What are the minimum car insurance requirements in California?

California requires at least 30/60/15 bodily-injury/property-damage liability coverage, plus 30/60 uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Note: 2025-01-01: increased from 15/30/5 (first increase since 1967)

Who has the cheapest car insurance in California?

Among major carriers, State Farm, Geico, and USAA (for military-eligible drivers) often rank lowest for clean-record drivers in California, but regional insurers can beat them. Compare at least 3–5 quotes for identical coverage at every renewal.

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Auto insurance regulation, rate filings, and editorial coverage for California. AutoInsureWire summarizes reporting from primary publishers and links outbound to original sources.

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Licensed agents in California

Liability minimum

30/60/15

BI per person / per accident / PD

UM/UIM

30/60

Uninsured motorist

PIP

Not required

Personal injury protection

No-fault state

Traditional fault system

Avg full coverage

$3,124

2026 statewide average

⚡ Recent change2025-01-01: increased from 15/30/5 (first increase since 1967)

Latest from California

1 stories · rolling

RegulationApr 22

California's 30/60/15 Minimum, One Year Later: How Premiums and Claims Actually Moved

The first liability-minimum increase since 1967 went into effect January 2025. The data on what it changed, and what it didn't, is finally starting to land.

via Insurance Journal8 MIN

Coverage requirements, decoded

Coverage type	California requires	Recommended
Bodily injury liability	30/60	100/300
Property damage liability	15	100
Uninsured motorist	30/60	Match liability
PIP / Med-pay	Not required	$10,000+
No-fault	No	—

Standard published limits. Confirm current requirements with the California Department of Insurance before you buy.

Coverage cost estimator

Beta · NAIC + DOI base rates

What you'd pay, roughly

Quick directional estimate using public NAIC base rates and standard underwriting multipliers. Real quotes will vary — call for binding numbers.

State

Driver age · 35

Coverage

Driving record

Vehicle type

Credit tier

Enrolled in telematics / UBI program (−15%)

Updated live

Your estimate

$2,874

per year · $240/mo

▼ 8% vs. CA state average

CA full base$3,124

Age band (35)× 0.92

Record (clean)× 1.00

Vehicle (sedan)× 1.00

Credit (good)× 1.00

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Licensed agents · all major carriers

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Estimator is informational only. Multipliers are public-rate-filing approximations. Actual quotes depend on full underwriting.

California premium data, decoded

3 tables · NAIC + DOI verified

Statewide averages mask 4–5x variation by ZIP, age, and carrier appetite. Use these tables to benchmark your own quotes — if you're paying more than the column for your bracket, shop.

Table 1 of 3

Average annual premium by driver age

California · single driver · clean record · 2018+ sedan · ZIP-weighted state average

Source: NAIC Auto Insurance Database

✓ Last verified May 9, 2026

Age band	Full coverage	State minimum
16–19	$6,840	$2,260
20–24	$4,180	$1,390
25–34	$3,050	$945
35–54	$2,680	$690
55–64	$2,410	$612
65+	$2,580	$658

Table 2 of 3

Average annual premium by city

California · top 5 metros · full-coverage average · 35-yr-old single driver, clean record

Source: NAIC + state DOI ZIP filings

✓ Last verified May 9, 2026

City	Full coverage	vs. state avg	vs. national avg
Los Angeles	$3,982	+27%	+57%
San Francisco	$3,214	+3%	+26%
San Diego	$2,789	−11%	+10%
San Jose	$2,701	−14%	+6%
Sacramento	$2,884	−8%	+13%

National full-coverage average: $2,543 (2026 NAIC). Within California, the spread between the highest and lowest metro is $1,281.

Table 3 of 3

Top carriers by California market share

Direct premiums written · personal auto · % of state market

Source: S&P Global · NAIC filings

✓ Last verified May 9, 2026

State Farm

13.2%

Geico

11.8%

Mercury

9.4%

Progressive

8.1%

Auto Club (AAA)

7.6%

Farmers

6.9%

Methodology: Premiums are statewide averages from NAIC Auto Insurance Database (2026 release) cross-checked against state DOI rate filings. Carrier market shares from S&P Global Market Intelligence personal-auto filings. Quotes for any individual driver will vary. AutoInsureWire republishes summary statistics with attribution and does not sell insurance.

Cheapest carriers in California

Clean-record · 35yo · full coverage

Mercury

$1,342/yr

State Farm

$1,486/yr

Geico

$1,521/yr

Auto Club AAA

$1,598/yr

Averages for a 35-year-old single driver, clean record, 2020+ sedan, 100/300/100 limits. Source: NAIC + carrier rate filings, verified May 9, 2026. Your quote will vary.

California-specific questions

Frequently asked, answered locally.

What this means for California drivers

State minimums are a legal floor, not a recommendation. Most consumer advocates suggest 100/300/100 for any driver with savings, home equity, or future earnings to protect. Compare quotes annually — the price gap between best and worst quote in California routinely exceeds $700 a year.

Talk to a California agent · (844) 833-2056 →