San Diego Car Insurance Quotes & Rates (2026)

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For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, San Diego car insurance averages about $301 a month ($3,616 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 9% below the California average of $332 a month. GEICO has the lowest full-coverage average in San Diego, at about $167 a month. Among the other insurers in our rate data, AAA Southern California (Auto Club) and State Farm are next, at about $292 and $296 a month. Rate variation among carriers on this page exceeds $220 a month for identical full-coverage protection. Comparing quotes from multiple insurers is the easiest way to capture that savings without lowering your coverage limits.

Rates last verified and updated: July 2026.

See how San Diego stacks up against average car insurance rates in California, or compare auto insurance rates nationwide to see how the state as a whole compares.

San Diego is one of the better-priced big cities in Southern California. Our benchmark driver pays about $175 a month less here than in Los Angeles, and about the same as in Chula Vista next door.

The figures come from insurers’ own rate filings, modeled by Quadrant Information Services for one driver across 29 San Diego ZIP codes. Use them to see what’s normal, then compare quotes for your own car and address.

_{Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across the 29 San Diego ZIP codes we price, compiled by Quadrant Information Services and updated as new rates are filed.}

How Much Is Car Insurance in San Diego, CA?

Full coverage in San Diego averages $3,616 a year, or about $301 a month, for our benchmark driver. Dropping to 50/100/50 liability while keeping comprehensive and collision averages $3,345 a year ($279 a month).

• Full coverage (100/300/100, $500 deductibles): $3,616 a year ($301 a month)
• 50/100/50 with $500 deductibles: $3,345 a year ($279 a month)
• Minimum liability (15/30/5): $1,344 a year ($112 a month)
• California average: $3,979 a year ($332 a month) for full coverage
• ZIP code range: $3,295 (92128) to $4,233 (92105) for full coverage

Cheap Car Insurance in San Diego: Companies Compared

• Cheapest for full coverage: GEICO, at about $167 a month ($2,007 a year).
• Next cheapest in our rate data: AAA Southern California (Auto Club), at about $292 a month ($3,505 a year).
• Most expensive: Farmers, at about $388 a month, $2,646 a year more than GEICO for the same driver and car.

GEICO’s San Diego average is 43% below AAA Southern California (Auto Club), the next-cheapest insurer in our rate data. That’s a wide gap, and every major 2026 California rate study we checked also ranks GEICO cheapest for full coverage. Your own price will differ, so compare quotes for your car and address.

This table uses San Diego ZIP codes only. See how we calculated these rates.

San Diego Car Insurance Rates by ZIP Code

Across the 29 San Diego ZIP codes we price, full coverage for our driver ranges from about $3,295 a year in 92128 to $4,233 in 92105, a gap of $938 a year, or about $78 a month. The north-county ZIP codes, such as 92128 and 92129, are among the cheapest, while 92105 and 92113 in the city’s southeast are the most expensive.

Search the table for your ZIP code. The last column shows how far each ZIP code’s full-coverage average is above or below San Diego’s average.

See What You’d Pay in San Diego

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Rates change from one San Diego ZIP code to the next. Enter yours to compare quotes.

How Much More Does Better Coverage Cost in San Diego?

Raising liability limits from 50/100/50 to 100/300/100 adds about $271 a year ($23 a month) in our San Diego data, with the same $500 deductibles. Higher limits protect your savings if you cause a serious crash, and they cost far less than most drivers expect.

How San Diego Compares With the Rest of Southern California

San Diego’s full-coverage average sits about 9% below the California average, while Los Angeles County runs about 27% above it. Lighter traffic than Los Angeles is one likely reason.

The biggest savings still come from the company you choose. In our data, the most expensive insurer charges more than twice GEICO’s price for the same San Diego driver and car. If you’re in the military or a veteran, ask about military discounts when you compare quotes.

How San Diego Car Insurance Compares With Nearby California Cities

Compare San Diego with every California city we price. This table lists minimum-liability and full-coverage averages for 84 California cities from the same rate data as the rest of this page.

What Car Insurance Is Required in San Diego?

California sets the rules for every driver in San Diego. Since 2025, the minimum liability coverage for a standard auto policy is:

• $30,000 for injury or death of one person
• $60,000 for injury or death of more than one person in one crash
• $15,000 for damage to other people’s property

That’s 30/60/15 coverage, up from the 15/30/5 minimum that applied before 2025. You must carry proof of insurance in the car and show it after a crash or traffic stop. The limits are listed in the California Department of Insurance auto insurance guide and on the California DMV insurance requirements page.

