What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Used Cars in Bakersfield?

For pre-owned vehicles, one of the largest criteria that determine the cost of insurance is where you live in Bakersfield. Areas with more people or even just a higher incidence of claims tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims get the luxury of paying less.

The illustration below rates the most expensive cities in California for used cars to buy an auto insurance policy in. Bakersfield comes in at #23 with an annual rate of $1,353 for the average insured, which is approximately $113 monthly.

Annual rates are comparative as the specific Bakersfield residence address can increase or decrease price quotes substantially.

Deciding which insurers offer the lowest-priced auto insurance rates for used cars takes a tad more effort than just picking a company at random.

Each auto insurer uses their own formula for determining rates in each state, so let’s examine the auto insurance companies with the most affordable rates in Bakersfield, CA.

Best Insurance Companies for Used Cars

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USAA generally has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Bakersfield at around $1,155 each year. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide would also be considered some of the most economical Bakersfield, CA auto insurance companies.

In the rate table above, if you currently have coverage with CSAA and switched to USAA, you may realize yearly savings of in the neighborhood of $67. Policyholders with Nationwide might save as much as $95 a year, and 21st Century insureds might lower prices by $211 a year.

If you want to see how much you could save, click here to start your free quote or visit any of the low-priced companies below.

Bear in mind that those prices are averages for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not factor in a vehicle location for used cars. So the company that fits your age and vehicle best may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That illustrates why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own driver data and vehicle information.

How accidents and violations affect rates in Bakersfield

The obvious way to score low auto insurance prices for pre-owned vehicles is to be a careful driver and not have accidents or get tickets. The illustration below highlights how traffic violations and at-fault accidents can drive up annual premium costs for each different age category. Data assumes a single female driver, full coverage, $500 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

The data above shows the average cost of auto insurance in Bakersfield per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $2,679. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost rises to $3,040, an increase of $361 each year. Next add two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of auto insurance for used cars goes up to an average of $6,263. That’s an increase of $3,585, or $299 per month, just for not keeping your driving record clean!

Full coverage rates compared to liability-only

Finding cheaper auto insurance is the goal of most vehicle owners, and an easy way to lower the cost of insurance for used cars is to only pay for liability coverage. The diagram below shows the difference between car insurance rates with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The costs are based on no claims or violations, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

If averaged for all ages, physical damage insurance costs an extra $3,147 per year more than buying just liability insurance. Many people question when is it a good idea to stop buying full coverage. There is no clear-cut formula for dropping comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of full coverage is about 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

There are some cases where removing full coverage is not advised. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should keep full coverage.

Why you should be shopping around

Bakersfield, CA auto insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that can increase the price of coverage. Simply improving your credit, buying a different home, or getting a couple of tickets may cause policy rate changes resulting in some rates now being much cheaper than others.

Additionally, insurers change rates as needed to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. Heavy losses can result in higher priced premiums, while profitable underwriting may result in more affordable Bakersfield car insurance rates.

To illustrate this point, the graph below shows the company with the cheapest car insurance in Bakersfield, CA for a 45-year-old female driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and a good credit rating. If we compare prices based on her personal risk profile, USAA may offer the lowest car insurance rates in Bakersfield at $1,199 annually. This is $452 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are also included in the cheapest Bakersfield, CA auto insurance companies.

Now we will pretend the driver from the first rate comparison a claim surcharge, a little lower credit rating, and a couple of points charged on her driving record. Because each insurer uses their own method for determining rates in each state, comparing quotes most likely will result in a completely different list of affordable companies as shown below.

Grange now has the best car insurance rate in Bakersfield with GEICO, Mercury, Progressive, and Allstate completing the list. This example shows why it is so important to compare many different companies when trying to find the lowest auto insurance rates for used cars.

Prices are made up of many risk factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the most economical company the last time you shopped around may now be costing you a lot of money.

How to find cheaper auto insurance for used cars

It’s not impossible to find cheaper rates, and here are some of the better money-saving ideas that can help you buy more affordable coverage.

• If your vehicles are older, consider dropping full coverage
• Do not get traffic tickets
• Being accident-free can lower rates significantly
• Vehicles with good safety ratings have lower liability rates
• Good credit can mean cheaper rates
• Raise deductibles to save money
• Keep rates low by shopping around frequently

The last suggestion is extraordinarily important, as was stressed in the article above. Prices charged by auto insurers change a lot, so don’t be hesitant to change to a new company if a lower price can be found.

Having brand loyalty is commendable, but it isn’t a good idea if that faithfulness ends up costing you lots of hard earned cash every month. In just a few minutes you could compare rates to find cheaper car insurance for used cars in Bakersfield.

If you aren’t clear which coverage you need and would like to have a professional recommendation when shopping for cheaper insurance for used cars, the professional agents shown below are a good start to help you make a decision which coverage fits your budget.

To locate a Bakersfield insurance agent in your neighborhood, click the button following the list or click here to compare price quotes.

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