Best Car Insurance Companies in San Francisco, CA

You'll need to consider your specific needs and background when selecting an auto insurance provider. GEICO is the best overall and best cheap insurer in San Francisco. It’s also a great pick for young adults. Those who highly value customer service might prefer Chubb, while State Farm is a solid option for senior drivers. Capital Insurance Group offers great deals for teens and drivers with offenses, whereas Travelers is best for drivers with new cars.

We listed our top picks if you’re on the lookout for the cheapest car insurance in San Francisco.

In San Francisco, the best car insurance providers are:

• GEICO: MoneyGeek score 75 out of 100 ($973 per year)
• Progressive: MoneyGeek score 70 out of 100 ($1,096 per year)

GEICO has the cheapest rates of all the companies we looked at and earned the fourth-highest customer satisfaction rating. These excellent scores indicate that policyholders receive great service at a reasonable cost.

Military personnel in San Francisco should consider USAA, which earned a MoneyGeek score of 85 out of 100. We determined that AAA is the best car insurance company in California, demonstrating how the best company may vary across the state.

In San Francisco, GEICO is MoneyGeek’s pick for best overall car insurance out of 15 companies. It charges the least expensive rates at an average of $973 per year and ranked fourth for customer satisfaction, offering a good balance between these two factors. Capital Insurance Group has the best customer service, but its premiums are somewhat pricey, costing around $1,408 per year.

These listed rates are for a full coverage policy. We only provided a MoneyGeek score for an auto insurance company if there was enough data for each scoring component like affordability, customer service and financial stability.

Without taking cost into account, the top auto insurance companies for service quality are:

• Chubb: MoneyGeek score 76 out of 100 ($1,910 per year)
• Capital Insurance Group: MoneyGeek score 68 out of 100 ($1,408 per year)

Chubb received strong marks for customer satisfaction and claims processing. Our analysis found that Chubb’s rates are the most expensive in San Francisco, so its great customer service doesn't come cheap.

If you experience issues with or damage to your car, you’ll want a provider who delivers excellent customer service. Auto insurance companies with great service quality tend to quickly address policyholder questions and filed claims. Chubb is our top pick because of its high scores in claims processing and customer satisfaction. Chubb has a slightly lower customer satisfaction score than Capital Insurance Group, our runner-up. However, the latter lagged behind in claims management and offered fewer coverages.

We evaluated minimum coverage policies based on service quality and affordability and found that the best cheap companies in San Francisco are:

• GEICO: MoneyGeek score 78 out of 100 ($364 per year)
• State Farm: MoneyGeek score 71 out of 100 ($474 per year)

Minimum coverage policies tend to be the most affordable, but they may not provide sufficient coverage — they offer the least amount of financial protection against liability costs and don't cover damages to your own car. The minimum car insurance requirements in California are the same for all cities across the Golden State.

Sometimes the most affordable insurer might not deliver the best experience to policyholders. However, when you choose a top-performing auto insurance company, you don’t need to worry about sacrificing high-quality service for cheap premiums. GEICO, our winner for this category, strikes a balance between affordability and customer experience. While State Farm offers slightly better service quality, its premiums are pricier than GEICO's.

Young adult drivers in San Francisco will likely find a great policy with the following insurers:

• GEICO: MoneyGeek score 75 out of 100 ($1,121 per year)
• Capital Insurance Group: MoneyGeek score 74 out of 100 ($1,585 per year)

GEICO offers the cheapest rates and has the fourth-best customer satisfaction ratings based on our city-wide analysis, so you don’t need to sacrifice quality for cost. We evaluated the best car insurance for young adult drivers so you can explore the best options available.

Drivers in their 20s should look for auto insurance providers that offer ways to save, stellar service quality and affordable rates. GEICO is a prime example that meets these criteria, especially with its age-specific discounts for young drivers. Although Capital Insurance Group has a higher customer satisfaction rating, its rates are significantly more expensive than GEICO’s.

