Cheap Auto Insurance in California (2023)

You should consider many factors when looking for the best car insurance in California. The insurance company you choose should be affordable, provide excellent customer service, and offer the coverage you need.

Drivers in California pay an average of $217 per month for auto insurance, which is less than the national average of $253 a month. You may pay more or less than this depending on your age, driving history, and location.^[1]

Best car insurance companies in California

The best insurance company for you will depend on your individual needs and situation. Insurify evaluated nine different California insurance companies to give you a good place to start.

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Best car insurance overall in California: Progressive

Progressive

Progressive provides the best car insurance overall for drivers in California. You can receive a quote in as little as four minutes, and the company offers many ways to save money.

The company offers discounts for bundling policies, safe driving, and being a long-term customer. And with its Name Your Price Tool, you tell the company how much you’re looking to pay and it’ll build a policy that fits within your budget.

Progressive customers pay an average of $115 per month for a liability-only policy, making it one of the cheapest insurers on the list. And Progressive has an IQ Score of 4.1.

Progressive pros and cons

Best car insurance in California for value: Travelers

Travelers

Travelers is the best insurer in terms of overall value — the company offers various coverage options and is one of the cheapest insurers in California. A liability-only policy costs an average of $125 per month, and Travelers offers many discounts and ways to save on insurance.

In addition to liability coverage, Travelers offers roadside assistance, gap insurance, and uninsured motorist coverage. Travelers received an IQ Score of 4.3.

Travelers pros and cons

Most affordable car insurance in California: USAA

USAA

USAA received an IQ score of 4.5, making it one of the highest-rated insurance companies on this list. The company has lower-than-average monthly rates for liability-only insurance and highly rated customer service satisfaction. Student drivers can save money on car insurance by showing they have good grades, and families can also receive a multi-policy discount for insuring several vehicles.

Customers pay an average of $115 per month for a liability-only policy, and the company is top-rated for customer service. However, USAA is only available to military members, veterans, and their families.

USAA pros and cons

Best car insurance for commuters in California: Esurance

Esurance

Esurance was one of the first companies to offer auto insurance online. The company, which Allstate owns, utilizes technology to allow customers to manage their policies online or through the mobile app.

Esurance offers emergency roadside assistance and rental car coverage, which makes it a good option for anyone who commutes to work regularly. A liability-only policy costs an average of $145 per month, making it fairly affordable for most drivers.

Esurance pros and cons

Best car insurance for families in California: State Farm

State Farm

State Farm is one of the most popular and well-known insurance companies. The company offers numerous discounts, and it advertises that the average driver saves $597 by switching to State Farm.

State Farm offers discounts for safe driving, and teen drivers can save up to 25% for getting good grades. Drivers younger than 25 with no accidents can save on insurance as well. This makes State Farm a great option for families who need to insure multiple drivers.

State Farm pros and cons

Best car insurance for rideshare drivers in California: Mercury

Mercury

Mercury is the best option for rideshare drivers thanks to its rideshare insurance policy. If you get into an accident waiting to pick someone up, Mercury will pay for the damages to the other vehicle. And you can have your car fixed at one of the company’s authorized repair facilities.

At $118 per month for a liability-only policy, Mercury offers affordable coverage for most drivers. However, the company doesn’t offer as many customized options as other insurers.

Mercury pros and cons

Best car insurance for sports car owners in California: GEICO

GEICO

Sports cars are notoriously expensive to insure since they come with higher repair costs than other vehicles. That’s why sports car owners will want to take advantage of the affordable plans GEICO offers.

GEICO offers more discounts and opportunities to save than nearly any other insurer. For instance, you can save money by showing that your vehicle has airbags or an anti-theft system.

You can also save money by taking a defensive driving course or showing that you have a history of safe driving. GEICO costs an average of $153 per month for a liability-only policy, and the company received an IQ of 4.3.

GEICO pros and cons

Best car insurance for luxury car owners in California: Allstate

Allstate

If you have a luxury vehicle, you’ll want to check out Allstate’s classic car insurance. This insurance can help protect the value of your car, and if you do get in an accident, you have more options on where to send your vehicle for repairs.

Allstate received an IQ score of 4.1, but the company has slightly higher premiums than other insurers. Allstate has more negative customer service reviews than other companies, as well.

Allstate pros and cons

How Insurify rates car insurance companies

Data scientists at Insurify analyzed more than 40 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partner providers across the United States to compile the car insurance quotes, statistics, and data visualizations displayed on this page.

The car insurance data includes coverage analysis and details on drivers’ vehicles, driving records, and demographic information. Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

With these insights, Insurify is able to offer drivers insight into how companies price their car insurance premiums. The data included on this page represent averages across driver ages, genders, credit scores, and driver profiles for California drivers.

