Guide to Car Insurance in California

Because of states’ rights, driving laws and car insurance look very different depending on what state you’re in. In California, for example, auto insurance companies can’t discriminate based on credit scores or gender when it comes to premiums, a rarity in the U.S. That’s good news for California’s 27.2 million licensed drivers, who pay less than 1 percent more for car insurance premiums than the rest of the country on average.

Required Car Insurance

California only requires liability insurance, which includes bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage. Here are the minimum liability limits, otherwise known as the minimum car insurance in California:

• Bodily injury liability: $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $5,000¹

How Much Coverage You Need

Minimum auto insurance coverage isn’t enough. You should also get comprehensive and collision coverage, uninsured motorist coverage, and medical payments coverage for your injuries and damages, plus any accidents with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

Average Cost of Car Insurance in California

On average, the cost of living in California is 33 percent higher than in the rest of the U.S. across categories such as groceries, healthcare, housing, and even transportation.

While many people think car insurance in California is expensive, car insurance costs in California are actually less than 1 percent higher than in the rest of the U.S., with annual average rates of $1,050. This breaks down into these average insurance costs:

• Liability coverage: $618
• Collision coverage: $502
• Comprehensive coverage: $97³

While $1,047 stands as the annual average, we’ve seen rates range from $360 all the way up to $2,105 a year for young drivers. Many factors affect the cost of insurance, from your driving record to your ZIP code (although not your credit score or gender, as we’ll see later).

Car Insurance Companies

Here are the car insurance companies you can choose from in California:

• AAA
• Allstate
• Esurance
• GEICO
• Mercury
• Progressive
• State Farm
• Wawanesa

How to Lower Premiums

To find the cheapest car insurance in California:

• Use discounts. Find car insurance discounts for any situations that are applicable to you, from being a good driver to using little mileage.
• Bundle. You can save money by bundling different types of car insurance policies or multiple cars under one policy.
• Adjust your policy. You can raise your deductible, drop unnecessary coverages, or lower your limits to decrease your premiums.

Proof of Car Insurance

When you’re driving in California, you’ll need proof of insurance, be it a physical ID card or a digital ID in an app. You could face penalties if you’re caught driving without insurance, which are based on whether it’s your first offense.

• First offense: $100-$200 fine plus penalty assessments, impoundment of car
• Second and subsequent offenses within three years of first offense: $200-$500 fine plus penalty assessments, impoundment of car

California State Laws: Driving and Car Insurance

Before you motor down the Pacific Coast Highway, check out these laws to make sure you comply.

At-Fault State

California is an at-fault state, which partially explains its relatively low car insurance rates. In at-fault states, the at-fault driver is responsible for all of the injuries and property damages, which is why liability coverage is a requirement.

In terms of negligence laws, California is a pure comparative negligence state, which means that the victim can recover money for their injuries even if they were negligent on any level.

Drivers Without Insurance

Although uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage isn’t a requirement in California, companies are required to offer it. That makes sense, as 17 percent of California drivers are uninsured, the Insurance Research Council estimated in 2019. That means about 4.5 million drivers in California lack car insurance, making the state 10th in the nation when it comes to the proportion of uninsured drivers.⁴

Unfortunately, even if you have multiple cars on a policy with uninsured motorist coverage, California isn’t a stacking state, so the limits will remain the same regardless of the number of cars.

DUI Laws

California has strict DUI laws. DUIs will stay on your record for 10 years, with a four-month license suspension for the first offense.

DUI interlocks are mandatory for DUI convictions in the counties of Los Angeles, Tulare, Sacramento, and Alameda, though they’re discretionary everywhere else. You must have a DUI interlock installed for a maximum of three years. Overall, penalties are worse if your blood alcohol concentration is 0.15 percent or above.

Seat Belt Laws

Everyone ages 16 and older is required to wear a seat belt in California, no matter what seat they’re in. This law is under primary enforcement, so police officers can stop you for not wearing  a seat belt alone.

Distracted Driving Laws

No one is allowed to use handheld devices while driving in California, which covers texting and driving as well as any form of distracted driving. There are fines for texting and driving in California.

• First offense: $20
• Subsequent offenses: $50

You’ll also get one point per violation, with primary enforcement for drivers 18 and older and secondary enforcement for minors (drivers younger than 18).⁵

Teen Driver Laws

Speaking of minors, the laws look different if you have a provisional license. For the first year, minors with provisional licenses can’t drive between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. They also can’t transport people under age 20 unless they’re accompanied by one of these parties:

• A licensed parent or guardian
• A California driver at least 25 years old
• A certified driving instructor

Statute of Limitations for Claims

In California, you have three years after an accident to file a claim for property damage, or two years for personal injuries. Beyond those time windows, you won’t get coverage for claims.

Cancellation and Non-Renewal Policies

Every state has laws surrounding the cancellation and non-renewal of car insurance policies. In California, insurance companies must notify you of a midterm cancellation or non-renewal at least 20 days before the policy’s expiration date. However, if the company is canceling your policy because you haven’t paid your premiums, that window shortens to 10 days.

Self-Insurance

Self-insurance is an option in California in these cases:

• You give $35,000 in cash to the state’s DMV.
• You make a $35,000 surety bond with a company licensed to do business in California.

