Carlsbad and San Marcos residents have some of the lowest automobile insurance premiums in California, according to a report released Tuesday by the personal finance social network WalletHub.
The report says Carlsbad is the eighth least expensive and San Marcos is ninth, both more than 10 percent below the state average.
Santa Maria is the least expensive, more than 21 percent less than the state average. The most expensive is Glendale, nearly 44 percent higher than the norm.
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 in the state's 100 largest cities.
WalletHub reported that the average premium in San Diego County was $1,194, ranking 35th of the state's 58 counties. The cheapest was San Luis Obispo County at $1,013. The most expensive was Los Angeles at $1,584.
Among the San Diego County cities in the report were Chula Vista, 11th least expensive; Oceanside, 15th; Vista, 17th; and Escondido, 20th. The city of San Diego ranked 27th -- the most expensive of the area cities that were studied.
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.
