City News Service

Los Angeles has the highest average car insurance premiums among the 30 most populated cities in California, according to data
released Monday by the personal finance website WalletHub.

Los Angeles’ annual average of $2,598.63 was 35% above average of a city of similar size, according to WalletHub. Long Beach was second-highest with $2,236.61, or 16% above average. Lancaster was fourth-highest at $2,099.12 (9% above average), while Anaheim was sixth-highest at $2,075.50 (8% above average).

“The first thing you should do is shop around locally for a policy,” said Jill Gonzalez, an insurance industry analyst with WalletHub, on how
motorists can save money on car insurance. “Aside from the national big names in the industry, plenty of regional car insurance companies cater to customers in California.”

The premiums were intended to reflect those of an experienced female driver with no accidents in the last five years. Average insurance premiums were highest for drivers under 26 at $4,869.69 and lowered as drivers aged, bottoming out at $1,921.54 for motorists at age 66.

Average premiums were also roughly 5% higher for men than women, according to WalletHub data from more than 30 ZIP codes around the state. Other factors that affected insurance premiums across the state included a person’s job, their mileage, average daily commute and whether they use their vehicle for a ride-booking service like Uber or Lyft.

“California drivers should try to take advantage of discounts,” Gonzalez said. “You could be able to get discounts if you’re a veteran, have a good driving record, bundle policies or have an anti-theft system, just to name a few.”

The cheapest premiums were found in Oceanside, whose $1,693.44 figure was 12 percent below average.