Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in San Diego, CA (2024 Rates)

The cheapest car insurance in San Diego depends on your needs and driver profile. GEICO is the cheapest for teens and young adults. National General is the most budget-friendly for full coverage and drivers with traffic violations. Progressive is the least expensive for sports car drivers, State Farm for seniors and USAA for military members. MoneyGeek also analyzed the best car insurance in San Diego for those looking to balance affordability with quality service.

The following companies provide the cheapest minimum coverage car insurance policies in San Diego:

• GEICO: $355 per year
• Progressive: $424 per year

Chubb offers the priciest minimum coverage policy, costing $716 annually. Meanwhile, CSAA offers California's cheapest minimum coverage car insurance company at $125 per year. This state's average cost is lower than the cheapest insurer in San Diego, illustrating how location can affect insurance rates.

California state law mandates that minimum coverage insurance policies must include:

• $15,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $30,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $5,000 property damage liability per accident

In the event of an accident where you are at fault, liability-only coverage will provide compensation for damages to the other driver up to the designated limit. For instance, your insurance provider will pay medical expenses up to $15,000 per injured person, with a cap of $30,000 for the entire incident. You are responsible for paying any costs that surpass the limit.

In San Diego, the following offer the most affordable full coverage auto insurance:

• National General: $891 per year
• GEICO: $918 per year

At $1,703 per year, Chubb is San Diego's most costly full-coverage insurer. California state’s least expensive full coverage car insurance provider is CSAA, with an average rate of $369. Note that National General, the cheapest full-coverage insurer in San Diego, is more expensive than the state's cheapest average rate. This cost difference illustrates how location can affect insurance costs.

A full coverage policy includes comprehensive and collision insurance.

• Collision insurance: Covers damages from a collision with another car or a stationary object like a tree, light pole or fence.
• Comprehensive insurance: Covers damages from non-collision events like theft, vandalism, vehicle fire and natural disasters.

A full coverage policy may not be worth it for low-value older vehicles. You could pay hundreds of dollars more per year in premiums than the car is worth.

National General, an Allstate company, is the cheapest auto insurance for drivers with traffic infractions on their records, offering the following rates:

• Speeding ticket: National General ($935 per year)
• At-fault accident: National General ($1,317 per year)
• DUI: National General ($935 per year)

Chubb is the costliest after a speeding ticket ($2,229) or an at-fault accident ($2,736) and Hartford after a DUI ($4,903). Rates for drivers with violations are higher than for those with clean driving histories.

Typically, the more severe the driving offense, the more the insurance premiums increase. After a speeding ticket, San Diego drivers will pay $489 more for insurance per year, while those with a DUI will pay $1,700 more. An at-fault accident will also increase your rate, and California prohibits insurance companies from offering accident forgiveness. Nonetheless, it is still possible to find affordable insurance rates if you have a bad driving record.

For a 16-year-old teenage driver on a family policy, the cheapest car insurance companies in San Diego are:

• GEICO: $2,074 per year for female teens; $2,167 per year for male teens
• State Farm: $2,277 per year for male and female teens

In San Diego, Nationwide is the most expensive insurer for teenagers, with a yearly rate of $4,063.

Generally, males are perceived as riskier to insure due to higher accident frequency and thus pay more for auto insurance, although the gap closes by early adulthood. However, since California does not allow gender as a rating factor, being a male or female should not affect the cost, regardless of age, although other factors will.

In San Diego, families can save thousands annually by including a teenage driver on their auto insurance policy rather than buying a separate policy. And a teenager under 18 cannot legally buy auto insurance without a parent or guardian as a co-signer. To get the most affordable rate, families should compare teen driver insurance prices to find the best deal.

In San Diego, the most affordable auto insurance providers for those in the military are:

• USAA: $860 per year
• National General: $891 per year

The rates above are for a full coverage policy. GEICO is the most affordable for a minimum coverage policy, costing an annual rate of $355, while USAA is the second most affordable at $371 per year.

Gathering quotes for auto insurance in San Diego, California, can be a tedious and time-consuming process, taking over 15 minutes per company and requiring you to provide a lot of personal information. MoneyGeek's car insurance calculator streamlines the process, allowing you to just enter your age, vehicle type, driving record and coverage preferences to get multiple rates from insurers quickly.

The following companies offer the most affordable full coverage car insurance for young adults in San Diego:

• GEICO: $1,059 per year
• National General: $1,079 per year

Chubb is the most expensive insurer for young adults in San Diego, costing $2,500 per year. Generally, young adults pay more for auto insurance than their middle-aged counterparts. For instance, a 40-year-old middle-aged driver pays an average of $1,202 per year, while a 25-year-old young adult pays an average rate of $1,514 per year, a difference of $312 per year.

The most budget-friendly car insurance providers for seniors who want a full coverage plan in San Diego are:

• State Farm: $869 per year
• GEICO: $888 per year

Chubb is the priciest insurer for seniors in San Diego, at $1,756 per year. In San Diego, seniors enjoy lower insurance rates compared to their middle-aged counterparts, who pay approximately $33 more. After reaching the age of 65, seniors may experience further increases in their insurance rates, primarily because they are perceived as higher-risk drivers. This is attributed to a higher probability of having medical conditions and slower reaction times.

The most affordable car insurance providers for drivers with sports cars who want comprehensive coverage in San Diego are:

• Progressive: $1,099 per year
• GEICO: $1,141 per year

At $2,014 per year, Chubb has the most expensive premium for drivers with sports cars in San Diego.

The average cost of car insurance for a Toyota Camry in San Diego is $1,202 per year, while the average cost of car insurance for a sports car is $1,418 per year. A sports car costs $215 more to insure per year (18%) than a Toyota Camry.

We used a Ford Mustang as a sample sports car, but rates can vary by model. Luxury, electric and sports cars are usually the priciest to insure.

San Diego residents enjoy lower car insurance rates than the median rate across California and the national average. On average, a full coverage policy in San Diego costs $1,202 per year, which is $185 less than the median rate in California ($1,387 per year) and $63 lower than the national average ($1,265 per year).

These rates include $100,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $300,000 in bodily injury liability for every accident and $100,000 in property damage liability per incident. The city's low population, crime and accident rates are primary factors in the lower cost of car insurance in San Diego compared to other places in the state.