Who Has The Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes in San Jose, CA?
As the third largest city in California, San Jose is home to hundreds of thousands of drivers looking for affordable auto insurance. While rates in a big city can be expensive, by shopping around you can find lower costs and save on auto insurance.
Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Your Area
We make it a bit easier by analyzing 10 companies to see which offered the cheapest car insurance rates in San Jose. When you're done reading and ready to compare quotes, put your zip code in the box above or below to begin.
Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in San Jose, California
Who has the cheapest car insurance in San Jose? Josefinos will likely find the lowest costing auto insurance at GEICO, where rates were $1,076 per year for our sample driver. Overall the city average was $1,731 which is 4% more expensive than the California average of $1,662 per year. Nationwide is also another affordable option, ranking with the second lowest quotes - only $4 more expensive than GEICO.
Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Your Area
All of our values are for a 30 year old male driver of a Toyota Camry, so unless you also fit that profile exactly, your rates will likely be a bit different. Accidents, bad credit, even the type of car you drive all influence how much you pay for auto insurance. To know which company will be cheapest for you, we recommend you compare at least three companies. To start shopping for quotes from a list of car insurance companies, put your zip code in the box above. Below you can see the results from the rest of the companies we surveyed for our 30 year old driver.
| Rank | Car Insurance Company | Annual Average Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEICO | $1,076 |
| 2 | Nationwide | $1,080 |
| 3 | Century National | $1,332 |
| 4 | Grange | $1,332 |
| 5 | State Farm | $1,608 |
| 6 | Allied | $1,608 |
| 7 | Progressive | $1,619 |
| 8 | Unitrin | $1,980 |
| 9 | Kemper Specialty | $2,688 |
| 10 | Bristol West | $2,988 |
Cost of Car Insurance in San Jose: by Neighborhood
Car insurance rates within large cities like San Jose can actually fluctuate by a significant amount. Whether a particular neighborhood has a high amount of car thefts or car accidents, its rates may be higher or lower than average. Below we list five San Jose neighborhoods and their yearly car insurance rates for our sample driver.
| Neighborhood | Average Annual Car Insurance Rate |
|---|---|
| Alum Rock | $1,607 |
| Sunol-Midtown | $1,655 |
| Hellyer | $1,673 |
| East San Jose | $1,686 |
| Japantown | $1,686 |
Alum Rock which is a bit further from the center of town had rates that were a bit cheaper than auto insurance quotes we got from neighborhoods more centrally located. Even if you find you live in an expensive discount, there are still plenty of ways to save by comparison shopping, as well as applying for car insurance discounts.
Best Car Insurance in San Jose
What counts as the best car insurance really depends on what the customer is looking for. Some customers are willing to pay extra for good customer service, while others value convenience and just want standard coverage. Below we list a few companies in San Jose based on what they are best for.
| Auto Insurance Company | Best For... |
|---|---|
| GEICO | Price and Convenience |
| Ameriprise | Claims Handling |
| State Farm | Bundling |
| Metromile | Low Mileage Drivers |
| Military Members | USAA |
Ameriprise was found to be one of the best when it came to handling car insurance claims. It was the recipient of the 2016 J.D. Power award for best car insurance in California. Ameriprise was also hailed for its billing practices and the flexibility of policies they offer.
State Farm is likely to be your cheapest bundling option if you want your homeowners and auto policy under one roof. State Farm was middle of the pack when it came to car insurance pricing, but is one of the most affordable when it come to homeowners insurance in San Jose. On top of the 15% to 20% discount you get for bundling, the total cost of the two policies will like be your most affordable option. Drivers who put in less than 7,500 miles per year would also benefit from Metromile, which charges customers mostly on how much they drive. If you put in more miles than 7,500 however, Metromile will start to get expensive versus other standard insurers.
Finally, if you are eligible for USAA, they may be the best auto insurance company for you. USAA offers great discounts for military members such as if you park your car at a military base they take 15% off your comprehensive insurance premium. USAA also offers discounts up to 90% while you store your vehicle while being deployed overseas. A lapse in coverage would cause your rates to go up when you returned so the discount offered by USAA is a great way to have low payments to still maintain your insurance.
