Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance for Used Cars in Fresno?

Deciding which company quotes the cheapest insurance rates for used cars calls for more time than just getting one or two price quotes. Every insurance provider has their own guidelines for establishing rates, so let’s look at the rankings for the most budget-friendly insurance companies in Fresno, CA.

It’s a good idea to be aware that California insurance rates are based on many factors that may substantially change the price you have to pay. Simply improving your credit, buying a new vehicle, or having an at-fault accident can trigger changes in premium that can now make some companies cheaper in comparison to the competition.

Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Used Cars

Compare Rates and Save

USAA normally has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Fresno at around $1,109 a year. Wawanesa, CSAA, Nationwide, and Century National would also be considered some of the more affordable Fresno, CA car insurance companies.

In the rate table above, if you currently buy coverage from CSAA and switched to USAA, you may realize annual savings of approximately $77. Drivers with Nationwide might save as much as $104 a year, and Century National customers might lower prices by up to $105 a year.

Understand that those rates are averaged for all drivers and vehicles and are not factoring in a specific location for used cars. So the insurer that can offer you the best rate may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That point stresses why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own driver data and vehicle information.

The car, truck, or SUV requiring coverage is probably the biggest factor when looking for the lowest-priced car insurance for used cars. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, modern passenger safety features, or low incidents of liability claims will cost less to insure than high performance models. The table below illustrates insurance prices for a selection of the more affordable vehicles to insure in California.

Data assumes single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Information does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can change insurance rates greatly.

By looking at the data, you can expect cars like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Malibu, and Toyota Camry are a few of the cheaper vehicles to insure for pre-owned vehicles.

The diagram below demonstrates how deductibles can raise or lower insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for used cars. The costs are based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

In the chart above, a 50-year-old driver could reduce rates by $492 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $738 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the age 20 example, could lower their rates as much as $1,640 or even more by choosing larger deductibles on their policy.

If you do make the decision to raise your deductibles, it will be required to have spare funds to enable you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one disadvantage of using larger deductibles.

Discount Fresno auto insurance rates

Insurance providers that offer quotes for used cars may provide rate discounts that could reduce prices by 35% or more if you meet specific criteria. The best insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts can be found below.

• State Farm may include discounts for Drive Safe & Save, student away at school, safe vehicle, good student, multiple policy, and defensive driving training.
• Nationwide includes discounts for defensive driving, anti-theft, business or organization, easy pay, accident-free, and good student.
• GEICO offers discounts for air bags, anti-theft, federal employee, anti-lock brakes, military active duty, membership and employees, and good student.
• AAA offers discounts including multi-policy, pay-in-full, education and occupation, multi-car, anti-theft, and AAA membership discount.
• 21st Century has discounts for theft prevention, early bird, student driver, teen driver, defensive driver, and driver training.
• The Hartford discounts include driver training, air bag, anti-theft, defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, and bundle.

The diagram below illustrates the comparison of insurance costs with and without discounts applied. The premium estimates are based on a male driver, no claims or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $100 deductibles.

The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with vehicle safety, claim-free, marriage, homeowner, safe-driver, and accident-free discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, the amount saved on insurance for used cars is 28% or $698.

Cautious Fresno drivers save money

The obvious way to get low insurance rates for pre-owned vehicles is to be a good driver and avoid traffic citations and accidents. The example below demonstrates how citations and at-fault fender-benders can affect yearly insurance costs for different age groups. The costs are based on a married male driver, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

In the previous chart, the average cost of a car insurance policy per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,975. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost swells to $2,729, an increase of $754 each year. Then include two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of insurance for used cars goes up to an average of $5,503. That’s an increase of $3,528, or $294 per month, just for not keeping your driving record clean!

The importance of comparing Fresno car insurance rates

Fresno, CA insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can substantially change the policy price. Simply having another birthday, buying another vehicle, or having a fender bender may generate price changes that can make some companies more affordable than the competition. Also, insurance companies amend premium rates every year in order to protect their financial rating. A period of higher than normal claims may result in increased policy costs, while lower claim levels may produce lower-priced Fresno car insurance rates.

For instance, the chart below shows the companies that have the cheapest car insurance in Fresno, CA for a 35-year-old male driver with no accidents or violations, and good credit. Based on his personal risk profile, USAA might quote the lowest car insurance rates in Fresno at $1,271 per year. This is $380 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. Century National, Wawanesa, Nationwide, and CSAA are also included in the most affordable Fresno, CA auto insurance companies.

The chart below compares rates after we give the driver from the above example a chargeable claim, a lower credit rating, and a few traffic violations. Due to the fact that each insurance company uses their own formula for setting prices, comparing prices most likely will result in a different list of affordable companies as shown below.

Grange now has the best price in Fresno with Progressive, Mercury, Allied, and Allstate now being in the top five. This demonstrates why consumers need to do a thorough rate comparison when trying to get cheap auto insurance rates for used cars. Insurance rates are determined by many things and change substantially, so the most affordable company six months ago may now be one of the higher cost companies.