The top-performing auto insurance companies for teens on a family policy in San Francisco are:

• Capital Insurance Group: MoneyGeek score 77 out of 100 ($3,427 per year)
• State Farm: MoneyGeek score 76 out of 100 ($2,881 per year)

When ranked against nine other insurers for this category, Capital Insurance Group earned the top spot for customer satisfaction and ranked third for affordability. With this provider, teens and their families can get great service at a low cost.

Teen drivers will pay higher premiums for individual auto insurance policies, so a great way to save on monthly premiums is to add them to a family policy. In San Francisco, doing so will save an average of $673 per year. It's also important to keep in mind that in most cases, teens under 18 cannot legally purchase an individual policy without a parent or guardian to cosign. We compiled a list of the best car insurance for teens to guide your decision-making.

Families looking for the best auto insurance provider for teens should find an insurer that offers a balance of affordable premiums and exceptional customer service. You should also look for teen-specific discounts that can further lower rates. Compared to Capital Insurance Group, State Farm offers more affordable premiums and has more discounts for teens but ranks lower in terms of customer service.

In San Francisco, the best car insurance providers for senior drivers are:

• State Farm: MoneyGeek score 76 out of 100 ($927 per year)
• GEICO: MoneyGeek score 75 out of 100 ($940 per year)

State Farm stood out as the best car insurance company for seniors in our city-wide comparison, offering the most affordable premiums paired with the third-best score in customer satisfaction. On average, drivers around the age of 60 usually pay similar rates to those between the ages of 30 and 50. However, rates for drivers in their 70s are typically more expensive.

Drivers in their 60s typically enjoy cheaper auto insurance rates than other age groups since they are considered safe drivers. When shopping for a suitable policy, seniors should select providers with affordable rates and personal injury protection (PIP) — this can help pay for medical bills in case of serious injuries caused by an accident. State Farm is our top pick because it offers discounts specifically for seniors, useful add-ons and cheap premiums.

Drivers with a violation on their record will most likely get the best policies with the following companies:

• Capital Insurance Group: MoneyGeek score 77 out of 100 ($2,525 per year)
• GEICO: MoneyGeek score 71 out of 100 ($2,307 per year)

Capital Insurance Group ranked highly for both affordability and customer satisfaction among the 15 companies we evaluated. Auto insurance premiums usually increase depending on the severity of the driving violation. Compared to a driver with a clean record, drivers with a DUI in San Francisco pay roughly $2,068 more per year, while those with a speeding ticket pay around $603 more annually. Even if rates are pricier for those with a violation, we've compiled the best car insurance for drivers with poor records to help you find a suitable option.

A great auto insurance company for drivers with bad records should provide affordable rates, useful coverages like new car replacement and roadside assistance, and multiple discount opportunities. Although Capital Insurance Group doesn’t have many coverages aside from roadside assistance, it offers a good balance of cost and service. GEICO, our runner-up, provides more coverages and discounts relevant to drivers with poor records. However, it lagged behind in customer service.

If you’ve recently purchased a new car, the best insurance company in San Francisco is Travelers. Here are our top picks:

• Travelers: MoneyGeek score 76 out of 100 ($1,845 per year)
• Farmers: MoneyGeek score 48 out of 100 ($2,138 per year)

Travelers came out on top because it ranked second for customer satisfaction and charges the cheapest rates. For this category, we evaluated affordability and customer service for drivers in California with a 2022 model car, and we only included providers that offer new car replacement coverage. This coverage helps cover the cost of a brand-new car of a similar make and model if your car is totaled in a covered accident.

The best way to financially protect your brand-new vehicle is to select an auto insurance provider that offers new or better car replacement coverage. Travelers, our winner for this category, not only has the lowest rates in San Francisco but also provides this useful coverage. While other car insurance companies scored higher overall, they didn’t offer new or better car replacement coverage and were not included in these rankings.

Choosing the best auto insurance provider in San Francisco should depend on your unique needs and background. We’ve answered the most commonly asked questions so you can make an informed decision.