Oceanside Has Lowest Car Insurance Premiums In California: Report

OCEANSIDE, CA – Three cities in San Diego County, including Oceanside, ranked among the top 10 lowest average car insurance premiums in California, according to a new report by WalletHub.

Experts at the personal finance website found that Oceanside had the lowest average car insurance premiums in the state at $1,693.44, the only city below $1,700. Chula Vista came in fourth in the state at $1,754.06 and San Diego ranked seventh at $1,788.33, according to the report.

Premiums in Oceanside, which had a population of 176,193 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, were 12 percent below average of a city of similar size, according to WalletHub. Premiums in Chula Vista, with a population of 270,471 in 2017, were 9 percent below average for its size, and San Diego, with a population of 1.42 million in 2017, were 7 percent below average.

The study's authors looked at the 30 most populated cities in the state, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. They collected insurance quotes from the websites of five of the largest providers in the state. (AAA was excluded from the analysis because its customer base is limited to members.)

According to the report, average insurance premiums were highest for drivers under 26 at $4,869.69 and lowered as drivers aged, bottoming out at $1,921.54 for motorists at age 66.

Average premiums were also roughly 5 percent higher for men than women, according to WalletHub data from more than 30 zip codes around the state. Other factors that affected insurance premiums included a person's job, their mileage, average daily commute and whether they use their vehicle for a ride-booking service like Uber or Lyft.

See the full rankings and report.

– City News Service contributed to this report.