California Casualty vs. Travelers: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for auto insurance, Travelers offers more affordable rates than California Casualty
• Travelers offers more discounts than California Casualty
• Travelers has cheaper premiums for drivers with a DUI charge on their record

California Casualty vs. Travelers: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're thinking about switching your auto insurance. With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering big discounts, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You've maybe even narrowed it down to California Casualty or Travelers as potential options, but which company will save you the most?

Looking at nationwide averages, California Casualty has average rates that are about 17% per month more expensive than those from Travelers.

That being said, that doesn't necessarily mean Travelers will be the less expensive option for every driver. Car insurance companies use a variety of complex algorithms to calculate rates, so depending on how good your credit score is or where you live (among a multitude of other factors), you could see wildly different prices from the ones above.

Wanting to know if California Casualty or Travelers is really the right carrier for you? Keep on reading to see how average premiums can change based on all of the factors we've mentioned above.

California Casualty or Travelers: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

California Casualty and Travelers only compete against each other in three states, with Travelers offering cheaper prices to the average driver in all of them. Oregon has the most noticable difference, where Travelers rates are over 50% more affordable than insurance premiums at California Casualty.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your car insurance payment than just your home state. Read on to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers typically pay a lot more for auto insurance than any other group of drivers out there on the road. That's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in a car insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

However, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high car insurance rates. As you can see above, teens who use Travelers save nearly $80 a month compared to those who use California Casualty.

But both carriers will decrease prices by the time you turn 25. Travelers offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. California Casualty's average rates reduce almost 60% during that same period.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age usually enjoy some of the lowest auto insurance premiums you'll ever see. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which generally reduces their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase prices.

So, which company offers the best premiums to retired drivers? Travelers gets the edge, with rates for drivers 65 and older more than 10% less expensive than the national average for California Casualty.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but insurance prices tend to be more affordable for married couples than they are for those who are single. That's normally because married drivers tend to own and insure more than one car, which can often earn you a discount.

When it comes to relationship status, Travelers is the clear winner for single policyholders, with premiums around $42 per month cheaper than California Casualty, on average. The advantage for married policyholders with Travelers is also obvious, where drivers save about 15% a month.

California Casualty vs. Travelers: Average Rates by Gender

Women usually to pay less for auto insurance than men. This is because men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher prices.

With California Casualty, women generally pay nearly 10% per month less than men, and around 6% less with Travelers.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Travelers comes out on top for both men and women. On average, male drivers save about $37 a month and women save about $32 with Travelers compared to the average California Casualty policyholder.

California Casualty or Travelers: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

For most people, insurance can be pretty complicated. There are so many different limits and terms that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

The two most common policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (that covers bodily injury and property damage for other drivers and their passengers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which typically refers to having comprehensive and collision coverages alongside what you get with a liability policy).

If you're looking for state minimum limits for liability insurance, Travelers normally offers less expensive rates of $108 compared to California Casualty's $122. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Travelers again has the edge, with policies around $55 per month more affordable than California Casualty, on average.

Is California Casualty or Travelers Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from car insurance companies offering great prices for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

Accidents and tickets will most likely raise your premiums, but is California Casualty or Travelers less expensive for drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

California Casualty policyholders can expect their rates to go up an average of $33 a month if they get a ticket, while Travelers typically raises prices about $32 per month, on average.

Even so, Travelers tends to offer the best prices for drivers both with a speeding ticket and with a clean record, offering premiums that are $9 and $10 cheaper, respectively, compared to California Casualty.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

California Casualty drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their rates increase by over 30%, while those who have insurance through Travelers will see around a 25% increase.

Overall, drivers who use Travelers end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with monthly prices averaging $173 compared to California Casualty's $198.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single accident or ticket when it comes to your auto insurance bill. California Casualty drivers usually see a 54% raise in their car insurance rates after a DUI charge, while Travelers will usually increase premiums by about 38%.

How does Credit Score Impact California Casualty and Travelers Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can be used as one of the factors to determine your monthly insurance rates. This isn't always the case (California, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a rating factor) but it does affect a lot of policyholders out there.

Auto insurance carriers argue that those with poor credit scores are less likely to pay their bills on time each month, which increases the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with good credit.

Looking specifically at Travelers and California Casualty, which carrier has the best premiums for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is California Casualty or Travelers Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

The amount of time you spend behind the wheel of your car plays a big role in how much insurance companies will charge for coverage. That's because the more miles you put on your vehicle each year, the more likely you are to get into an accident and cause an insurance claim.

For both drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicles yearly, as well as those who average twice that figure, Travelers offers less expensive prices than California Casualty. Travelers average premiums for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in $25 more affordable than California Casualty. Those who drive 12,000 miles every year can expect to pay $45 less with Travelers over California Casualty.

California Casualty vs. Travelers: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

We've already mentioned how your home state can play a role in how much you pay for car insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a pretty big impact as well. Generally, if you live in a rural area with fewer cars on the road, you'll pay a little less for auto insurance, while the opposite is true for people in urban areas.

Travelers tends to offer the cheapest rates for drivers in every type of area, no matter if it's urban, suburban, or rural.

Policyholders in rural ZIP codes see the lowest premiums from both carriers, but Travelers comes out on top with average rates around $136 a month. Travelers also has cheaper average prices for drivers in urban and suburban ZIP codes -- a 6% and 28% a month respective difference when compared to California Casualty policyholders in similar areas.

California Casualty vs. Travelers Discounts

Regardless of why you might be in the market for a new car insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as possible, and the best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many insurance discounts as you can.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be difficult to find all the ones you can take advantage of or to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile.

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by California Casualty and Travelers so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Travelers blows California Casualty away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 25 different discounts to California Casualty's 14.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like ABS discounts, discounts for being a good driver, group discounts, and multi-policy discounts. Travelers also offers advance quote discounts, alternative fuel discounts, anti-theft discounts, and more that California Casualty does not.

On the flip side, California Casualty has a couple unique discounts of its own -- education discounts, full coverage discounts, paperless discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is California Casualty or Travelers Best for You?

You've seen the role certain variables have on your car insurance and the different discounts companies offer. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, is California Casualty or Travelers the right one for you and your specific driver profile?

Travelers might be best for you if....

• You haven't received any speeding tickets or been in a collision in the last few years.
• You want basic auto insurance coverage at the state minimum limits.
• Your neighborhood is in a rural area.

California Casualty might be best for you if...

• You have a more unique driver profile than those we mentioned above.

We hope this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between California Casualty and Travelers. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision when it comes to your insurance.

But, at the end of the day, there's only one way to know for sure that you're getting the best possible deal on auto insurance -- comparing quotes from multiple carriers, not just California Casualty and Travelers. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of top car insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

California Casualty vs. Travelers FAQs

Is California Casualty or Travelers cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, Travelers is the less expensive of the two carriers, offering average rates of $167 per month compared to $201 for California Casualty. However, Travelers won't necessarily be the cheapest company for each driver, since there are a bunch of different factors that come into play when it comes to your insurance bill.

Who is better, California Casualty or Travelers?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No one carrier is necessarily "better" for every driver -- it all depends on what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do California Casualty and Travelers offer me different rates?

Insurance companies take a look at lots of different variables when calculating the prices they charge drivers. Things such as gender, age, your driving record, where your home is, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both California Casualty and Travelers use different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different rates. The only real way to see which company is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a variety of different carriers.

How do I know if California Casualty or Travelers is right for me?

The only way to find the car insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from a handful of companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best insurance carriers in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best rate. And who knows, the best company for you might not be California Casualty or Travelers at all!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.