How much is Calif. Car insurance for a 24 yr. old with a good driving record? Best insur. comp?

November 14, 2004 3:07 PM

I'm 24, live in California, drive approximately 11,250 miles a year, and since purchasing a new Saturn Ion in 2003, have had a perfect driving record (in fact, I've always had a perfect driving record). What should I be paying for car insurance? And what, in your experience, are the best car insurance companies?
posted by grrarrgh00 to Travel & Transportation around California (10 answers total)

I have no idea what you should be paying as car insurance rates are greatly influenced by your zip code. That said, if you're a college grad, check with your alumni assoc. I changed to Liberty Mutual because they offer U of MN alumni a 15% discount, plus their rates are lower anyway and my auto insurance ('01 Toyota RAV4, garage, good driving record, bad neighborhood) dropped $50 per month. I found that Geico and Progressive were really high. Another company to check out is Horace Mann as it used to at least offer low cost insurance to teachers.
posted by Juicylicious at 3:49 PM on November 14, 2004

I had Horace Mann insurance for as long as I'd owned a car, and was always pleased with their rates. When I moved to Chicago, my car insurance was suddenly $100 more per month than my car payment. The monthly premiums didn't just increase, they quadrupled. When I called to point out that they were now charging me more for insurance than my car was actually worth, (and therefore more than they would ever have to pay out) the CSR just kept saying car insurance is more expensive in Chicago.

So I called State Farm and got coverage for about $20/month more than what I was paying to Horace Mann before I moved, including comprehensive, which turned out to be wise because about a month later some asshole took my rear view mirror off.

Moral of the story: It depends on where you live. Shop around.
posted by jennyb at 4:48 PM on November 14, 2004

When you turn 25, from what I understand, your insurance plummets. Wait before changing.
posted by geoff. at 5:08 PM on November 14, 2004

In the UK, we just ring an insurance broker or two, or go online to brokers that have a virtual presence, to get a quote. If the first three or so are roughly similar, that's the ballpark you're looking at. Rates have in creased in recent years, but - as anyone who watches telly knows - it's a competitive market with many different companies involved.

So I guess I'm saying: call a broker.
posted by dash_slot- at 6:03 PM on November 14, 2004

"When you turn 25, from what I understand, your insurance plummets. Wait before changing."

As someone who turned 25 not too long ago (and has a spotless driving record), I wouldn't say plummets, more like modestly decreases. I saved more money by moving from MN to AZ than I did from turning 25.
posted by TungstenChef at 7:12 PM on November 14, 2004

When you turn 25, from what I understand, your insurance plummets. Wait before changing.

Heh. I got a modest increase for my 25th birthday, after years of listening to Farmer's tell me it would go down. No new tickets or anything.

Farmer's lost my business, needless to say, but I don't consider the tale an idictment of them in particular -- rather, the entire insurance industry is much like this.
posted by weston at 7:33 PM on November 14, 2004

If you're eligible for it, it's awfully hard to beat USAA as an insurance-and-financial-services company.

More years than not in the 90's, I'd get a letter from USAA saying, basically, "Y'all didn't wreck as many cars as we figured ya would, and our investments did better than we expected. Here, have 15% back."
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:53 PM on November 14, 2004

I've always found State Farm to be fairly unbeatable in both Michigan and Washington. Every time I go to GEICO or Progressive they can't even get close. I've heard good things about PEMCO, but they require a clean driving record for two years and I had a speeding ticket about 9 months ago.

I also had the bizarre experience of receiving a (small) refund check from State Farm a couple years, due to unexpectedly good investment income. Mutual insurance, baby.
posted by kindall at 10:55 PM on November 14, 2004

For everyone talking about USAA, I generally agree with you. However, one thing that you need to be aware of is that if you take their roadside assistance package as part of your insurance, each and every phone call will be considered an underwriting event when you are reviewed in the future. This includes multiple calls on the same accident/flat tire/towing situation.

When I called to look into a general liability policy for my family, I was told that I had 21 underwriting events in 12 years, which was utterly insane. Until the underwriter admitted that 2/3 of them were roadside assistance calls.

Additionally, based on rumors coming out of the employees (my wife is a former employee), they've fallen far from their former position as one of the great places to work in the United States.
posted by Irontom at 7:32 AM on November 15, 2004

If you or anyone in your family has been in the military, you should check to see if you are eligible for USAA. They destroy the competition on price, and their claim service is excellent. I once got a cold call for auto insurance. After the guy finished his initial speil, I said "I have USAA", at which point he said thanks and hung up.
posted by cameldrv at 10:56 AM on November 15, 2004