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Affordable auto insurance depends on your personal profile, driver’s history and coverage needs. In San Jose, Esurance offers the cheapest full coverage policy at $972 and the most affordable option for drivers with a speeding ticket at $1,230 per year. GEICO has the cheapest minimum coverage policy with an annual premium of $453.

If you are part of a military family, USAA is another affordable option, but AAA ranked highest overall in terms of balancing affordability and customer service.

MoneyGeek Logo Iconbestauto insuranceSan Jose
2023

The Cheapest and Best Car Insurance in San Jose

The Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in San Jose

In San Jose, the most affordable auto insurance providers for full coverage policies are:

  • Esurance: $972 per year
  • Progressive: $1,061 per year

Esurance policies are $728 cheaper than the most expensive full coverage policy in San Jose offered by Allied. A full coverage policy comes with both comprehensive and collision insurance, although prices may differ depending on how much liability insurance you select.

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Jose
Full Coverage 100/300/100
  • Company
    100/300/100per year
  • 1.
    Esurance
    $972
  • 2.
    Progressive
    $1,061
  • 3.
    USAA
    $1,097
  • 4.
    GEICO
    $1,118
  • 5.
    Allstate
    $1,162
  • 6.
    MetLife
    $1,222
  • 7.
    CSAA
    $1,281
  • 8.
    State Farm
    $1,388
  • 9.
    Mercury
    $1,444
  • 10.
    Hartford
    $1,532
  • 11.
    Farmers
    $1,565
  • 12.
    Travelers
    $1,596
  • 13.
    Allied
    $1,700

MoneyGeek collected average rates for a 40-year-old male driver in San Jose with a full coverage policy as per our methodology.

Full coverage car insurance is more expensive than minimum coverage but adds comprehensive and collision insurance.

  • Collision Insurance: Pays for your car’s damages if you hit another vehicle or a stationary object.
  • Comprehensive Insurance: Pays expenses to repair your car from non-collision-related damage.

Both forms of coverage are valuable as they protect you against the cost of damage to your vehicle.

If you choose full coverage for an older car, you may end up paying more for insurance than what your vehicle is worth. In such a scenario, you can opt for liability-only insurance or state minimum coverage to get the cheapest rates.

Compare Car Insurance Rates in San Jose

Ensure you're getting the best rate for your car insurance. Compare quotes from the top insurance companies.

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Insurance Rates

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Jose for Minimum Coverage

The cheapest insurance in San Jose is the minimum coverage policy. The top two insurers in the city for state minimum liability-only are:

  • GEICO: $453 per year
  • Progressive: $464 per year

USAA offers the cheapest state minimum policies for military members and their families in San Jose at $445 per year. GEICO’s minimum coverage policy is $345 less than the most expensive option, which is offered by Farmers.

Although minimum coverage policies are the most affordable, they do not provide comprehensive and collision insurance, so you risk being not fully covered.

You can check out the below table to know how much higher liability coverage costs.

Cheapest Minimum Liability Car Insurance in San Jose
State Minimum

An insurance policy that meets the minimum requirements in California is liability-only coverage. While this is the cheapest insurance option in San Jose, it provides the least protection. In the event of an accident, you may end up paying more from your own resources.

For example, if the total medical expenses in an at-fault accident add up to $70,000, an insurer in California will cover up to $45,000 as per the state’s liability limits. You will have to pay the remaining $25,000.

California Minimum Liability Requirements

  • Item
    Description
  • Bodily Injury and Property Damage
    $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident and $5,000 for property damage. A more protective level is 100/300/100.

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Jose if You Have Driving Violations

Driving violations like at-fault accidents, DUIs and speeding tickets will increase the cost of your insurance premiums, sometimes pretty substantially. The cheapest insurers for drivers with violations in San Jose are:

  • Cheapest after a ticket: Esurance, $1,230 per year
  • Cheapest after an at-fault accident: Esurance, $1,514 per year
  • Cheapest after a DUI: Mercury, $2,369 per year

Drivers with prior violations in San Jose can get cheaper insurance by improving their driving records over time. In the meantime, however, drivers with bad driving records can shop around for auto insurance to get the cheapest rate possible.

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Jose With a Violation
Speeding Ticket

Average Cost of Car Insurance in San Jose

San Jose$1,337
California$1,429
U.S.$1,424

San Jose has an average car insurance rate of $1,337 annually, which is lower than both the state and national average annual premiums. In general, San Jose rates are 6.4% less than California’s average of $1,429 per year and 6.1% lower than the $1,424 average annual premium in the United States.

