopping your coverage around. The ratings below are for large, nationwide insurance companies, so smaller regional companies are not factored into the list.
Top 10 Major Auto Insurers in Los Angeles Ranked by A.M. Best Rating
- USAA – A++
- Travelers – A++
- State Farm – A++
- GEICO – A++
- Esurance – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Mercury Insurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Titan Insurance – A+
Top 10 Major Auto Insurers in Los Angeles Ranked by Customer Satisfaction
- Titan Insurance – 95%
- USAA – 94%
- AAA of Southern California – 92%
- AAA Insurance – 91%
- Nationwide – 90%
- State Farm – 90%
- The Hartford – 89%
- GEICO – 89%
- The General – 88%
- 21st Century – 88%
Tickets and at-fault accidents raise rates
The common sense way to score good auto insurance premiums in Los Angeles for teen drivers is to drive safely and not get tickets or have accidents. The chart below demonstrates how citations and at-fault collisions can impact car insurance rates for each different age group. The premiums are based on a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $100 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
In the prior example, the average cost of auto insurance in Los Angeles per year with no violations or accidents is $2,939. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost jumps to $3,375, an increase of $436 each year. Then throw in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of auto insurance for 18 year olds jumps again to an average of $4,613. That’s an increase of $1,674, or $140 per month, just for a couple of infractions!
A good deal can quickly turn bad
Los Angeles, CA auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors that may substantially change the cost of your policy. Simply turning a year older, having a teenage driver, or getting a speeding ticket can produce rate changes that may make certain companies more affordable than others.
Not only may things change on your end, but insurers change rates every year or even multiple times each year in order to protect their financial rating. A period of higher than normal claims may cause more expensive premiums, while profitable underwriting can produce cheaper Los Angeles car insurance rates.
As an example, the data below shows rates for the cheapest car insurance in Los Angeles, CA for a 35-year-old female driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and a high credit rating. Based on her personal risk profile, USAA offers the lowest car insurance rates in Los Angeles at $1,781 per year. This is $130 more than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are the rest of the cheapest Los Angeles, CA auto insurance companies.
The next chart shows rates after we give the driver from the above example a claim or two, a lower credit rating, and a traffic ticket or two. Since each auto insurance company has a unique approach to determining premium rates, analyzing rates may now result in a slightly different list of companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best price in Los Angeles, CA with Mercury, Allstate, Allied, and Progressive also having competitive pricing. This example illustrates why consumers need to spend some time comparing rates to get the most budget-friendly car insurance quotes for 18 year olds. Insurance rates are made up of many things and can change without notice, so the most economical company two years ago may now be one of the more expensive options.