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Car insurance in San Francisco can be pricey, but you can save 50 percent or more in some cases by shopping around, according to our California car insurance rate analysis. Drivers in San Francisco ZIP code 94134 pay the highest average car insurance rate in the city, $1,885 a year, according to a survey of rates from six major carriers. But the difference between the highest rate ($2,513) for those ZIPs and the lowest ($1,148) is $1,365.
Each car insurance company uses its own method when deciding what you pay for coverage, which is why prices for the same policy vary significantly. That’s why you can wind up overpaying for insurance if you don’t shop around. To see how car insurance rates compare, use our average rates tool below.
Enter your ZIP code, select an age group and coverage level to see the average premium for the location, as well as the highest and lowest rates from the six major carriers surveyed.
CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to provide a report of average auto insurance rates for a 2016 Honda Accord for nearly every ZIP code in the United States. We calculated rates using data for up to six large carriers (Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm).
Averages for the default result are based on insurance for a married 40-year-old male who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/100 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $100,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. The rate includes uninsured motorist coverage.
Averages for customized rates are based on drivers ages 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 for the following coverage levels: state minimum liability, liability of 50/100/50 and 100/300/100 with $500 deductible on comprehensive and collision. These hypothetical drivers have clean records and good credit. Average rates are for comparative purposes.
Your own rate will depend on your personal factors and vehicle.
State Minimum:
Required liability coverage to drive legally in your state; some states mandate additional coverage, such as personal injury protection, uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist.
Liability Only 50/100/50:
$50,000 per person/$100,000 maximum per accident for bodily injury; $50,000 for property damage. Liability pays for injuries/damage you cause others.
Full Coverage 100/300/100:
$100,000 per person/$300,000 maximum per accident for bodily injury; $100,000 for property damage; comprehensive and collision coverage with $500 deductible. Liability pays for injuries/damage you cause others. Comprehensive and collision pay for damage to your car.
90010- LOS ANGELES: $2,55290038- LOS ANGELES: $2,50790020- LOS ANGELES: $2,49490028- HOLLYWOOD: $2,48893441- LOS OLIVOS: $1,07193437- LOMPOC: $1,08893427- BUELLTON: $1,09193401- SAN LUIS OBISPO: $1,095Below you'll see a list of San Francisco's priciest and cheapest ZIP codes for car insurance. The ZIP code for Portola, a neighborhood situated between Excelsior/McLaren Park and Bayview, tops the list.
| Most expensive San Francisco ZIP codes | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| 94134 | $1,885 |
| 94124 | $1,832 |
| 94121 | $1,788 |
| 94102 | $1,780 |
| 94103 | $1,779 |
| 94151 | $1,761 |
| 94153 | $1,761 |
| 94154 | $1,761 |
| 94156 | $1,761 |
| 94112 | $1,759 |
| 94133 | $1,759 |
| 94132 | $1,758 |
| 94130 | $1,749 |
| 94115 | $1,748 |
| Least expensive San Francisco ZIP codes | Average annual rate |
| 94177 | $1,644 |
| 94160 | $1,654 |
| 94161 | $1,654 |
| 94162 | $1,654 |
| 94163 | $1,654 |
| 94127 | $1,666 |
| 94123 | $1,667 |
| 94171 | $1,668 |
| 94114 | $1,669 |
| 94199 | $1,678 |
| 94107 | $1,681 |
| 94131 | $1,682 |
| 94117 | $1,689 |
*Methodology: CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to field rates for nearly every ZIP code in California from six major insurers for a 2016 Honda Accord. Driver profile: age 40, male, good credit, clean record. This data set is for $100,000 in personal injury liability/$300,000 per accident, with $300,000 in property damage; comprehensive and collision included with $500 deductible.
