The typical auto insurance policy costs $147 per month in Santa Clara. If you're paying too much, compare rates and save.
Auto insurance costs an average of $1,760 per year in Santa Clara. That's cheaper than the average in California ($1,868) and more expensive than the national average of $1,548. Our guide to car insurance in Santa Clara — researched and written by The Zebra's team of licensed insurance experts — includes average premiums based on age, credit score, driving history, and marital status.
Read on for more information.
| Santa Clara Average (yearly) | California Average | U.S. Average |
| $1,760 | $1,868 | $1,548 |
The best way to save on auto insurance is to compare rates from as many companies as possible, selecting the provider from which you receive the most affordable quote. For a typical insurance customer, GEICO provides Santa Clara's cheapest rates. See below the best options for affordable auto insurance in Santa Clara. Don't forget to get car insurance quotes based on your driving profile.
The best age for car insurance rates as a driver in Santa Clara is your 50s: drivers in this age group pay an average of $1,587 per year. Drivers in their 60s pay marginally higher rates — $1,591 per year.
Young drivers aged 16 to 19 pay the most for car insurance in Santa Clara. When drivers hit their 20s in Santa Clara and move out of the teenage age bracket, they reduce their premiums substantially. The cost differential between the auto insurance rates paid by teenage drivers and drivers in their 20s in Santa Clara is $3,926, the largest such difference between any two age groups.
| Age tier | Average Annual Rate |
| Teenagers | $6,535 |
| 20s | $2,609 |
| 30s | $1,711 |
| 40s | $1,656 |
| 50s | $1,587 |
| 60s | $1,591 |
| 70s | $1,862 |
Learn more about the impact of age on car insurance premiums.
In some cases, a driver's marital status and gender may affect their car insurance rates. Married drivers usually pay less for car insurance than their single counterparts. In Santa Clara, married motorists pay $76 less than single drivers for auto insurance. Rates for those who are widowed are also much cheaper than rates for those who are single. In Santa Clara, insurance rates for those who are widowed are less expensive than rates for those who are single.
Gender is another factor that can influence auto insurance rates. In Santa Clara, female drivers pay more for auto insurance than do male drivers: $4 per year, to be precise.
| Gender/Marital Status | Average Annual Rate |
| Female | $1,764 |
| Male | $1,760 |
| Single | $1,684 |
| Married | $1,684 |
| Divorced | $1,760 |
| Widowed | $1,711 |
Learn more about the impact gender and marital status have on insurance rates.
No matter where you live, keeping your driving record clean is a great way to keep your auto insurance rates low. Speeding tickets, reckless driving citations, DUIs and DWIs, and at-fault accidents all can trigger insurance rate hikes.
Santa Clara drivers found guilty of reckless driving pay the price when it comes to auto insurance, facing a rate increase of $2,911 per year versus the city average. A ticket for speeding results in a $715 rate hike, on average, while a DUI violation costs $2,802 per year in insurance premiums.
| Incident/Violation | Average Annual Rate |
| DUI/DWI | $4,562 |
| Reckless Driving | $4,671 |
| At-fault Accident (damages less than $1,000) | $1,768 |
| At-fault Accident (damages greater than $2,000) | $3,118 |
| Speeding Ticket (16-20 mph over speed limit) | $2,475 |
Learn more about the impact of driving violations on car insurance rates.
Credit score is often closely correlated with car insurance costs, but that isn't the case in California, where state law bans insurance companies from taking drivers' credit histories into account when setting rates.