How to shop for the best car insurance in California

Here are the top things to consider when you’re shopping around for car insurance:^[4]

• What you use your vehicle for: If you regularly use your car for business purposes, you may need to purchase a commercial auto insurance policy. A personal policy may not provide enough protection if you’re a rideshare driver or use your car to run your business.

• The type of car you drive: If you drive a sports car or luxury vehicle, you’ll need to shop around more since these vehicles tend to be more expensive to insure. But if you drive a safer vehicle, you could earn a discount on your auto insurance.

• Whether you share the car: You also need to consider who else may drive your vehicle. If your spouse or teen driver will be driving your car regularly, you need to list them on your policy.

• If the car is financed: If you financed your car, you may want to consider purchasing gap insurance. This insurance covers the gap between the value of the car and what you currently owe on it if your insurer declares it a total loss after an accident.

How to get the cheapest car insurance in California

The best way to save is by keeping your driving record clean, according to Earl L. Jones, a licensed agent and owner of Earl L. Jones Insurance Agency in California. Here are the top strategies he recommends for finding cheap car insurance:

• Bundle your policies. One of the easiest ways to save on auto insurance is by bundling your policy with other types of insurance. For instance, you can bundle your home and auto insurance. And if you have multiple drivers in your home, you could earn a multi-driver discount.

• Increase your deductible. Jones says another way drivers can save money on their insurance is by raising the deductible. Just make sure you can afford to pay the deductible if you need to file a claim.

• Maintain a good driving record. Drivers without accidents or moving violations on their records tend to pay lower average rates. But if you have a history of tickets, accidents, or other moving violations, you aren’t eligible for that discount.

• Shop around. It’s always a good idea to receive quotes from at least three different insurance companies before settling on a policy. Shopping around helps you find the best price and coverage for your situation.

  

Minimum car insurance requirements in California

California has relatively average car insurance requirements for drivers compared to other states:^[5]

• $15,000 per person for bodily injury liability

• $30,000 per accident for bodily injury liability

• $5,000 per accident for property damage liability

Liability-only vs. full-coverage insurance in California

California state law requires that all drivers purchase minimum liability auto insurance. If you have liability insurance, it covers injuries and property damages you cause to other drivers and their vehicles.

Full-coverage insurance, which includes comprehensive and collision coverage, covers the costs of repairing or replacing your vehicle. If you have an older vehicle or can pay for damages to your car out of pocket, liability insurance may make sense. But some drivers will want to invest in full coverage.

Here’s how much you can expect to pay for liability-only and full-coverage policies with different insurers.

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California car insurance rates by driving and accident history

Your driving history is one of the biggest factors affecting your insurance costs. If you have a history of speeding tickets, driving under the influence, or at-fault accidents, you’ll likely pay more than someone with a clean record.^[6]

In California, you can expect average rates to increase by 42% after an at-fault accident, 33% with a speeding ticket, and 99% with a DUI conviction, according to Insurify data. Here are the average monthly quotes for the cheapest car insurance in California based on driving and accident history.

SR-22 insurance in California

An SR-22 is a certificate an insurance company files with the state on your behalf that verifies you meet the minimum insurance requirements for the state. You may need SR-22 insurance if you’ve recently had your license suspended or if your driving privileges were revoked.

SR-22 insurance is not a coverage that you add to your policy; it’s a form the state may require you to have on file for three years.^[7] While insurance companies may charge a filing fee, the added car insurance costs of SR-22 forms don’t come from the forms themselves. Drivers who need SR-22 forms typically have too many points on their license, major accidents, DUI convictions, and other negative marks on their driving history, which can increase rates.

California car insurance quotes by credit tier

California doesn’t allow insurers to consider credit scores for any type of insurance.

“For auto insurance, we rely heavily upon DMV records and prior auto insurance experiences as listed in the CLUE report,” Jones says. “This is how we know about accidents within the last 10 years.”

Car insurance quotes in California cities

Car insurance rates can vary by city in California — for example, you may pay more for insurance if you live in an area with higher crime rates. Drivers in Fresno and Modesto experience lower average monthly rates for car insurance, at $180 and $188 a month, respectively. However, San Francisco and Los Angeles drivers experience premiums more than 30% higher than the state average.

Here are the cheapest cities for auto insurance in California. Fresno drivers realize the greatest savings with an average rate that's 17% less than the overall state average.

Unsurprisingly, some cities have much higher insurance rates. Densely populated Los Angeles and costly San Francisco have the highest rates in the state. Los Angeleans pay, on average, 37% more per month than the state average.

California car insurance rates by driver age

Age is another factor that affects your insurance rates, with teens and drivers younger than 25 paying the most. However, after age 25, rates tend to decrease to $244 a month on average, and continue decreasing into a driver’s 70s and 80s. Here is a breakdown of how much you can expect to pay based on your age group.