Most people will prefer the standard personal car insurance route (unless you’ve got $35,000 to spare).

Smog Inspection Requirements

California is known for its smog, which is why your car has to pass a smog inspection when you register a new vehicle or renew your registration. There are some exceptions, however:

• Diesel-powered vehicles 1997 and older or with a gross vehicle weight over 14,000 pounds
• Electric vehicles
• Gas-powered vehicles less than 8 years old
• Gas-powered vehicles 1975 and older
• Vehicles that are powered by natural gas or weigh over 14,000 pounds

SR-22s

Although every driver in California needs insurance, if you were convicted of certain crimes or had your license suspended, you may need to carry an SR-22, a form that proves your minimum coverage, for three years. Here are some instances in which you’d be required to have an SR-22:

• You’re reinstating your driving privileges after a DUI or a wet-reckless suspension or revocation.
• You were in an accident and uninsured.
• You’re reinstating your driving privileges after the DMV suspended or revoked your license because it declared you a negligent operator, meaning you had too many points on your driving record within a certain period.⁶

Defensive Driving Courses

Some car insurance providers offer discounts for taking a defensive driving course. You can find one here: https://www.dgs.ca.gov/ORIM/Services/Page-Content/Office-of-Risk-and-Insurance-Management-Services-List-Folder/Enroll-in-Defensive-Driver-Training.

The courses are free, only take about two hours, and could get you lower insurance rates.

Civil Suit Thresholds

In California, there’s no monetary or serious injury threshold to sue for noneconomic damages. In other words, no matter how much money you lost or how light your injuries were, you still have the right to file a civil suit following a car accident.

When to Report an Accident

California does have accident reporting requirements, however. If an accident results in property damage, death, or injuries worth over $1,000, you must report it within 10 days. If you don’t, you risk spending 90 days to four years in prison and paying fines of $1,000 to $10,000.

Credit Scores and Gender Anti-Discrimination Laws

California is one of the few states where it’s illegal for car insurance companies to base pricing on credit scores or gender. No matter how bad your credit is, it won’t affect your car insurance rates, and neither will being a male or female.

Total Loss Formula

In California, a car is declared a total loss if the salvage value is less than the cost of the repair. In that case, if you have collision or comprehensive coverage, you’ll be reimbursed for your car’s actual market value so you can replace it.

Contact Information

Whether you need to register your car in California, get a duplicate title, or ask other questions, we’ve collected all of the information you need below.

Registration Information

You can register your car or renew its registration either in person at your local DMV or online. You can find the nearest DMV here: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/wasapp/vrir/start.do?localeName=en.

However, you won’t be able to renew your registration online if:

• An exempt agency owns your vehicle.
• You haven’t shown the DMV your proof of insurance, a requirement for registration in California.
• Your car company doesn’t electronically report your insurance to the DMV.
• Your vehicle has a year-of-manufacture specialty license plate.
• Your vehicle title has changed since your last renewal notice.
• You’re renewing a commercial vehicle that’s registered through the International Registration Plan.
• You’ve received a letter demanding payment due to delinquent registration.

Before you register your vehicle or renew its registration, you’ll need proof of car insurance. If you don’t have it, your registration will be suspended, meaning you can’t drive or operate your vehicle on California’s roadways until you submit proof.

DMV Contact Information

There are multiple ways to contact California’s DMV.

• Mail:
  • Office of the Director
  • Department of Motor Vehicles
  • 2415 1st Ave., Mail Station F101
  • Sacramento, CA 95818-2606
• Phone: 800-777-0122

Duplicate Car Title

Follow these steps to get a duplicate car title:

1. Fill out the application. You can find the Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title online here: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/reg-227-pdf/.
2. Get the application notarized. If the registration shows a different legal owner, you’ll need to get your application notarized.
3. Pay the fee. Include $23 with your application.
4. Mail the application. Along with the fee, mail your application to this address:
   1. Department of Motor Vehicles
   2. P.O. Box 942869
   3. Sacramento, CA 94269

California Insurance Department

If you’re disputing a claim, you may need to contact California’s insurance department. Use the information below to get in contact.

• URL: http://www.insurance.ca.gov
• Phone number: 800-927-4357
• Mailing address: 
  • California Department of Insurance
  • 300 S. Spring St., South Tower
  • Los Angeles, CA 90013

Car Repair Costs

Despite its relatively low car insurance costs, California’s car repair costs are 7 percent higher than the national average at $414.24 for parts and labor. On average, that breaks down into $266.86 for parts and $147.38 for labor.

Auto Theft and Traffic Deaths in California

Unfortunately, California ranks higher than average in car theft and traffic fatalities.

Car Theft

As a state, California had 428 car thefts per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, making car theft 42 percent more common here than in the rest of the nation. The rate is even higher than that in many California cities, particularly Bakersfield. This city has the highest car theft rates of anywhere in the country, according to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Traffic Deaths

Sadly, California had 2,606 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2019, a traffic fatality rate that sits 80 percent above the national average. When it comes to the rates of traffic fatalities, California is second in the nation (after Texas).

Recap

If California is just a pit stop on your road trip, read our state driving guide, which has statistics on DUIs, tickets, car accidents, and more. And be careful on those roads, as California is known for its car culture and high traffic.