The car, truck, or SUV you are seeking coverage for is probably the most important factor when quoting economical auto insurance for college students. Vehicles with average performance, good crash test ratings, or a positive history of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than fast, unsafe models. The information below outlines auto insurance costs for the most economical vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $3,566 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $3,621 |
| Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $3,849 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $3,855 |
| Toyota Prius | $3,901 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $4,005 |
| Ford Edge SEL AWD | $4,178 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $4,233 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $4,238 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $4,233 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $4,239 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $4,233 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SXT | $4,285 |
| Ford F-150 Lariat Super Cab 2WD | $4,293 |
| Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 2WD 4-Dr | $4,352 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $4,407 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE 4-Dr Sedan | $4,462 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-Dr Sedan | $4,472 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $4,462 |
| Toyota Corolla XRS | $4,514 |
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Data assumes single female driver age 20, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Arizona minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in specific Phoenix, AZ garaging location which can change coverage rates considerably.
Based upon these rates, you can expect models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Volkswagen Jetta are likely to be a few of the cheaper vehicles to insure for students in college. Rates will tend to be more expensive anyway because there is a higher risk for college students, but generally speaking those vehicles will probably have the lowest prices possible.
Finding out which company quotes the cheapest insurance rates for college students will take more work in order to find the best policy. Each insurance company has a unique approach for determining rates in each state, so we’ll take a look at the insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Phoenix.
Cheapest Insurance Rates for College Students
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hartford | $845 |
| 2 | Auto-Owners | $888 |
| 3 | Safeco | $932 |
| 4 | USAA | $1,080 |
| 5 | Travelers | $1,108 |
| 6 | Progressive | $1,130 |
| 7 | GEICO | $1,131 |
| 8 | CSAA | $1,189 |
| 9 | Allied | $1,197 |
| 10 | Ameriprise Group | $1,208 |
| 11 | Farm Bureau Mutual | $1,259 |
| 12 | Unitrin | $1,303 |
| 13 | Safe Auto | $1,323 |
| 14 | Farmers | $1,337 |
| 15 | State Farm | $1,337 |
| 16 | American Family | $1,420 |
| 17 | Amica | $1,429 |
| 18 | Titan | $1,433 |
| 19 | MetLife | $1,521 |
| 20 | California Casualty | $1,552 |
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The Hartford may have some of the best car insurance rates in Phoenix at around $845 per year. This is $583 less than the average policy premium paid by Arizona drivers of $1,428. Auto-Owners, Safeco, USAA, and Travelers would also be considered some of the lowest-priced Phoenix, AZ auto insurance companies.
As shown above, if you currently have a policy with USAA and switched to Auto-Owners, you could realize a yearly price reduction of roughly $192. Insureds with Travelers may save as much as $220 a year, and Progressive customers might reduce rates by $242 a year.
To get a quick, customized rate comparison, click here to start your custom quote or visit any of the companies below.
It’s important to note that these prices are averages across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and do not take into consideration a specific vehicle garaging location for college students. So the company that fits your needs best may not even be in the top 28 companies shown above. That helps illustrate why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver data and vehicle information.
For students in college, one of the big criteria that are used to help calculate car insurance rates is your address in Phoenix. Larger areas are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less congestion benefit from having to pay less for coverage.
The illustration below ranks the highest-priced places in Arizona for college students to buy auto insurance in. Phoenix shows up at #2 with an annual cost of $1,218 for the average policy, which is approximately $102 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | $1,226 |
| 2 | Phoenix | $1,218 |
| 3 | San Tan Valley | $1,196 |
| 4 | Avondale | $1,174 |
| 5 | Scottsdale | $1,163 |
| 6 | Buckeye | $1,144 |
| 7 | Peoria | $1,126 |
| 8 | Mesa | $1,125 |
| 9 | Tempe | $1,118 |
| 10 | Maricopa | $1,118 |
| 11 | Chandler | $1,115 |
| 12 | Gilbert | $1,108 |
| 13 | Tucson | $1,094 |
| 14 | Casa Grande | $1,089 |
| 15 | Goodyear | $1,087 |
| 16 | Catalina Foothills | $1,082 |
| 17 | Surprise | $1,058 |
| 18 | Casas Adobes | $1,040 |
| 19 | Oro Valley | $1,031 |
| 20 | Yuma | $963 |
| 21 | Prescott | $952 |
| 22 | Flagstaff | $931 |
| 23 | Bullhead City | $878 |
| 24 | Sierra Vista | $872 |
| 25 | Lake Havasu City | $844 |
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Premium costs are comparative as the specific Phoenix residence address can modify auto insurance rates substantially.
How to get discounts on Phoenix car insurance
Insurance providers that sell policies for college students may additionally offer discounts that may potentially lower prices by 25% or more if you meet certain criteria. The best insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.
- 21st Century includes discounts for homeowners, good student, student driver, driver training, and anti-lock brakes.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple policy, passive restraint, good student, and multiple autos.
- AAA may offer discounts for multi-policy, education and occupation, multi-car, good driver, anti-theft, pay-in-full, and good student.
- Liberty Mutual may include discounts for safety features, exclusive group savings, new graduate, newly retired, hybrid vehicle, and multi-policy.
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-policy, online quote discount, continuous coverage, good student, and online signing.
The information below shows the comparison of auto insurance rates with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The costs are based on a female driver, no claims, a clean driving record, Arizona state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with passive restraint, anti-theft, vehicle safety, good student, paperless filing, and continuous coverage discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, the average amount saved each year on insurance for college students is 21% or $285.
The diagram below shows how different deductible levels can affect insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for college students. The premiums are based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no discounts are factored in.
In the chart above, a 30-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $368 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $554 by using a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the 20-year-old category, could drop their prices as much as $824 every year just by choosing higher deductibles when buying full coverage.
When choosing a higher deductible, it’s a good idea to have plenty of savings on hand to be able to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense. That is the one drawback of using higher deductibles.
Do you need full coverage?
Saving money when shopping for insurance should be important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one good way to reduce the cost of insurance for college students is to only buy liability insurance. The chart below shows the difference between insurance costs with full coverage compared to only the Arizona minimum liability coverage. The rate quotes are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, single marital status, and no other discounts are factored in.
Averaged for all ages 20 through 70, physical damage coverage costs an extra $1,704 per year over and above liability coverage. At some point, about every driver wonders when is the right time to remove full coverage. There isn’t a written rule for eliminating full coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.