The words “low-priced” and “auto insurance” probably shouldn’t be used in the same sentence, specifically when you are trying to find the cheapest auto insurance for 17 year olds. Because it’s so expensive, let’s start off by going over some situations that determine auto insurance premiums, and find some ways to cut the cost of your next policy.
The type of vehicle you are buying coverage for is a large factor when trying to find the cheapest coverage for 17 year olds. Vehicles with lots of speed or power, a lack of safety features, or high incidents of liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than more economical and safe models. The next list showcases coverage prices for the more affordable vehicles to insure.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $4,791 |
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $4,801 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $5,101 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $5,111 |
| Toyota Prius | $5,150 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 2WD | $5,316 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $5,578 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $5,587 |
| Ford Edge SEL 2WD | $5,578 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $5,626 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $5,636 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Extended Cab 4WD | $5,626 |
| Toyota RAV4 4WD | $5,635 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SXT | $5,675 |
| Ford F-150 FX4 Super Cab 4WD | $5,683 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Off-Road Package 4WD | $5,675 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 2WD 4-Dr | $5,881 |
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Data based on single male driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in specific zip code location which can increase or decrease coverage prices noticeably.
Based upon these rates, you can assume that cars like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Volkswagen Jetta, and Hyundai Elantra are most likely to be the less-costly vehicles to insure for teen drivers. The price for car insurance will tend to be higher because of the fact that there is more inherent risk for 17 year olds, but overall those models will most likely have the best rates available.
Finding decent, cost effective car insurance is difficult, and deciding which companies quote the best car insurance rates for 17 year olds will take a bit more work. Each auto insurance company has their own formula to establish rates, so we need to take a look at the most competitive car insurance companies in Long Beach, CA.
Lowest Insurance Price Quotes for Teens
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,157 |
| 3 | CSAA | $1,186 |
| 4 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,325 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Allstate | $1,513 |
| 9 | Mercury | $1,533 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,558 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,575 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,638 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,733 |
| 16 | Unitrin | $1,733 |
| 17 | Esurance | $1,739 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,860 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
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USAA may have some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Long Beach at around $1,155 annually. This is $496 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide also qualify as some of the more affordable Long Beach, CA car insurance companies.
As shown in the rates above, if you currently have a policy with CSAA and switched to USAA, you could earn a yearly savings of upwards of $31. Drivers with Century National might save as much as $35 a year, and Nationwide customers might reduce prices by as much as $58 a year.
To discover how much you can save, click here to start your free quote or feel free to get quotes from the companies below.
It’s important to note that these estimates are averages across all drivers and vehicles and do not take into consideration an exact location for 17 year olds. So the auto insurance company that can offer you the best price may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That underscores the importance of why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver data and vehicle information.
For teen drivers, one of the big things that are looked at to help calculate the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you live in Long Beach. Areas with more people or higher crime rates tend to pay more, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates can boast about having cheaper rates.
The table below shows the highest-priced places in California for 17 year olds to purchase car insurance in. Long Beach is ranked at #6 with an annual premium of $1,626 for car insurance, which is approximately $136 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | Sacramento | $1,720 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,711 |
| 5 | Oakland | $1,687 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,626 |
| 7 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,595 |
| 9 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 10 | Stockton | $1,556 |
| 11 | Riverside | $1,542 |
| 12 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,506 |
| 14 | Modesto | $1,502 |
| 15 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 16 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 17 | Anaheim | $1,430 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,423 |
| 19 | Huntington Beach | $1,416 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,403 |
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Rate quotes are comparative as the vehicle garaging location can affect prices substantially.
Full coverage versus liability-only
Saving on car insurance is important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one easy way to pay less for insurance for 17 year olds is to not insure for full coverage. The chart below illustrates the difference between car insurance rates with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The information is based on no accidents, no driving violations, $100 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
If we average the cost for all age groups, full coverage on your policy costs $2,525 per year more than insuring for liability only. That is a large expense which might make you wonder if you should buy full coverage at all. There is no specific rule of when to eliminate comp and collision coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is more than about 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
There are a few situations where dropping physical damage coverage is not advised. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to keep full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest in the vehicle. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should not opt for liability only.
Tickets and at-fault accidents raise rates
In a perfect world, the best way to receive cheap car insurance prices for teen drivers is to be a safe driver and avoid accidents and traffic citations. The illustration below highlights how speeding tickets and at-fault claims can drive up insurance rates for different age groups. Data assumes a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
The data in the chart shows the average cost of auto insurance per year with no accidents or violations is $2,199. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost hikes up to $2,493, an increase of $294 each year. Then add in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the annual cost of car insurance for 17 year olds jumps again to an average of $3,311. That’s an increase of $1,112, or $93 per month, just for being a less-than-perfect driver!
Picking a highly-rated auto insurance provider can be a challenge considering how many companies there are in Long Beach. The company information listed below may help you choose which car insurance providers to look at shopping prices with. The rankings below include companies with a national presence, so companies that have a smaller presence are not taken into consideration for the list.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 98 | 100 | 100 | 94% | A++ | 98.6 |
| American Family | 98 | 89 | 100 | 86% | A | 95.4 |
| AAA of Southern California | 91 | 94 | 97 | 92% | A+ | 94.1 |
| State Farm | 88 | 93 | 96 | 90% | A++ | 92.4 |
| The Hartford | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89% | A+ | 91.7 |
| AAA Insurance | 88 | 89 | 95 | 91% | A | 91.2 |
| GEICO | 84 | 93 | 93 | 89% | A++ | 90.3 |
| The General | 89 | 91 | 89 | 88% | A- | 90 |
| Titan Insurance | 90 | 87 | 91 | 95% | A+ | 89.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 91 | 93 | 87% | A+ | 89.5 |
| Mercury Insurance | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85% | A+ | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 85 | 90 | 92 | 88% | A+ | 89.3 |
| Nationwide | 87 | 88 | 84 | 90% | A+ | 88.7 |
| Liberty Mutual | 84 | 87 | 93 | 88% | A | 88.5 |
| 21st Century | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88% | A | 86.7 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Why you should shop around
Long Beach, CA car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that will increase or decrease the policy premium. Getting older, having a teen driver, or getting a few speeding tickets can trigger changes in premium resulting in some companies being more affordable than the competition.
Not only may things change on your end, but insurers change premium rates every year or even multiple times each year to reflect underwriting profits or losses. Higher than normal claim frequency or severity may cause more expensive prices, while profitable underwriting can cause lower-priced Long Beach car insurance rates.
To illustrate this example, the bar chart below shows rates for the cheapest car insurance in Long Beach, CA for a 30-year-old female driver with no violations or accidents, and a good credit rating. If we compare prices based on her current situation, USAA has the lowest car insurance rates in Long Beach at $1,397 each year. This is $254 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, CSAA, Century National, and Nationwide are the remaining best Long Beach, CA auto insurance companies.
Now let’s give the driver from the first rate comparison a claim or two, slightly worse credit, and a speeding citation. Due to the fact that each insurance company has a different formula for setting prices, comparing quotes will most likely result in a new list of the cheapest companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best price on car insurance in Long Beach with Allstate, GEICO, Mercury, and Progressive also having competitive pricing. This example proves why it is critical to spend some time comparing rates to find the most budget-friendly car insurance quotes for 17 year olds. Prices are made up of many things and change substantially, so the most affordable company six months ago may now be quite expensive.