Cheap Car Insurance in California (With Quotes, May 2022)

Few things are as exciting as driving around California and exploring its mountains and beaches. All California drivers must carry the minimum auto insurance coverage, but finding affordable car insurance doesn’t have to be complicated. Insurify uses the latest top-notch tech to help you find the best cheap car insurance in California in under five minutes.

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Finding car insurance in California doesn’t have to break the bank. Getting at least four quotes from different insurance providers greatly increases your chances of finding the cheapest rates with the best coverage. In California, auto insurance rates can go as low as $114 and as high as $512 on average, so it’s important to see your options before you commit.

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Cheapest Liability Auto Insurance in California

California requires drivers to carry the state minimum liability insurance to prove financial responsibility for car accidents they may cause. You need to get both bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage to drive legally. However, it’s important to know that liability coverage only applies to the damage the other driver sustains.

Although it can be waived, it is also highly recommended that California drivers get underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage.

Cheapest Full-Coverage Auto Insurance in California

Since liability car insurance only applies to the damage the other driver sustains, full-coverage car insurance—collision coverage and comprehensive coverage—will offer more protection. Full coverage has higher insurance premiums than liability-only, but you can still find a cheap insurance policy with one of the companies below.

There are many auto insurance companies in California that offer insurance policies and services at a cheap price. Insurify analyzes multiple factors to determine the quality and reliability of different insurance companies and assign them an Insurify Composite Score, or ICS. With an ICS of 97, Clearcover leads the list in California.

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Insurify Composite Score

The Insurify Composite Score is a proprietary rating calculated by a team of data scientists at Insurify, weighing multiple factors that reflect the quality, reliability, and health of an insurance company.

Inputs to the score include financial strength ratings from A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch; J.D. Power ratings; Consumer Reports customer satisfaction surveys and customer complaints; mobile app reviews; and user-generated company reviews.

Whether you’re shopping for the minimum liability insurance or full coverage, all insurance companies look at various factors to determine your car insurance premiums. Your driving and accident history is one of the most important factors that they take into consideration when calculating your insurance pricing. You can find more information below.

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Cheap Car Insurance for Good Drivers in California

Different car insurance companies have different definitions of what a “good driver” is, but typically, it’s a driver with a clean driving record and no accidents going back 3-7 years. Good drivers have access to the best rates and can often qualify for various insurance discounts. Average monthly quotes for good drivers can go as low as $105.

Cheap Car Insurance for Drivers with DUI in California

Having a DUI on your record can make your car insurance company label you as a “high-risk driver” and increase your auto insurance rates. For example, average rates with Progressive are $152 for good drivers and $222 for drivers who have a DUI, which amounts to an $840 annual difference. You can find more average rates for drivers with DUI in the table below.

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SR-22 Insurance in California

If you have a DUI conviction, California insurance laws may require you to get a special form called an SR-22 from your insurance provider in order to prove that you are financially responsible.

These are the insurance companies that offer SR-22 in California:

Cheap Car Insurance for Drivers with an At-Fault Accident in California

Having an at-fault accident on your driving record will also likely increase your California auto insurance costs. Insurify data shows that the lowest average monthly quote for a driver with an at-fault accident on their record is $124, $19 higher than a quote for a good driver with the same car insurance provider.

Cheap Car Insurance for Drivers with Speeding Tickets in California

A speeding ticket on your driving history can make your auto insurance policy more expensive. For example, an average monthly quote with Travelers goes up from $137 for good drivers to $196 for those with speeding tickets, amounting to a $708 annual difference. Similarly, a quote with Workmen’s increases from $192 to $254, resulting in a $744 yearly difference.

In many U.S. states, your credit history may either drive up your insurance premiums or keep them down. However, California bans insurance providers from using your credit score when setting your car insurance rates. Banning the use of credit history for determining auto insurance premiums makes finding cheap auto insurance in California more equitable.

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Your car insurance rates also depend on where in California you live and vary from city to city. On average, residents of Los Angeles can expect to pay $115 more per month than San Diego drivers. San Francisco and Los Angeles drivers have the highest rates, while Fresno and Bakersfield have the cheapest car insurance rates.

Your age is another major factor that impacts your car insurance rates. Teen drivers and young drivers under 25 can expect the highest rates, $433 and $366, respectively. As you age and gain more experience behind the wheel, your car insurance rates will become cheaper. Drivers in their 50s and 60s can expect the cheapest rates, $203 and $175, respectively.

Every state has minimum insurance requirements, and California is no exception. Additionally, all drivers in California will have to visit their local DMV and may at some point need to rely on public transportation. The following sections break down minimum insurance requirements, DMV services, and public transit options in California.

Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in California

California enacted a number of new traffic laws for 2018, including legislation on DUI policies for rideshare service drivers, seat belts on public transport, and smoking or ingesting cannabis in moving vehicles.

Most significantly, a change in the California Department of Motor Vehicles road rehabilitation and maintenance program signals that registration or renewed registration of a motor vehicle will now come with a fee of $25 to $175.

California's minimum liability car insurance limits are as follows:

• $15,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $30,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $5,000 property damage liability per accident

California DMV Information

The California Department of Motor Vehicles–or DMV—is a government agency responsible for providing various services to California drivers, such as vehicle registration and driver’s license renewal.

The California DMV offers many services online—such as requesting a replacement driver’s license or paying reinstatement fees— so be sure to check their website to find out whether you can do what you need to do online before making an appointment.

Public Transportation in California

If you live in a major city such as Los Angeles or San Diego, driving is the most convenient way to get around. However, there is some public transportation available, such as Greyhound buses and Amtrak’s trains for long-distance travel. Many large cities also have their own public bus systems. Yosemite National Park has a transportation system called Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, or YARTS

What is a new car insurance grace period in California?

Most insurance companies provide policyholders with a grace period to insure a new vehicle—though these policies vary by state law and insurance provider. Under California state law, drivers have a grace period of up to 30 days to show the DMV either proof of financial responsibility or documentation of insurance coverage after purchasing a new car.

Despite having a 30-day grace period to insure their new vehicle, California drivers should prioritize insuring their car shortly after purchasing it to ensure they do not overlook the requirement. Failure to insure a car in California can result in a vehicle registration suspension and up to $200 in fines, as well as extra financial costs in the event of an accident or offense.

What happens if you have a traffic incident or accident during the grace period?

No one plans on having a car accident or receiving a ticket for a traffic offense, but it happens—even with a new car. Individuals with existing insurance coverage who have an accident or traffic offense during California’s 30-day grace period will not be treated as uninsured motorists. The amount of coverage depends on the insurance provider.

In the event of an accident or traffic violation by drivers in the new car grace period, insurance providers typically extend the policyholder’s existing insurance coverage plan for the new vehicle. The driver will still be expected to cooperate with any necessary state penalties or fines in relation to the event, and uninsured motorists will face heavier penalties for the incident.

Is a grace period a good time to reevaluate your insurance coverage?

Shopping around for insurance coverage on a recurring basis helps insurance customers find the best, most affordable auto insurance rates available. Whether a policy is up for renewal or a driver needs to insure a new vehicle, comparing auto insurance rates with Insurify’s quote-comparison tool helps users reevaluate their insurance needs and find the best rates.

Insurance companies consider factors like driving history and habits when calculating insurance rates for policyholders. Most insurance providers offer policyholders with solid driving records a good driver discount to go toward their monthly auto premiums. Under California state law, insurance providers are actually required to provide qualifying good drivers with a discount.

Who is eligible for the California good driver discount?

California drivers qualify for the good driver discount if they have had their driver’s license for at least three years and have not attended traffic school more than once due to a violation, have one or zero recorded driving violations, have zero at-fault accidents resulting in someone’s injury or death, and have zero convictions for driving under the influence offenses in the past 10 years.

Other Car Insurance Discounts Good Drivers in California Can Apply For

In addition to the California good driver discount, good drivers have other options to earn quality discounts. Available opportunities to save include accident-free, defensive driving course, safe driving programs, bundling, and good student discounts. These additional options allow good drivers to make intentional decisions and considerations to help them save even more on rates.

Cheapest Car Insurance Companies for Good Drivers

Though rates vary by provider for every driver, Insurify found the insurance companies offering the cheapest quotes for minimum liability coverage to Californians with clean driving records. These insurance providers include State Farm, GEICO, Nationwide, Mercury, and American Family—all offering low rates and quality good driver discounts for their customers.

To find the best rates that meet your specific car insurance needs, utilize the comprehensive Insurify quote-comparison tool to analyze rates of top providers in your consideration. Before comparing quotes from as many as 20 providers, all you have to do is provide information related to your vehicle, driving history, and discount eligibility. Try it for yourself today!

Car insurance quotes in California can go as low as $56 and as high as $607, and the best way to find cheap car insurance is to shop around. Insurify recommends getting at least four quotes from different insurance providers and comparing them side by side to find a provider that will offer you the best coverage limits and deductibles at the cheapest rate.

Insurify makes shopping for car insurance easy. Instead of spending hours on the phone requesting quotes from different companies in your area, answer a few basic questions on Insurify’s trusted website, and get instant access to 10+ real and personalized quotes that you can buy online.