Cheap Car Insurance in San Francisco

We have selected the best five options for car insurance in San Francisco, which are Geico, USAA, AAA, Progressive and State Farm. These companies provide rates that are lower than the average for both minimum and full coverage in the city. They’re also known for their excellent customer service and offer high-quality coverage.

Keep reading: Cheap Car Insurance

Unless stated otherwise, the following cost tables show average rates for the driving profile of a 35-year-old married driver with a clean driving history.

Our data shows that the average cost of car insurance for minimum-coverage insurance in San Francisco is $52 per month or $628 per year. This is about 1% more than the national average of $52 per month or $625 per year. 

Similarly, full-coverage insurance costs $209 per month or $2,507 per year on average, which is about 25% more expensive than the national average of $167 per month or $2,008 per year for full coverage.

Cheapest Liability Car Insurance in San Francisco, Calif.

Geico offers the cheapest liability insurance with average rates of $28 per month or $339 per year. USAA is the second-cheapest option in San Francisco with average rates of $38 per month or $451 per year.

Liability coverage is the minimum coverage required by the state of California. According to California law, all drivers must either meet or exceed the following minimum requirements:

• $30,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $15,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $5,000 property damage liability per accident

Cheapest Full-Coverage Car Insurance in San Francisco, Calif.

A full-coverage car insurance policy can be pricey in San Francisco. Full coverage includes liability plus comprehensive coverage and collision coverage, which protect against damage to your vehicle in a variety of situations. Geico is the cheapest full-coverage option with average rates of $152 per month or $1,824 per year.

Auto insurance companies in California aren’t allowed to use a driver’s age, gender or credit score to set their car insurance rate. However, as a San Francisco motorist, your driving history and ZIP code will still largely determine what you’ll pay for car insurance coverage.

This section will explore the cheapest automobile insurance coverage costs on average for different driving profiles in San Francisco, Calif.

San Francisco Car Insurance Cost by Age

While California car insurance companies can’t use age to set premiums, they’ll still charge higher rates for teenage drivers because they typically lack experience behind the wheel. 

Our data shows 16-year-olds pay about $166 per month or $1,991 per year for car insurance in San Francisco. Since San Fran is in California, this rate is still significantly cheaper than what most teenagers have to pay in other states across the country. 

As drivers get older, the cost of car insurance generally decreases until they hit middle age. You can find below the average costs of minimum-coverage car insurance for different age groups in San Francisco.

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Francisco, Calif.: Teen Drivers

Car insurance for teens is expensive, but some insurance providers tend to be more affordable than others. Our data shows Geico is the cheapest car insurance company for teen drivers with minimum-coverage rates as low as $97 per month or $1,167 per year. USAA, State Farm and Progressive also offer affordable premiums for San Francisco teens.

San Francisco Car Insurance Cost by Driving Record

If you’ve been found speeding, driving under the influence or at fault for an accident — you can expect to pay significantly higher insurance costs in the future. On average, speeding can increase your rates by 46%, an at-fault accident by 82%, and a DUI by 175%.

However, how much your insurance rises will depend on the company that insures you and your car. If you have any driving violations, we discovered that Geico is the top-performing company for you. The table below shows average rates by company for drivers who have either a speeding ticket, accident or DUI on their record.

Keep reading: Insurance rates for high-risk drivers

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Francisco, Calif.: Speeding Ticket

According to our data, Geico offers the cheapest auto insurance rates to drivers who have a speeding ticket on their records — $45 per month or $544 per year. USAA follows close behind with an average monthly rate of $46, while AAA, Mercury and Kemper round out the top five options for cheap speeding ticket car insurance in San Francisco.

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Francisco, Calif.: At-Fault Accident

If you were responsible for an accident in the recent past while driving, this can cause your insurance rates to go up more than getting a ticket for speeding can. USAA and AAA are the cheapest options here with average rates of about $61 per month and $65 per month, respectively. You can see some auto insurance companies charge significantly more for this amount for coverage after an accident.

Cheapest Car Insurance in San Francisco, Calif.: DUI

Driving under the influence can result in a shockingly-high rise in car insurance rates, especially in San Francisco. You may find hundreds of dollars added to your premiums the following year.

Geico offers the cheapest average rates of $73 per month or $878 per year for drivers with a DUI. Mercury, Progressive and USAA are also good options with rates under $114 per month on average.

San Francisco Car Insurance Cost by ZIP Code

The rates of insurance claims, crimes and traffic differ depending on the location within the city, impacting the cost of your insurance premiums. Below, you can see certain ZIP codes in San Francisco can be up to 4.4% cheaper or 2.7% more expensive than the city average.

Although car insurance services in San Francisco are more expensive than the national average by 1%, there are still opportunities to find affordable rates. 

Geico offers the least expensive minimum coverage in the city, with a monthly premium of about $28. The same company has the cheapest rates for full coverage of $152 per month for San Francisco drivers.

Compare free quotes to find the company that meets your California car insurance needs at the best rate. You can compare insurance products and get auto insurance quotes online or from insurance agents.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the cheapest auto insurance in San Francisco, Calif.:

*Cost data comes from Quadrant Information Services and is accurate at time of publication.