Car Insurance in California, Compared for You

Vehicle Code 16020 says drivers and owners must carry evidence of insurance in the vehicle "at all times." Expect to show it if an officer asks, when you renew your registration and after a collision.

Driving uninsured costs more than a ticket. If you're in a collision without insurance, the DMV can suspend your license for up to four years, no matter who caused the crash. Our guide to California's minimum car insurance requirements goes deeper, and the DMV's insurance requirements page (opens in a new tab) has the official wording.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist

California insurers have to offer uninsured motorist coverage, and turning it down takes a signed waiver. We usually suggest keeping it: it pays your medical bills when the person who hit you has no insurance or only the minimum.

Uninsured motorist property damage is a smaller piece. It pays up to $3,500 for damage to your car from an identified uninsured driver at fault, and it's meant for cars without collision coverage. A collision deductible waiver pays your collision deductible in that same situation.

Collision, comprehensive and gap

Collision and comprehensive pay based on your car's market value, minus your deductible, and a higher deductible usually lowers the premium. Market value isn't your loan balance, though. If you owe more than the car is worth, ask us about gap coverage before you sign at the dealership; dealers and lenders sell it, and some insurers offer a loan or lease version.

That order comes from Proposition 103, now Insurance Code 1861.02, and it's why a clean record moves your price more than anything else you control. Optional factors come from a list set by the Insurance Commissioner, including:

• The car itself: type, performance, engine size, safety and anti-theft features, and how easily it's damaged or repaired.
• How it's used: commuting, pleasure or business use, and how much of the driving each person does.
• Where it's garaged: insurers group ZIP codes into bands based on how often claims happen there and what they cost.
• Your household: more than one car, other policies with the same company, good grades and completed driver training.

Gender isn't on that list; a regulation in effect since January 1, 2019 bars it. An at-fault accident still counts: if you're found 51% or more at fault, your insurer can add a surcharge at renewal.

For realistic price ranges and what pushes them up or down, read how much car insurance costs in California.

Under Insurance Code 1861.025, you generally qualify when all four of these are true:

• You've been licensed to drive for the previous three years.
• You have no more than one violation point on your record in those three years.
• You weren't principally at fault in an accident that injured or killed someone in those three years.
• You haven't been convicted of DUI in the past 10 years.

Two details catch people off guard. Not having had insurance before can't, by itself, disqualify you. And because the discount is measured against each company's own rates, the same good driver can see different prices at different carriers.

Every carrier makes its own underwriting decision, so we can't promise one will accept a particular driver. We can tell you up front which ones are worth quoting. Our guide to independent vs. captive insurance agents explains why an agent tied to one company can't do this.

Take a household with two cars and a house. We quote the cars alone, the cars with the home, and the same package at a second carrier. Our page on bundling home and auto insurance covers what to check beyond the total.

A bundle isn't automatically the lower price. Sometimes the home does better with one carrier and the cars with another, and we'll show you when that happens. The home side is explained on our home insurance in California page.

We're based in the Santa Clarita Valley and also work with drivers here:

• Car insurance in Santa Clarita: Valencia, Saugus, Newhall, Canyon Country and Stevenson Ranch.
• Car insurance in Palmdale and Lancaster: the Antelope Valley, up the 14.
• Car insurance in Bakersfield: over the Grapevine on I-5, then Highway 99.
• Car insurance in Ventura: along the 101 on the coast.
• Car insurance in Orange County: from Anaheim to Irvine.
• Car insurance in Modesto and car insurance in Turlock: Stanislaus County on Highway 99.

We don't have an office in those cities, and you won't need one: quotes, signatures and ID cards all happen by phone, email and e-sign.

Call (818) 909-7486, Monday to Friday between 9 and 4, to reach Brian or Dolores.