Ranked! Best and worst cities in California for car insurance premiums

Click "next" to find out the 20 most expensive cities in California for auto insurance, as well as the top 20 least expensive.

20 Most Expensive Cities for Auto Insurance

(Source: NerdWallet)

Not surprisingly, the top 10 most expensive cities in California for auto insurance are in Los Angeles County. This densely populated area is notorious for its bad traffic, which in turn translates into higher insurance premiums.

The most expensive city for auto insurance premiums is Glendale—a city of 200,000—with an average premium of $1,379.71. In close second is the city of Los Angeles itself with an average premium of $1,357.99.

Right: Morning rush hour traffic on Pasadena Freeway into downtown Los Angeles. (Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com)

Los Angeles County cities Inglewood, El Monte and Norwalk all made the list (with average premiums of $1,207.28, $1,163.46 and $1,152.25 respectively). Coincidentally, these three cities made the U.S. Census Bureau's 2013 list of most densely populated cities, says NerdWallet, further suggesting that large populations and heavy traffic play a role in auto insurance costs.

NerdWallet also notes that auto repair costs play a role in more expensive premiums. According to local insurance agents, body shops in and around Los Angeles charge more for repairs because of high rent and labor costs.

Auto insurance rates can also be affected by a city's vehicle theft rates. Fourteen of the 20 most expensive cities had higher-than-average rates of motor vehicle theft, says NerdWallet. South Gate, which ranked fourth with an average premium of $1,255.33, has a rate of 9.57 auto thefts per 1,000 residents. Huntington Park, which ranked sixth with an average premium of $1,229.17, averages 11.14 auto thefts per 1,000 residents.

Interestingly, only three of the 20 most expensive cities are located in Northern California. NerdWallet notes that San Francisco, ranked 12th with an average premium of $1,171.31, is the second-most densely populated city in the U.S. and has a high rate of vehicle thefts—6.51 per 1,000 residents.

Left: A typical street in San Francisco. (Morenovel/Shutterstock.com)

Sacramento ranked 16th with an average premium of $1,163.40. NerdWallet notes the city's ranking could be in part due to a high vehicle theft rate of 7.02 thefts per 1,000 residents.

Richmond, which came in 18th with an average premium of $1,154.75, has the highest rate of vehicle thefts of any of the 20 most expensive cities, with 17.54 thefts per 1,000 people.

Click "next" to see the 20 cheapest cities in California for auto insurance premiums.

20 Least Expensive Cities for Auto Insurance

(Source: NerdWallet)

In contrast to the most expensive California cities for auto insurance, the least expensive cities tend to have low population density. Eighteen of the cities have a population density below 5,000 people per square mile. By comparison, Los Angeles has 8,092 people per square mile. According to NerdWallet, less dense areas typically translate to lighter traffic and fewer accidents.

The city of Redding has the lowest population density on the list, with 1,506.5 people per square mile. Not surprisingly, it ranks second among the least expensive cities with an average premium of $823.58. Similarly, Santee, with a population density of 3,290 people per square mile, ranks eighth with an average premium of $888, and Pleasanton, with a desnsity of 2,914.8 people per square mile, ranks 14th with an average premium of $912.63.

The cities of Cupertino and Watsonville are the anomalies on the list, with densities of 5,180 and 7,657 people per square mile, respectively. Yet, they both still rank among the California cities with the lowest insurance premiums. Cupertino is third with an average premium of $857.58, and Watsonville is 12th with an average premium of $891.75.

San Diego ranks as the 18th least expensive city for auto insurance despite being the eight-most populous city in the U.S. Its large land area gives it a relatively low population density of 4,020 per square mile.

Right: The Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. (Mikhail Pogosov/Shutterstock.com)

Also in contrast with the most expensive cities, the least expensive cities typically have low rates of motor vehicle theft. To be exact, 17 of the least expensive cities have theft rates that are below the state average, notes NerdWallet.

Chico, which ranks sixth with an average premium of $869.14, has a rate of 2.92 vehicle thefts per 1,000 residents in 2012. Camarillo, which ranks fourth and has an average premium of $863.67, has the lowest rate of vehicle thefts out of the 20, with only 0.74 thefts per 1,000 people.

The three cities that don't fit in with the less thefts = less cost equation are Redding, Watsonville and San Diego, which have vehicle theft rates of 5.52, 5.69 and 4.94 per 1,000 people, respectively.