San Francisco car insurance requirements | |
|---|---|
| California state law requires the following minimum car insurance coverage: | |
| Minimum bodily injury liability | $15,000/$30,000 |
| Minimum property damage liability | $5,000 |
If you need just bare-bones coverage, you’ll want to shop for the lowest liability car insurance limits required by the state to drive legally. In California (written as 15/30/5), that means your liability car insurance would pay up to:
California drivers pay, on average, $491 a year for minimum coverage, assuming a driver profile of male, age 40 with good credit and clean driving record, according to our rate analysis. If you bumped up your liability coverage to 50/100/50, the average rate would increase by just $101 to $592. That’s less than $9 a month.
You can see in the chart below that Geico offers coverage at the lowest price, among six major insurers compared in a CarInsurance.com rate analysis.
| Company | State minimum |
|---|---|
| Geico | $286 |
| Progressive | $455 |
| Allstate | $565 |
| State Farm | $573 |
| Nationwide | $686 |
| Farmers | $688 |
| Company | 50/100/50 |
| Geico | $349 |
| Progressive | $549 |
| Allstate | $620 |
| State Farm | $742 |
| Farmers | $824 |
| Nationwide | $828 |
| Company | 100/300/100 |
| Geico | $1,034 |
| Progressive | $1,169 |
| Allstate | $1,596 |
| Nationwide | $2,095 |
| State Farm | $2,164 |
| Farmers | $2,320 |
If you want to have enough car insurance coverage to protect your home and assets, you should buy liability insurance in the following amounts:
You should also consider buying these optional coverages:
Comprehensive insurance and collision coverage are fairly affordable. They pay out up to the actual cash value of your car. In California, comprehensive costs $98 and collision costs $361, on average per year, according to the Insurance Information Institute. These two coverages, unlike liability insurance, come with a deductible. That’s the amount you pay for each claim before your insurer chips in. Deductibles of $1,000, $500 and $250 are the usual practice. The higher the deductible is, the lower your rate will be.
Moving violations can jack up your auto insurance rates. Depending on the severity of the infraction, you could pay well more than double for car insurance.
Insurers usually raise your rates for between three and five years. However, the exact number of years depends on the insurance company and state laws.
More serious violations, including DUI, usually stay on your driving record longer than a more minor offense, such as speeding.
Here’s how much more you’ll pay, on average, for the following traffic violations.
| Violation | Annual average rate | Rate after violation | Dollar increase | Percent increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUI/DWI third offense | $2,169 | $11,162 | $8,993 | 415% |
| DUI/DWI second offense | $2,169 | $8,727 | $6,558 | 302% |
DUI/DWI first offense | $2,169 | $6,159 | $3,990 | 184% |
| Operating a vehicle in a race (highway racing) | $2,169 | $5,980 | $3,811 | 176% |
| Reckless driving | $2,169 | $5,980 | $3,811 | 176% |
| Driving without license or permit | $2,169 | $4,131 | $1,962 | 90% |
| Careless driving | $2,169 | $3,369 | $1,200 | 55% |
| Driving without insurance | $2,169 | $3,368 | $1,199 | 55% |
| Improper/illegal pass | $2,169 | $3,314 | $1,145 | 53% |
| Failure to stop | $2,169 | $3,237 | $1,068 | 49% |
| Failure to yield | $2,169 | $3,237 | $1,068 | 49% |
| Following too closely | $2,169 | $3,237 | $1,068 | 49% |
| Improper turn | $2,169 | $3,237 | $1,068 | 49% |
| Speeding | $2,169 | $3,183 | $1,014 | 47% |
Methodology:
CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services in 2019 to field rates from up to six major insurers for 10 ZIP codes in the city for the following driver profile: male, age 40, good credit, clean driver record, driving 2017 Honda accord. We compared the clean record driver rate to the rate for various tickets and accident claims to get the average percentage and dollar increase, for the coverage level of 100/300/50; with comprehensive and collision and $500 deductible. These are estimates; your actual rate will depend on your personal rating factors.
A motor vehicle accident can increase your rates depending on your plan. Some insurers have accident-forgiveness that may ignore one accident. However, a second accident could increase your rates in that scenario.
