What Car Insurance is Cheapest for High Risk Drivers in Fresno?

Wouldn’t it be easy if we could wave our magic wand and tell you the one company that has the lowest rates for high risk drivers? Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy, as there are a lot of unknown elements like the amount of coverage you want, the number of miles you drive in a year, if you are married or single, and if you have ever had a gap in coverage, that all impact the cost of coverage. The content below covers the different ways you can keep rates low and will hopefully give you some help in finding cheaper rates.

One of the more important components that are looked at to help calculate the cost of insurance is where you live. Areas with high crime rates or more dense population are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims have the gratification of cheaper auto insurance rates.

The following table lists the priciest cities in California for high risk drivers in which to purchase auto insurance. Fresno is ranked at #16 with a yearly premium of $1,472 for the average policyholder, which is around $123 monthly.

Table data uses approximated as specific Fresno zip code can change coverage prices greatly.

The car, truck, or SUV needing coverage is probably the largest consideration that determines whether or not you find the most affordable car insurance for high risk drivers. Vehicles with lower acceleration and performance, good safety features, or a track record of few liability claims will cost substantially less to insure than adrenaline junky models.

The next table features coverage costs for a handful of the cheaper vehicles to buy insurance for.

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-vehicle, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in garaging location in Fresno, CA which can influence rates substantially.

Based upon these rates, you can assume that vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, Ford Explorer, and Ford Edge should be some of the less-costly vehicles to insure for high risk drivers. The cost of a car insurance policy will tend to be more expensive just due to the fact that there is more exposure for high risk drivers, but overall those vehicles will have the cheapest auto insurance rates compared to other vehicles.

Finding decent, affordable car insurance is not always easy, and deciding which company quotes the cheapest insurance rates for high risk drivers requires even more diligence. Each insurance company uses a slightly different approach for setting prices, so first let’s look at the rankings for the insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Fresno, CA.

Best Insurance Companies for Risky Drivers

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USAA offers some of the lowest car insurance rates in Fresno at around $1,155 annually. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide would also be considered some of the more affordable Fresno, CA insurance companies.

In the above rates, if you currently buy coverage from Wawanesa and switched to USAA, you might achieve an annual savings of roughly $26. California drivers with Century National might save as much as $59 a year, and CSAA insureds might see rate reductions of $67 a year.

To discover how much you can save, click here or click through to the companies below.

Be aware that those premium estimates are averages for all insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration a vehicle location for high risk drivers. So the auto insurance company that is most affordable for your situation 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 many companies using your own specific driver information and vehicle.

Responsible drivers pay cheaper Fresno insurance rates

A great way to score cheap insurance rates in California for high risk drivers is to be a careful driver and avoid at-fault accidents and violations. The diagram below highlights how traffic violations and accidents drive up auto insurance costs for different categories of driver ages. Data assumes a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $500 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.

In the prior example, the average cost of a car insurance policy in California per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $2,772. Get one speeding ticket and the average cost surges to $3,128, an increase of $356 each year. Then add in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of insurance for high risk drivers jumps again to an average of $4,127. That’s an increase of $1,355, or $113 per month, just for being a little careless behind the wheel!

The chart below demonstrates how deductible levels can impact insurance costs when quoting cheap insurance for high risk drivers. The price estimates are based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no discounts are applied.

The data above shows that a 40-year-old driver could cut expenses by $476 a year by changing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $712 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the 20-year-old, could roll back prices up to $1,216 each year just by choosing higher deductibles when buying full coverage. When choosing a higher deductible, it will be required to have enough savings to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense that is associated with using high deductibles.

Difference between full coverage and liability only rates

Saving on insurance is the goal of most drivers, and an effective way to find cheaper insurance for high risk drivers is to not buy comprehensive and collision coverage. The chart below visualizes the comparison of insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage. The data assumes no claims, a clean driving record, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

As an overall average, physical damage insurance costs $3,093 per year more than just insuring for liability. Many drivers will wonder when is the right time to remove full coverage. There isn’t a steadfast formula of when to drop physical damage coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

There are a few cases where buying only liability insurance is not a good plan. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you have to carry full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should keep full coverage in place.

Why it’s important to shop around

Fresno insurance rates are calculated based on many things that will increase or decrease the price of coverage. Improving your credit rating, becoming a homeowner, or getting a few speeding tickets may prompt premium changes that can cause some rates to be much cheaper than others. Additionally, auto insurance companies change their prices every year to adjust for unexpected claims or profits. An unexpected high level of claims may result in higher prices, while profitable underwriting can result in cheaper Fresno car insurance rates.

To illustrate this point, the graph below analyzes the cheapest car insurance in Fresno, CA for a 45-year-old male driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and great credit. Based on his current situation, USAA may have the best car insurance rates in Fresno at $1,271 each year. This is $380 less than the average price paid by California drivers of $1,651. Wawanesa, Century National, CSAA, and Nationwide are the rest of the top five cheapest Fresno, CA auto insurance companies.

The chart below compares rates after we give the driver from the first set of rates a claim or two, less-than-perfect credit, and a few blemishes on his driving record. Since each company has a unique formula to set their prices, comparing insurance quotes could result in a significantly different list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Fresno as shown below.

Grange now has the cheapest auto insurance in Fresno with Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, and Mercury also being competitive. This example illustrates why it is important to perform a complete rate comparison to get the most affordable insurance rates for high risk drivers. Rates can be determined by many factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the best price when you last compared rates may now be costing you a lot of money.