Don't Miss

L.A. County drivers pay the highest auto insurance premium in Calif.

April 9, 2014

Glendale residents pay the most, according to WalletHub report

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Los Angeles County drivers pay the highest automobile insurance premiums in California, according to a report released today by the personal finance social network WalletHub.

The report says Glendale residents pay the most among the state’s 100 largest cities — $1,824, or nearly 44 percent above average. The 11 most expensive cities are all in Los Angeles County, according to the report.

Santa Maria is the least expensive city in California, more than 21 percent less than the state average. The least expensive in the Southland is Lake Forest, in Orange County, which ranks 13th, at $1,161, or 8.4 percent below average.

The rates fluctuate based on a variety of factors, from geography and driving record to gender and race. WalletHub said it compared premiums offered by seven of the largest insurance providers.

WalletHub reported that the average premium in Los Angeles County was $1,584 — 25 percent above the norm — ranking last among the state’s 58 counties. The cheapest was San Luis Obispo County at $1,013.

San Bernardino County is the 53rd most expensive, Orange 50th and Riverside 49th.

The 11 area cities ranked as the most expensive in the state are Glendale, Los Angeles, Inglewood, Santa Monica, Burbank, Compton, Alhambra, Hawthorne, South Gate, Pasadena and El Monte.

The cities in the region where drivers pay lower premiums than average are Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Murrieta, Temecula, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Menifee, Irvine, Hemet, Orange, Huntington Beach and Simi Valley.

According to WalletHub, areas with high concentrations of minorities tend to have the highest premiums. The study also found that men and women pay essentially the same amount for car insurance — men pay 0.8 percent less — and that engineers, scientists and teachers receive the biggest profession-based car insurance discounts.