You have most likely watched the catchy commercials from auto insurance companies like GEICO, Nationwide, and Liberty Mutual claiming the cheapest rates. So you just need to choose any one of them, right?
It’s just not that simple, as there are a lot of unknown aspects such as the level of liability coverage you want, the area where you live, whether you are male or female, and if you are a homeowner or renter, that all impact the cost of your policy. This article should teach you a little about some of these criteria and will hopefully give you a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance.
The vehicle to be insured is one of the primary factors in finding the lowest-priced auto insurance for drivers requiring a SR22. Vehicles with average performance, excellent safety ratings, or low incidents of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models. The list below presents coverage rates for a handful of the cheapest vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $3,307 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $3,364 |
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $3,388 |
| Toyota Prius | $3,560 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $3,575 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $3,584 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $3,743 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $3,750 |
| Ford F-150 FX4 Super Cab 4WD | $3,779 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $3,786 |
| Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $3,877 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $3,911 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $3,920 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $3,911 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT 2WD | $3,915 |
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Price data assumes single female driver age 50, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Price estimates do not factor in garaging location in Bakersfield, CA which can increase or decrease auto insurance rates significantly.
Based upon these rates, you can conclude that vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Honda Accord, Ford Escape, and Toyota Prius should be some of the more affordable vehicles to insure for high risk drivers. The price for car insurance will be more costly just because there is more liability risk for drivers requiring a SR22, but generally speaking those makes and models will tend to have the cheapest car insurance rates that you are likely to find.
Shopping around for reasonably-priced auto insurance is challenging, and determining which company offers the best insurance rates for drivers requiring a SR22 will take additional perseverance.
Every auto insurer has a different formula for filing rates in each state, so we need to take a look at the most affordable insurance companies in Bakersfield, CA.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance for SR22 Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,109 |
| 2 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 3 | Wawanesa | $1,181 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,198 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,226 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,379 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,433 |
| 8 | Allstate | $1,513 |
| 9 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 10 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 11 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,591 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,606 |
| 15 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 17 | State Farm | $1,750 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,777 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,788 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
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USAA offers some of the lowest car insurance rates in Bakersfield at around $1,109 a year. This is $542 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide would also be considered some of the cheaper Bakersfield, CA auto insurance companies.
As the example above demonstrates, if you are insured with CSAA and switched to Century National, you could realize a yearly savings of upwards of $20. Drivers with Nationwide could save as much as $48 a year, and 21st Century policyholders might cut rates by $201 a year.
To find out how much you can save, click here to start your custom quote or click several companies below for low rates.
Remember that these premiums are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not take into consideration an exact zip code location for drivers requiring a SR22. So the insurer that can offer you the lowest price may not even be in the list above. That points out the importance of why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
One of the many things that help determine insurance cost is where your residence is. Areas with a lot of weather claims or more people will most likely pay more, whereas areas that tend to be more rural benefit from lower rates.
The following table ranks the highest-priced areas in California for drivers requiring a SR22 in which to purchase auto insurance. Bakersfield shows up at #22 with an annual rate of $1,353 for car insurance, which is about $113 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,058 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,745 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 9 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 12 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 13 | Fresno | $1,502 |
| 14 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 15 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 16 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 17 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 18 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,403 |
| 20 | Huntington Beach | $1,360 |
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Table data uses approximated as the specific area where the vehicle is garaged can alter coverage rates significantly.
Tickets and at-fault accidents raise rates
The recommended way to receive the most affordable insurance premiums in Bakersfield for high risk drivers is to be a careful driver and avoid at-fault accidents and violations. The illustration below illustrates how speeding tickets and at-fault fender-benders can influence auto insurance rates for different age groups. The data is based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
In the previous example, the average cost of car insurance in Bakersfield per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,767. Receive one speeding ticket and the average cost increases to $2,006, an increase of $239 each year. Now add in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of insurance for drivers requiring a SR22 increases to an average of $2,662. That’s an increase of $895, or $75 per month, just for not being more responsible behind the wheel!
Cost difference between full coverage and liability
Finding cheaper insurance is important to most people, and one of the easiest ways to find cheap insurance for drivers requiring a SR22 is to not insure for full coverage. The chart below shows the comparison of insurance rates with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The costs are based on no claims or driving citations, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
As an average for all age groups, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs an additional $2,525 per year more than just buying liability insurance. That proposes the question if it’s worth it to buy full coverage. There is no specific rule that works best for making the decision to drop comp and collision coverage, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than about 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
Low rates can quickly become overpriced
Bakersfield insurance rates are influenced by many factors that may substantially change the cost of coverage. Simply getting older, increasing deductibles, or having an accident may prompt premium changes that may make certain companies affordable when they were higher priced. Not only may your risk profile change, but auto insurance companies file new California auto insurance rates at least once a year to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. A period of increased losses can result in additional price hikes, while a lower level of claims may produce lower-priced Bakersfield car insurance rates.
The chart below shows the cheapest car insurance in Bakersfield, CA for a 30-year-old male driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and a good credit history. If we look at prices based on his current risk profile, USAA may offer the cheapest car insurance rates in Bakersfield at $1,228 each year. This is $423 less than the average policy premium paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, Nationwide, and CSAA are also on the list of the cheapest Bakersfield, CA auto insurance companies.
Now let’s give the driver from above a chargeable accident, bad credit, and a few traffic violations. Due to the fact that every auto insurer has their own formula to determining premium rates, comparing insurance quotes may result in a completely different list of the cheapest Bakersfield car insurance companies as shown below.
Mercury now has the cheapest rate in Bakersfield, CA with Grange, Progressive, GEICO, and Allstate now rounding out the top five. This example shows why it is crucial to compare lots of rates to find the cheapest insurance quotes for drivers requiring a SR22. Car insurance prices are impacted by many different factors and can change substantially, so the best company the last time you shopped around may now be an over-priced policy.
If you have questions and prefer to have the advice of a professional agent when trying to find lower insurance rates for drivers requiring a SR22, the insurance agencies listed below can most likely help you determine which is the best policy.
To locate a Bakersfield auto insurance agent near you, click the button link following the list or click here to compare rates now.
- Farmers Insurance – Scott Brown
6501 Schirra Ct #100 – Bakersfield, CA 93313 – (661) 837-4100 - Omega Financial and Insurance Services Inc
400 H St – Bakersfield, CA 93304 – (661) 326-6870 - Keith Stonebraker – State Farm Insurance Agent
4600 Ashe Rd #308 – Bakersfield, CA 93313 – (661) 664-9663 - GEICO Insurance Agent
5550 California Ave #101 – Bakersfield, CA 93309 – (661) 431-1780 - Nationwide Insurance: Michaud Insurance Agency Inc
201 California Ave – Bakersfield, CA 93304 – (661) 633-9900