Best cheap car insurance in Fresno for 2024

Best cheap car insurance companies in Fresno

Although car insurance in Fresno is pricier than the national average cost of car insurance, Fresno drivers still have plenty of cheap insurance companies to choose from, but finding the lowest price may not be their only consideration. To find the best cheap car insurance companies in Fresno for your lifestyle, Bankrate reviewed the latest average quoted premiums using data from Quadrant Information Services.

Factors that go into our five-point Bankrate Score scale include elements like customer service, customer satisfaction, mobile app availability and local agent presence. Specifically, we analyzed the California region of the 2023 J.D. Power Auto Insurance Study for customer satisfaction. The closer a provider scores to five on our Bankrate Score, the better it fared across these categories.

The cheapest car insurance companies in Fresno

Full coverage auto insurance rates in Fresno are 6 percent less than the average cost of car insurance in California. Comparing personalized quotes will reveal the cheapest carriers for you. These companies offer the lowest average rates for Fresno drivers and may be a good place to start your comparison shopping.

How much is car insurance in Fresno, California?

The average cost of full coverage car insurance in Fresno is $2,466 per year, which is 6 percent less than the state average of $2,663. Fresno drivers who carry car insurance with minimum coverage pay an average of $599 per year, which is 7 percent less than California's average minimum rate of $647. Car insurance is a highly individualized product. What you pay for insurance will depend on factors such as your driving history, driving experience, coverage selection and more.

Fresno rates for teens

Teens drivers, also referred to as youthful operators in the insurance industry, are considered high-risk drivers in most states. It takes time to learn good driving skills, such as avoiding road hazards and adjusting your driving to accommodate weather conditions. New drivers have yet to learn those skills, and behaviors like forgetting to wear a seatbelt and speeding cause more frequent and more severe accidents. Car insurance companies underwrite and rate for this added risk, which is why teens cost so much to insure.

Teens may be able to save money by staying on their parents' policy for as long as possible. When adding a new driver to an existing policy, the driving history and experience of the named insured and other active drivers might help offset a young driver's risk.

Fresno rates for young drivers

Car insurance rates for young drivers usually start to decrease as they age and gain more driving experience. Around the age of 20, it is common for young adults to move out of the family home and get their own place and their own car insurance. To help save money when starting a new policy, keep in mind that some discounts, like driver training and good student discounts, can move with you to your policy until you turn 25. At 25, drivers are moved into the standard risk pool where age less impacts auto premiums.

Fresno rates for adults

Drivers are grouped into various risk pools with other drivers who share similar characteristics. Age is one example of a risk pool. By age 30, drivers should see significantly reduced rates as long as they maintain a clean driving record. As drivers age into their 40s and 50s, they usually see some of the lowest average rates of any age group.

Fresno rates for senior drivers

As we get older, our depth perception and response time can begin to fade. And while we can make accommodations for these changes in our day-to-day lives, the risk of being in a car accident starts to increase around the age of 60. High car insurance rates for seniors can be problematic since many live on a fixed income, but finding carriers with senior discounts may help.

The cheapest car insurance in Fresno by driving record

Between commuting to work and school and pleasure driving, accidents can happen no matter how careful you are. When searching for the cheapest auto insurance in Fresno, having speeding tickets or accidents on your driving record can make it challenging. Bankrate's editorial team used proprietary data provided by Quadrant Information Services to help you find the cheapest Fresno car insurance for various driving infractions.

Car insurance with a speeding ticket in Fresno

There is a strong correlation between speeding and car crashes, which is why car insurance carriers usually apply surcharge points to a policyholder when they receive a speeding ticket. Drivers can be fined up to $1,000 for a speeding ticket in California and along with a higher insurance rate, the penalties add up. Below, you can find Fresno car insurance companies that offer the lowest average rates for drivers with speeding tickets.

Car insurance after an accident in Fresno

Between drowsy driving and distracted driving, car accidents have been on the rise nationwide. After an at-fault car accident, your insurer can surcharge your policy for up to three years in California. While drivers with accident forgiveness on their policies might not see a spike in premiums, most drivers do. Finding a carrier that charges lower-than-average rates for drivers involved in at-fault accidents can help you save money during your surcharge period.

Car insurance after a DUI in Fresno

DUIs are deemed high-risk driving behavior, and not all insurance companies will underwrite this risk. It is common for drivers who receive DUIs to need an SR-22 filing for three to five years after the offense. If you receive a DUI, make sure your carrier will continue your policy and complete your SR-22, if they can't, you may need to find a carrier that can.

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze the latest rates in May 2024 for ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates include the most recent approved rate changes filed by insurance companies that affect our profile. These revised rates are then weighted based on the population density in each geographic region so that policyholders can see the impact rates have in their areas. Quoted rates are based on a 40-year-old male and female driver with a clean driving record, good credit and the following full coverage limits:

• $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $50,000 property damage liability per accident
• $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
• $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
• $500 collision deductible
• $500 comprehensive deductible

To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our base profile drivers own a 2022 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.

These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes.

Incidents: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the following incidents applied: clean record (base), at-fault accident, single speeding ticket and single DUI conviction.

Age: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the ages 20-70 (base: 40 years) applied. Depending on age, drivers may be a renter or homeowner. Age is not a contributing rating factor in Hawaii and Massachusetts due to state regulations.

Teens: Rates were determined by adding a 16- or 18-year-old teen to their 40-year-old married parents' policy. The rates displayed reflect the total cost of a driver this age added to their parents’ policy.

Bankrate Score

Our 2024 Bankrate Score considers variables our insurance editorial team determined impacts policyholders’ experiences with an insurance company. These rating factors include a robust assessment of each company’s product availability, financial strength ratings, online capabilities and customer and claims support accessibility. Each factor was added to a category, and these categories were weighted in a tiered approach to analyze how companies perform in key customer-impacting categories.

Each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. Our scoring model provides a comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and highlighting where they fall short.

• Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, average quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, Demotech and the NAIC, were analyzed.
• Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
• Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways an auto insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.