Auto Insurance Agents in San Jose
While most companies allow you to start your car insurance quote online, only a few like GEICO and Progressive actually allow you to buy the quote online. Most auto insurers will require you speak to an agent either over the phone or in person to finalize your policy. Below we list a few agents and agencies in San Jose in case you prefer calling them for your quotes.
| Agent/Agency | Address | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coast Auto Insurance | 461 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose, CA 95123, United States |
| 2 | GEICO Insurance Agent | 2195 Monterey Rd #20, San Jose, CA 95125, United States |
| 3 | Fiesta Auto Insurance Center | 32 S White Rd, San Jose, CA 95127, United States |
| 4 | Coast Auto Insurance Services Inc | 1858 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95128, United States |
| 5 | All Spectrum Insurance Brokers | 4010 Moorpark Ave #117, San Jose, CA 95117, United States |
| 6 | Fiesta Auto Insurance Center | 461 S Capitol Ave #18, San Jose, CA 95127, United States |
| 7 | Cost-U-Less Insurance | 1915 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, CA 95116, United States |
| 8 | Cost-U-Less Insurance Center | 1152 N Capitol Ave, San Jose, CA 95132, United States |
| 9 | AIS | Auto Insurance Specialists | San Jose | 171 Metro Dr, San Jose, CA 95110, United States |
| 10 | Allstate Insurance: Trang Nguyen | 2003 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA 95122, United States |
| 11 | Dashers Insurance Services | 700 S Winchester Blvd #60, San Jose, CA 95128, United States |
| 12 | Acceptance Auto Insurance | 2354 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, CA 95116, United States |
| 13 | Big Savings Insurance Agency, Inc | 2652 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, CA 95116, United States |
| 14 | Fiesta Auto Insurance Center | 283 Willow St, San Jose, CA 95110, United States |
| 15 | Freeway Insurance Services | 1646 Story Rd, San Jose, CA 95122, United States |
| 16 | Campus Insurance Service | 4340 Stevens Creek Blvd #165, San Jose, CA 95129, United States |
| 17 | Allstate Insurance: Amanda Carolyn Nguyen | 1968 Aborn Rd, San Jose, CA 95121, United States |
| 18 | Allstate Insurance: John Lozon | 1341 Lincoln Ave, San Jose, CA 95125, United States |
| 19 | Freeway Insurance Services | 2668 Monterey Rd #150, San Jose, CA 95118, United States |
| 20 | Allstate Insurance: Alice M. Chan (San Jose Main Office) | 2136 Ringwood Ave, San Jose, CA 95131, United States |
Fatal Accidents in San Jose
Car crashes are expensive for insurance companies to handle. If there are many coming from one area, that area's rates will likely go up. Between 2011 and 2015, San Jose saw 241 fatal accidents, which was the third most behind Los Angeles and San Diego.
Most Dangerous Roads in San Jose
The vast majority of fatal car crashes happen on US-101. Below you can see the five roads that run within San Jose that have experienced the most fatal accidents in recent years.
| Rank | Highway | Number of Fatal Accidents (2011 - 2015) | Percent That Involve Drunk Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US-101 | 31 | 35.5% |
| 2 | MONTEREY RD | 10 | 20.0% |
| 3 | I-280 RAMP | 6 | 33.3% |
| 4 | I-880 | 6 | 33.3% |
| 5 | SR-85 | 5 | 40.0% |
US-101 accounted for the majority of fatal accidents involving a drunk driver in San Jose. Overall 28.6% of accidents in San Jose involved a drunk driver which is around the same mark for other major California cities.
Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in San Jose, CA
California has a minimum amount of car insurance that you need to carry to legally drive. The liability insurance that the Golden State requires is a bit on the lower side however. We would recommend all drivers--unless they truly cannot afford it-- to get higher limits and more protection that what is just required by the state. Though optional, we would strongly recommend adding collision and comprehensive insurance to your policy if your car is worth more than $2,000. Below are the limits imposed by California that San Jose drivers have to folllow.
- Bodily Injury Liability Coverage: $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident minimum
- Property Damage Liability Coverage: $5,000 minimum
If you get comprehensive and collision insurance, you do not need to carry uninsured motorist property damage coverage.
How We Compared Quotes
As part of a larger study of California, we collected auto insurance quotes from 142 cities and towns--including San Jose. Our sample driver was a 30 year old male who drove a Toyota Camry. To obtain quotes, we kept parameters for getting coverage the same, such as that he was single, had a good credit score and a clean driving record. The only parameter that changed was the zip code where he lived in California. The amount of coverage we opted for gave our driver bit more than what is required of state minimums.
| Coverage Type | California Minimum | Study Limits |
|---|---|---|
|
Bodily Liability | $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident | $50,000 per person/ $100,000 per accident |
|
Property Damage | $5,000 per accident | $50,000 per accident |
|
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist BI | $50,000 per person/ $100,000 per accident | |
|
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Property | $50,000 per accident | |
|
Comprehensive & Collision | $500 Deductible |
Sources:
Fatal car accident and DUI data: FARS 2011 to 2015.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.