Minimum limits are low next to the cost of a serious crash, which is why we price full coverage at 100/300/100 liability. If money is tight, the state’s California Low Cost Auto Insurance Program offers liability policies to income-eligible drivers with a good driving record and a car worth $25,000 or less.

How to Lower Your Car Insurance Rate in San Diego

1. Keep your Good Driver discount. California law requires every insurer to give a Good Driver discount of at least 20%. You qualify if you’ve been licensed for three years and have no more than one violation point on your record. California also rates drivers first on their driving record, then on how many miles they drive each year and how many years they’ve been driving, so a clean record matters more here than almost anywhere else.
2. Ask about military discounts. San Diego has a large military community, and several insurers offer discounts for active-duty service members and veterans.
3. Compare at every renewal. Prices for the same driver and car vary by thousands of dollars a year between insurers, and each company changes its rates on its own schedule.
4. Report your real mileage. Annual miles driven is one of California’s main rating factors, so a shorter commute or remote work can lower your price.
5. Insure your car and home together. A multi-policy discount is one of the easiest savings to get, so compare San Diego home insurance rates too.

Compare San Diego Car Insurance Quotes

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How We Calculated San Diego Car Insurance Rates

Insurers must file their rates and rating rules with each state’s insurance regulator. Quadrant Information Services uses those filings to calculate what each insurer would charge a specific driver, and InsuranceQuotes analyzes those prices. This page uses rates in effect on Aug. 31, 2026.

• Sample: 145 full-coverage quotes from 5 insurers across 29 San Diego ZIP codes.
• Driver: a single 40-year-old male or female driver, licensed 24 years, with no accidents or violations, driving a 2024 Toyota Camry LE they own, for personal use. California doesn’t let insurers use gender to set car insurance rates, so the price is the same for men and women.
• Coverage: full coverage is 100/300/100 liability with $500 comprehensive and collision deductibles. We also price 50/100/50 liability with the same deductibles, and minimum liability at 15/30/5 limits with no comprehensive or collision.
• Calculation: for each insurer we take its lowest eligible price in each ZIP code and average those prices across the ZIP codes. The overall average is the mean of every insurer-and-ZIP price. Monthly figures are annual premiums divided by 12 and rounded.
• Rankings: an insurer is ranked only where it has a price in at least half of the ZIP codes we sample. AAA Northern California (CSAA) and AAA Southern California (Auto Club) each sell in their own half of the state, so statewide they’re shown but not ranked. Prices within 3% of each other are called effectively tied.
• Other insurers: when the Quadrant rate data we analyze doesn’t include an insurer’s rate for this driver, its average is estimated from 2026 published rate studies and scaled to the same driver and coverage. Those insurers aren’t used for our cheapest-insurer rankings.
• What this isn’t: a quote. These are modeled prices for one driver profile, calculated from insurers’ rate filings. Your price depends on your ZIP code, vehicle, driving record, annual mileage and discounts.

Coverage requirements come from the California Department of Insurance. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.

More San Diego Car Insurance Breakdowns

Want to see how your car or your age changes the price? These breakdowns come from another InsuranceQuotes rate analysis with a different driver profile than the San Diego figures above, which is why the dollar amounts differ. Use them to compare vehicle types, newer cars and age groups side by side.

Car Insurance Rates for Used Vehicles in California

What you drive matters as much as where you park it. For used vehicles in this breakdown, an SUV is the cheapest to insure with full coverage and a luxury coupe the most expensive, about 71% more. Differences in repair costs and claim rates drive most of that gap.

New Car Insurance Rates in California

A new car costs more to insure because comprehensive and collision have to cover a more valuable vehicle. Across the five vehicle types here, full coverage for a new model runs about 23% more on average than for the same type used. If you’re financing, your lender will require both coverages.

Car Insurance Costs by Age in California

Age is one of the biggest rating factors for young drivers. In this breakdown, a 17-year-old pays about 2.3 times what a 39-year-old pays for full coverage, and prices fall quickly through the early 20s as drivers build a clean record. California insurers must weigh your driving record, annual mileage and years of driving experience most heavily, which is why experience matters so much here.

San Diego Car Insurance FAQ