One of the many factors that are looked at to determine the annual cost of car insurance is where you live. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends tend to pay slightly more, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents benefit from lower prices.
The next table ranks the priciest cities in California for active military to buy car insurance in. Sacramento is ranked at #5 with an annual cost of $1,703 for the average policyholder, which is approximately $142 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,763 |
| 4 | Oakland | $1,755 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,703 |
| 6 | Stockton | $1,603 |
| 7 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 8 | San Bernardino | $1,580 |
| 9 | Long Beach | $1,578 |
| 10 | Fontana | $1,566 |
| 11 | Riverside | $1,527 |
| 12 | Fresno | $1,517 |
| 13 | Garden Grove | $1,508 |
| 14 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 15 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 16 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 17 | Santa Ana | $1,439 |
| 18 | Huntington Beach | $1,402 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,389 |
| 20 | Irvine | $1,384 |
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Rates are estimated as the specific garaging location can increase or decrease premium rates significantly.
Buying affordable auto insurance is confusing at best, and finding out which companies quote the cheapest car insurance rates for active military requires even more shopping around. Each company uses a different method for determining rates, so first we will examine the most competitive car insurance companies in Sacramento.
Find Cheaper Car Insurance for Military
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,143 |
| 2 | Century National | $1,178 |
| 3 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,234 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 8 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 9 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 10 | Progressive | $1,558 |
| 11 | GEICO | $1,559 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,588 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,639 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,705 |
| 17 | State Farm | $1,733 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 20 | Farmers | $2,006 |
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USAA may offer some of the lowest car insurance rates in Sacramento at around $1,143 each year. This is $508 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide would also make the list of some of the cheapest Sacramento, CA car insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you are insured with Century National and switched to USAA, you may realize annual savings of in the neighborhood of $35. Drivers with Wawanesa may save as much as $49 a year, and CSAA customers might cut rates by $91 a year.
Bear in mind that those policy rates are averages across all types of insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration an exact location for active military. So the insurer that is best suited for you may not even be in the top 24 companies shown above. That’s why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own personal information and vehicle type.
The car, truck, or SUV that needs insurance is a large consideration when quoting the most economical auto insurance for active military. Vehicles with economical engines, a plethora of safety features, or low incidents of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models. The table below shows insurance premiums for a selection of the cheaper vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,290 |
| Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $1,318 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,428 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $1,446 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,526 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $1,534 |
| Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 2WD | $1,554 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $1,563 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $1,579 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Rear Entertainment | $1,610 |
| Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,636 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,638 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 2WD | $1,641 |
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Table data represents single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and safe-driver. Estimates do not factor in specific zip code location which can modify premium rates considerably.
Based upon the rates shown, you can conclude that models like the Honda Accord, Ford Escape, and Toyota Prius are most likely to be the most economical vehicles to insure for military personnel.
Should you buy full coverage?
Finding the cheapest car insurance should be important to the majority of drivers, and one easy way to buy cheap insurance for active military is to buy liability only. The information below shows the comparison of car insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The data assumes no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no other discounts are factored in.
If we average all the age groups together, comp and collision coverage costs an additional $2,467 per year more than just buying liability insurance. Many drivers may wonder if physical damage coverage is worth the money. There is no set guideline for excluding full coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
The information below highlights how deductible choice can influence annual premium costs when getting quotes for cheap insurance for active military. The information is based on a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
A 50-year-old driver could pocket $350 a year by switching their comprehensive and collision coverages from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $530 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, like the Age 20 chart data, can save up to $888 every year just by choosing higher deductibles when buying full coverage.
When increasing deductibles, it is important to have plenty of savings on hand to enable you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense. That is the one drawback of using higher deductibles.
Discounts on Sacramento insurance rates
Insurance providers that provide policies for active military could also offer policy discounts that can lower rates by 35% or more if you are eligible. A list of car insurance companies and their possible discounts can be read below.
- 21st Century has discounts for theft prevention, good student, automatic seat belts, student driver, and driver training.
- State Farm has savings for safe vehicle, accident-free, multiple autos, student away at school, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and driver’s education.
- AAA offers discounts for multi-policy, AAA membership discount, good student, anti-theft, good driver, multi-car, and pay-in-full.
- Liberty Mutual policyholders can earn discounts including hybrid vehicle, new graduate, multi-policy, newly retired, teen driver discount, multi-car, and newly married.
- Progressive discounts include good student, homeowner, online signing, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy.
The diagram below shows the difference between car insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the rates. The costs are based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no claims, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with defensive driving course, anti-theft, homeowner, vehicle safety, passive restraint, and accident-free discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, the average savings per year on car insurance for active military is 28% or $735.
Can you find cheaper Sacramento car insurance?
Sacramento, CA car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can substantially decrease or increase the policy price. Improving your credit rating, adding a teenager to your policy, or getting a DUI can trigger price changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than competitors. Not only may your situation change, but companies file new California auto insurance rates without warning to reflect underwriting profits or losses. Higher than normal claim frequency or severity can cause higher prices, while a better loss history may result in more affordable Sacramento car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the bar chart below shows the companies that have the cheapest car insurance in Sacramento, CA for a 45-year-old female driver with no accidents, a clean driving record, and good credit. Based on her personal profile, Wawanesa quotes the most affordable car insurance rates in Sacramento at $1,466 annually. This is $185 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. USAA, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are also included in the cheapest Sacramento, CA auto insurance companies.
In this next rate comparison, we will give the driver in the first chart a claim, a lower credit rating, and a traffic ticket or two. Because each company has their own process for determining rates in each state, analyzing rate quotes could now result in a different ranking of affordable Sacramento car insurance companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best price on car insurance in Sacramento, CA with Progressive, Allstate, GEICO, and Mercury completing the list. This illustrates why drivers need to compare as many rates as possible when trying to find the most affordable car insurance rates for active military.
Prices are determined by many factors and change dramatically, so the most affordable company the last time you shopped your coverage around may now cost much more than other companies.