You have probably watched the catchy commercials from car insurance companies like Farmers, The General, and GEICO that make promises of the cheapest price, so you just need to pick one at random, right?
Regrettably, it’s not quite that easy, as there are a whole bunch of unknowns like how far you drive each year, if you are currently insured, the safety ratings of your vehicle, and how experienced of a driver you are. We will attempt to cover the best ways to avoid high prices and should give you a good start to your coverage search.
Finding out which company offers the most affordable car insurance rates for low credit scores will require a bit more effort than just comparing a company or two. Every car insurance company has their own process to determine premium rates, so let’s take a look at the car insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Fresno, CA.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates in California
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,155 |
| 2 | Century National | $1,190 |
| 3 | Wawanesa | $1,192 |
| 4 | CSAA | $1,222 |
| 5 | Nationwide | $1,250 |
| 6 | 21st Century | $1,366 |
| 7 | Grange | $1,447 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,548 |
| 9 | Allied | $1,556 |
| 10 | Progressive | $1,558 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,559 |
| 12 | GEICO | $1,575 |
| 13 | The Hartford | $1,623 |
| 14 | MetLife | $1,654 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,699 |
| 16 | Esurance | $1,705 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $1,750 |
| 18 | Bristol West | $1,795 |
| 19 | Travelers | $1,806 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,966 |
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USAA has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Fresno at around $1,155 a year. Century National, Wawanesa, CSAA, and Nationwide would also make the list of some of the more affordable Fresno, CA insurance companies.
In the above rates, if you are insured with CSAA and switched to USAA, you could earn annual savings of upwards of $67. Drivers with Nationwide could save as much as $95 a year, and 21st Century insureds might lower prices by $211 a year.
To get a fast rate comparison, click here to start a quote or visit any of the low-priced companies below.
It’s important to note that these policy prices are averages across all drivers and vehicles in California and do not take into consideration a specific vehicle garaging location for low credit scores. So the auto insurance company that fits your age and vehicle best may not even be in the list above. That point stresses why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
For bad credit, one of the more important considerations that determine insurance cost is where you live. Cities with larger populations tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with less crime or weather claims benefit from having to pay less for coverage.
The following table lists the most expensive places in California for low credit scores to buy an auto insurance policy in. Fresno ranks #17 with a yearly cost of $1,472 for the average insured, which is around $123 monthly.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | $2,146 |
| 2 | Glendale | $2,079 |
| 3 | Oakland | $1,738 |
| 4 | San Francisco | $1,693 |
| 5 | Sacramento | $1,669 |
| 6 | Long Beach | $1,610 |
| 7 | San Bernardino | $1,596 |
| 8 | Stockton | $1,588 |
| 9 | Santa Clarita | $1,533 |
| 10 | Garden Grove | $1,524 |
| 11 | Fontana | $1,519 |
| 12 | Riverside | $1,497 |
| 13 | Moreno Valley | $1,491 |
| 14 | Anaheim | $1,488 |
| 15 | Modesto | $1,487 |
| 16 | Santa Ana | $1,483 |
| 17 | Fresno | $1,472 |
| 18 | San Jose | $1,395 |
| 19 | Bakersfield | $1,394 |
| 20 | Fremont | $1,389 |
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Table data uses estimated as the specific zip code location can affect coverage rates substantially.
The make and model of vehicle needing coverage is one of the largest factors when comparison shopping for the best cheap auto insurance for low credit scores. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, modern passenger safety features, or a track record of few liability claims will cost much less to insure than adrenaline junky models. The next list features insurance rates for some of the cheaper vehicles to insure in California.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD 2-Dr | $1,076 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $1,120 |
| Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $1,128 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $1,134 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4WD | $1,156 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $1,189 |
| Toyota Camry SE | $1,194 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,205 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $1,215 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $1,205 |
| GMC Sierra SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $1,216 |
| Nissan Rogue SL 2WD | $1,224 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Extended Cab 4WD | $1,216 |
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Cost estimates assume 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, safe-driver, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and claim-free. Premium costs do not factor in specific garaging location which can raise or lower insurance rates considerably.
Looking at the data, we can conclude that models like the Jeep Wrangler, Volkswagen Jetta, Ford Escape, and Toyota RAV4 are a few of the most economical vehicles to insure for bad credit.
Selecting a high-quality auto insurance provider can be challenging considering how many companies there are to choose from in Fresno. The ranking information in the lists below could help you decide which car insurance providers to look at when trying find the best insurance for low credit scores. These rankings are only comprised of companies that write coverage in many states, so companies that focus mainly on California business are not factored into these rankings.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 98 | 100 | 100 | 94% | A++ | 98.6 |
| American Family | 98 | 89 | 100 | 86% | A | 95.4 |
| AAA of Southern California | 91 | 94 | 97 | 92% | A+ | 94.1 |
| State Farm | 88 | 93 | 96 | 90% | A++ | 92.4 |
| The Hartford | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89% | A+ | 91.7 |
| AAA Insurance | 88 | 89 | 95 | 91% | A | 91.2 |
| GEICO | 84 | 93 | 93 | 89% | A++ | 90.3 |
| The General | 89 | 91 | 89 | 88% | A- | 90 |
| Titan Insurance | 90 | 87 | 91 | 95% | A+ | 89.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 91 | 93 | 87% | A+ | 89.5 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
How careless driving impacts Fresno car insurance rates
The best way to snag cheap car insurance prices in California for bad credit is to drive safely and avoid accidents and traffic citations. The chart below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault collisions increase insurance costs for each different age category. The rates are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
The data charted above shows the average cost of a car insurance policy in Fresno per year with no accidents or violations is $1,570. Add in two speeding tickets and the average cost surges to $2,158, an increase of $587 each year. Now include one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of car insurance for low credit scores jumps again to an average of $2,751. That’s an increase of $1,181, or $98 per month, just for a couple of infractions!
Liability only or full coverage
Saving on car insurance is important to most people, and one of the fastest ways to buy cheaper insurance for low credit scores is to buy liability only. The illustration below visualizes the comparison of premium costs with full coverage and liability only. The rates are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.
If averaged for all ages, comp and collision coverage costs an extra $2,273 per year more than just buying liability only. That brings up the question when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no set guideline that is best for determining when to drop comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is about 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
Low rates today, overpriced tomorrow
California car insurance rates are influenced by many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the cost of having a policy. Turning one year older, having a claim, or getting a reckless driving citation may cause policy rate changes resulting in some companies being much cheaper than others. Not only may your situation change, but car insurance companies change premium rates without warning to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. A period of higher than normal claims may cause increased policy costs, while lower claim expenses may result in cheaper Fresno car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the chart below shows a variety of companies that have the cheapest car insurance in Fresno, CA for a 40-year-old male driver with no accidents or violations, and a decent credit rating. If we estimate prices based on his personal profile, USAA offers the lowest car insurance rates in Fresno at $1,283 annually. This is $368 less than the average rate paid by California drivers of $1,651. CSAA, Wawanesa, Nationwide, and Century National are also included in the top five cheapest Fresno, CA auto insurance companies.
Now we will give the driver in the first example some claims, bad credit, and a few blemishes on his driving record. Since each insurance company has a proprietary formula to establish rates, getting updated rate quotes may now show a new list of companies as shown below.
Grange now has the best auto insurance rate in Fresno, CA with Mercury, Allstate, GEICO, and Allied now being in the top five. This shows why it is crucial to compare lots of rates to find the most economical insurance quotes for low credit scores.
Rates can be altered by many different factors and change frequently, so the most economical company the last time you compared rates may now cost much more than other companies.