Establishing which company offers the best car insurance rates for drivers over age 60 will take a little more effort in order to find the best policy. Each insurer uses a slightly different approach for setting rates, so let’s look at the rankings for the overall cheapest car insurance companies in California.
Keep in mind that California car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that can increase the price you pay for coverage. Getting older, buying a different home, or getting a speeding ticket may prompt premium changes resulting in some rates now being more affordable than others.
Find Cheaper Auto Insurance for Age 60+
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | USAA | $1,109 |
2 | Wawanesa | $1,146 |
3 | Century National | $1,226 |
4 | CSAA | $1,234 |
5 | Nationwide | $1,263 |
6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
7 | Grange | $1,477 |
8 | Allstate | $1,497 |
9 | Mercury | $1,503 |
10 | Progressive | $1,512 |
11 | GEICO | $1,575 |
12 | Allied | $1,588 |
13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
14 | MetLife | $1,606 |
15 | State Farm | $1,699 |
16 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
18 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
19 | Travelers | $1,860 |
20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
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USAA quotes some of the best car insurance rates in Irvine at around $1,109 a year. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are also some of the lowest-priced Irvine, CA insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you currently have a policy with CSAA and switched to USAA, you could realize savings of around $125. California drivers with Nationwide might save as much as $154 a year, and 21st Century policyholders might lower prices by up to $257 a year.
These premium estimates are averages for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not take into consideration a specific vehicle garaging location for drivers over age 60. So the company that can offer you the lowest price may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That points out the importance of why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
The vehicle model that is being insured is one of the largest factors when comparison shopping for the best cheap car insurance for drivers over age 60. Vehicles with lower performance, an excellent safety record, or a track record of few liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The next table outlines car insurance prices for a selection of the cheapest vehicles to buy coverage for.
Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $796 |
Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $806 |
Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $845 |
Ford Edge SE 2WD | $857 |
Toyota Prius | $863 |
Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $873 |
Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $906 |
Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $922 |
Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $929 |
Chevrolet Impala LT | $922 |
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $932 |
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport Package 4WD | $940 |
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4WD 4-Dr | $955 |
Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-Dr Sedan | $971 |
Toyota Camry XLE | $977 |
Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $971 |
GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $989 |
Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $998 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 4WD | $989 |
Honda Civic Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $999 |
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Data variables include single female driver age 60, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, and safe-driver. Price estimates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can lower or raise coverage prices considerably.
Based upon the rates shown, we can expect vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Honda Accord will definitely be a few of the more affordable vehicles to insure for older drivers.
For older drivers, one of the big considerations that are looked at to help calculate the amount you pay for auto insurance is where your car is garaged in Irvine. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims tend to pay more, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims have the luxury of lower rates.
The table below shows the most expensive cities in California for drivers over age 60 to buy auto insurance in. Irvine shows up at #24 costing $1,330 for the average policyholder, which is around $111 each month.
Rank | City | Annual Premium |
---|---|---|
1 | Glendale | $2,121 |
2 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
3 | Oakland | $1,755 |
4 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
5 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
6 | Fontana | $1,581 |
7 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
8 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
9 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
10 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
11 | Stockton | $1,556 |
12 | Moreno Valley | $1,551 |
13 | Fresno | $1,502 |
14 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
16 | Riverside | $1,482 |
17 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
18 | Fremont | $1,403 |
19 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
20 | San Jose | $1,395 |
21 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
22 | San Diego | $1,368 |
23 | Chula Vista | $1,337 |
24 | Irvine | $1,330 |
25 | Oxnard | $1,318 |
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Premium costs are approximated as specific Irvine garaging address can affect insurance rates considerably.
Comparison of full coverage and liability-only policies
Reducing premiums for car insurance should be important to the majority of people, and one way to buy cheap insurance for drivers over age 60 is to buy only liability coverage. The chart below shows the comparison of insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The rate quotes are based on no claims or violations, $500 deductibles, single marital status, and no other discounts are factored in.
As an overall average, physical damage coverage costs an additional $2,075 per year over having just liability coverage. At some point, almost every driver questions if it’s a good idea to buy full coverage. There is no definitive formula to stop buying physical damage coverage, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than about 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
Car insurance rates are higher with tickets and accidents
The common sense way to score good car insurance rates in California for older drivers is to be a safe driver and avoid at-fault accidents and violations. The illustration below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault accidents can raise car insurance costs for different age groups. The costs are based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
The data above shows the average cost of car insurance in Irvine per year with no violations or accidents is $3,444. Add in one speeding ticket and the average cost hikes up to $3,880, an increase of $436 each year. Then throw in two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of car insurance for drivers over age 60 jumps again to an average of $7,525. That’s an increase of $4,081, or $340 per month, just for being a careless driver!
The diagram below illustrates how your deductible choice can affect yearly insurance costs when quoting cheap insurance for drivers over age 60. The data assumes a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
The chart above illustrates that a 40-year-old driver could cut expenses by $420 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $632 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, like the Age 20 chart data, have the ability to save $1,068 every year just by using higher deductibles.
When using a larger deductible, it is a good idea to have additional funds in a savings account to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the main inconvenience of larger deductibles.