Here’s how accidents will increase your rates on average.
| Accident | Annual rate | Rate after claim | Dollar increase | Percent increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hit and run - property damage or injury | $2,169 | $5,980 | $3,811 | 176% |
| 2 At-fault property damage accident over $2k | $2,169 | $5,723 | $3,554 | 164% |
| At fault bodily injury | $2,169 | $4,110 | $1,941 | 90% |
1 At-fault property damage accident | $2,169 | $3,668 | $1,499 | 69% |
Methodology:
CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services in 2019 to field rates from up to six major insurers for 10 ZIP codes in the city for the following driver profile: male, age 40, good credit, clean driver record, driving 2017 Honda accord. We then averaged rates by company for each city for the following coverage level: 100/300/50, with comprehensive and collision and a $500 deductible. These are estimates; your actual rate will depend on your personal rating factors.
Most states allow car insurance companies to charge higher rates for people with bad credit. That’s not the case in California.
The Golden State forbids insurers from using a person’s credit to set car insurance rates. That’s good new for San Francisco drivers. Drivers in Michigan and New Jersey with bad credit pay double what other drivers pay. That’s why those states are the worst states for drivers with bad credit.
Adding a teenager driver can increase your rates more than if you get into an accident. Car insurers view teen drivers as a risk. Hence, the higher rates.
Adding a 16-year-old female driver to your insurance in San Francisco would add on average nearly $4,000 onto your annual costs. That’s an increase of 182%. Adding a 16-year-old male driver would increase rates on average by nearly $5,500 or 252%.
There are ways to limit the increase. Find out more about adding a teen to your car insurance.
Gap insurance helps drivers with new cars. The coverage, also called loan-lease payoff coverage, pays the difference actual cash value (ACV) of the vehicle and the current outstanding balance on your loan or lease.
Gap insurance may interest you if you owe more on your car loan loan than what it’s worth. Not how much you paid for the car. How much it’s actually valued once you take it off the lot.
Gap insurance would add on average $92 to your annual car insurance costs in San Francisco.
SR-22 is an option for drivers if you’re convicted for a serious moving violation, such as a DUI, reckless driving or driving without insurance.
With a SR-22, a car insurance company guarantees that you’re carrying legally mandated coverage. SR-22 isn’t a type of car insurance. It’s simply a form your insurer files on your behalf with the state.
Driving with an SR-22 in San Francisco raises your rates on average just 1%. However, if you have an SR-22 and a DUI conviction, you can expect to pay much more. How much more? The average rate for that situation is more $6,184. That’s 185% higher than the average rate for San Francisco motorists.
Traffic in San Francisco: The city and nearby areas came in third for the worst traffic in the country in a recent report by USA Today, which noted that drivers spend about 78 hours a year stuck in traffic.
Car crashes: Major accidents have resulted in an average of about 30 deaths a year in recent years (2012-2014).
Commuting: The average commute lasts 29.2 minutes.
High Occupancy Vehicle rules: The HOV lane, also known as the carpool or diamond lane, is designed to reduce traffic congestion and promote ride-sharing on freeways. In the San Francisco area, only vehicles with at least two people, mass transit vehicles like buses, and motorcycles are allowed to use the lanes. Use may be restricted during specified hours.
Public transportation: The U.S. Census Bureau says that the majority of riders in San Francisco who commute to work by public transportation are white (about 45 percent), Hispanic (about 17 percent) and black (about 5 percent). The bureau notes that commuting is the main reason people use mass transit.
Smog rules: All California residents much have their vehicles tested for emissions at a licensed smog testing center every two years to renew registration. Vehicles that are six years old or less are exempt from testing. New California residents must have an initial inspection to have their vehicle registered, even if they have a current smog certificate from their previous state.
Bad intersection: The intersection at Mission Street, 12th Street, Otis Street and S. Van Ness Avenue is considered one of the worst in the city - there were 92 vehicle accidents at the intersection from 2005 to 2012.
The information was gathered from various sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, state transportation departments and city police departments.