Personalized Quotes to Get You the Cheapest Car Insurance in San Jose

The average car insurance rates in San Jose are based on a number of factors, such as age, gender, driving history, coverage level and marital status. For instance, if you’re an 18-year-old male, Esurance may give you an annual premium of $3,688. However, if you are a 40-year-old male with Esurance, you may have a premium of $972 a year. As your circumstances change over time, you may be eligible for rebates, discounts and other savings, so it is best to get a personalized auto insurance quote before making a decision.

Compare Car Insurance Rates in San Jose

Ensure you're getting the best rate for your car insurance. Compare quotes from the top insurance companies.

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The Best Car Insurance Companies in San Jose

MoneyGeek evaluated insurance options that balance affordability and quality service for drivers in San Jose. The best car insurers in San Jose are:

  • AAA: MoneyGeek score of 90 out of 100
  • GEICO: MoneyGeek score of 90 out of 100

USAA scored the highest with 100 out of 100, per MoneyGeek’s rating system, and is the best option for veterans, military members and their families.

MoneyGeek ranked these car insurance companies using several factors, including insurer financial stability, customer satisfaction and affordability. We used multiple resources to perform this study, including findings by data analytics and consumer intelligence company J. D. Power.


1
Esurance
Score:90

4.7/5

Affordability

3.7/5

Claims

4.2/5

User Satisfaction

4.5/5

Financial Stability

2
AAA
Score:89

4.4/5

Affordability

5/5

Claims

4.5/5

User Satisfaction

4/5

Financial Stability

3
GEICO
Score:85

4.2/5

Affordability

4/5

Claims

4.5/5

User Satisfaction

5/5

Financial Stability

4
Progressive
Score:76

3.7/5

Affordability

3.5/5

Claims

4/5

User Satisfaction

4.5/5

Financial Stability

5
MetLife
Score:69

3.2/5

Affordability

4.1/5

Claims

3.5/5

User Satisfaction

4.5/5

Financial Stability

6
Allstate
Score:67

3/5

Affordability

4/5

Claims

4/5

User Satisfaction

4.5/5

Financial Stability

7
State Farm
Score:67

2.9/5

Affordability

4/5

Claims

4.5/5

User Satisfaction

5/5

Financial Stability

8
Mercury
Score:58

2.5/5

Affordability

3.5/5

Claims

4/5

User Satisfaction

4/5

Financial Stability

9
Travelers
Score:54

2/5

Affordability

4.2/5

Claims

3.6/5

User Satisfaction

5/5

Financial Stability

10
Farmers
Score:42

1.3/5

Affordability

4/5

Claims

4/5

User Satisfaction

4/5

Financial Stability

11
Hartford
Score:30

0.3/5

Affordability

4.5/5

Claims

4/5

User Satisfaction

4.5/5

Financial Stability

12
Allied
Score:18

1.3/5

Affordability

NaN/5

Claims

NaN/5

User Satisfaction

NaN/5

Financial Stability

Average Cost of Car Insurance by Postal Code

In San Jose, the average car insurance premium based on ZIP code is between $1,208 and $1,441. A person’s ZIP code affects that rate due to a number of factors, such as the number of drivers in the area, regional rates of car theft and the number of accidents that happen there. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive auto insurance in San Jose is $233. Always get an estimate before you move to see if your car insurance rate will be affected.

  • Zip Code
    State Minimumper year
  • 95125
    $1,208
  • 95123
    $1,256
  • 95127
    $1,318
  • 95122
    $1,376
  • 95116
    $1,422
  • 95111
    $1,441

Factors That Impact Insurance Costs in San Jose

In addition to individual driver needs and history, location-specific factors like the percentage of uninsured motorists and the rate of car thefts also contribute to car insurance rates in San Jose. How San Jose ranks compared to the 300 most populous cities in the United States can have a significant impact on premium costs.

accident2 icon
Most Accidents With Fatalities195th/300
handcuffs2 icon
Most Car Thefts113th/300
uninsured icon
Most Uninsured Motorists by State12th/50
insurance2 icon
Personal Injury Protection RequiredNo
rain icon
Most Annual Rainfall194th/300
umbrella icon
Most Rainy Days211th/300

About Mark Fitzpatrick


Mark Fitzpatrick headshot

Mark Fitzpatrick is a senior content director at MoneyGeek with over five years of experience analyzing the insurance market, conducting original research and creating content that can be personalized for every buyer. He has been quoted on insurance topics in several publications, including CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.

Mark earned a master’s degree in Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He is passionate about using his economics and insurance knowledge to bring transparency around financial topics and help others feel confident in their money moves.