The words “economical” and “insurance” really shouldn’t be used together, in particular when you are searching for the best insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record. To help control this cost, let’s lead off by showing you some of the factors that determine insurance prices, and see if you can lower the cost of the next policy you buy.
The type of vehicle on the policy is a large factor when trying to find the cheapest car insurance for drivers with a bad driving record. Vehicles with high performance engines, a lack of modern safety features, or a track record of large liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than safer, lower-performance models. The table below illustrates auto insurance rates for the cheaper vehicles to insure.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $7,670 |
| Honda CR-V LX 2WD | $7,991 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $8,000 |
| Toyota Prius | $8,523 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $8,672 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $8,996 |
| Honda Odyssey EX | $9,005 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $9,267 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $9,360 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $9,367 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $9,360 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $9,413 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 2WD | $9,453 |
| Toyota Tacoma X-Runner 2WD | $9,502 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $9,866 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $9,886 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Crew Cab 4WD | $9,891 |
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Prices based on single male driver age 30, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and homeowner. Rate information does not factor in specific location information which can revise insurance rates greatly.
Based upon the table data, we can presume that vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Hyundai Elantra are going to be some of the more affordable vehicles to insure for bad drivers. The price of auto insurance will be more costly just because there is more inherent risk for drivers with a bad driving record, but generally speaking those makes and models will most likely have the lowest insurance rates that you’ll find.
Finding out which company offers the cheapest auto insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record involves a tad more effort in order to find the lowest price quote. Each auto insurer uses a slightly different approach for determining prices, so we’ll go over the auto insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Los Angeles, CA.
Find the Best Cheap Insurance for Imperfect Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,121 |
| 2 | Wawanesa | $1,181 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 4 | Nationwide | $1,213 |
| 5 | CSAA | $1,234 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,338 |
| 7 | Mercury | $1,488 |
| 8 | Grange | $1,491 |
| 9 | GEICO | $1,529 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,541 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 12 | Allstate | $1,543 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,682 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,688 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,699 |
| 18 | Travelers | $1,788 |
| 19 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,946 |
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USAA has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Los Angeles at around $1,121 annually. Wawanesa, Century National, Nationwide, and CSAA also qualify as some of the more affordable Los Angeles, CA car insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you currently have coverage with CSAA and switched to Wawanesa, you could see an annual savings of approximately $53. California drivers with 21st Century might save as much as $157 a year, and Mercury insureds might lower prices by $307 a year.
Bear in mind that those premium estimates are averaged for all drivers and vehicles in California and do not take into consideration an exact location for drivers with a bad driving record. So the car insurance company that is best for you 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 and vehicle profiles.
One of the many considerations that are looked at to determine the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you live. Areas with more people or more claims are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates benefit from lower prices.
The next table ranks the most expensive places in California for drivers with a bad driving record in which to buy car insurance. Los Angeles ranks #1 with an annual premium of $2,083 for the average insured, which is approximately $174 each month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,083 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,704 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | San Bernardino | $1,628 |
| 7 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita | $1,580 |
| 9 | Garden Grove | $1,570 |
| 10 | Long Beach | $1,562 |
| 11 | Modesto | $1,547 |
| 12 | Fontana | $1,535 |
| 13 | Santa Ana | $1,497 |
| 14 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 15 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 16 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 17 | Fresno | $1,457 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,437 |
| 19 | Irvine | $1,384 |
| 20 | Bakersfield | $1,381 |
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Rates are comparative as the garaging address in Los Angeles can decrease or increase coverage rates significantly.
Get discounts on Los Angeles insurance rates
Insurers that offer quotes for drivers with a bad driving record may additionally offer special discounts that can reduce rates by as much as 25% or more if you qualify. The best auto insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be found below.
- Farm Bureau may offer discounts for driver training, youthful driver, multi-policy, renewal discount, good student, multi-vehicle, and 55 and retired.
- MetLife policyholders can earn discounts including claim-free, accident-free, good driver, defensive driver, and multi-policy.
- Progressive may include discounts for multi-vehicle, good student, online quote discount, multi-policy, homeowner, and continuous coverage.
- AAA offers discounts including pay-in-full, good student, AAA membership discount, multi-car, and education and occupation.
- American Family may have discounts that include good driver, accident-free, TimeAway discount, mySafetyValet, Steer into Savings, and defensive driver.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for federal employee, air bags, multi-vehicle, good student, defensive driver, anti-theft, and five-year accident-free.
- State Farm has savings for Drive Safe & Save, passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, anti-theft, and safe vehicle.
The illustration below illustrates the difference between insurance costs with and without policy discounts. The prices are based on a female driver, one accident and two traffic tickets, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with homeowner, paid-in-full, paperless filing, anti-theft, multiple vehicle, and vehicle safety discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, the average amount saved each year on auto insurance for drivers with a bad driving record is 28% or $929.
California auto insurance company ratings
Choosing the highest-rated auto insurance provider can be difficult considering how many different insurance companies sell coverage in California. The company information in the lists below may help you analyze which car insurance companies you want to consider buying from.
These rankings only include large, nationwide insurance companies, so companies without a large exposure are not factored into the list. To view rates from these top-rated insurers and more, just click here.
| 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 |
| Esurance | 85 | 80 | 95 | 87% | A+ | 85.9 |
| Safeco | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
| Travelers | 80 | 87 | 87 | 83% | A++ | 85.2 |
| Farmers Insurance | 78 | 87 | 88 | 79% | A | 84.3 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Chances are good that you’re overpaying for Los Angeles car insurance
California auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors that will increase or decrease the price you pay. Simply improving your credit, becoming a homeowner, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can trigger price changes resulting in some rates now being more affordable than others. Not only may things change on your end, but insurers change premium rates without warning to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. A period of higher than normal claims can cause additional premium costs, while profitable underwriting may result in lower-priced Los Angeles car insurance rates.
The bar chart below shows which company has the cheapest car insurance in Los Angeles, CA for a 35-year-old male driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and a good credit history. If we estimate prices based on his personal profile, USAA might quote the most affordable car insurance rates in Los Angeles at $1,909 annually. This is $258 more than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are the remaining most affordable Los Angeles, CA auto insurance companies.
Now we will pretend the driver from the above example a couple of claims, a lower credit rating, and a traffic citation. Because every insurance company uses their own formula to set their prices, comparing quotes will most likely result in a different ranking of the cheapest companies as shown below.
Grange now has the cheapest auto insurance in Los Angeles with Mercury, Progressive, GEICO, and Allied now rounding out the top five. This example demonstrates why it is crucial to compare rates to get the best car insurance quotes for drivers with a bad driving record.
Prices can be determined by many risk factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the most economical company the last time you compared rates may now be quite expensive.