Compare Car Insurance Rates in California: 2026 Comparison Chart

How much you save depends on what you pay now, but prices for the same driver and coverage vary widely. In the California Department of Insurance's 2026 premium survey, insurers' basic-liability prices in Los Angeles ran from $1,303 to $5,492 a year for the same clean-record driver, and the gap between the cheapest and priciest insurer was at least $1,839 a year in every one of California's 30 largest cities.

Proposition 103 makes three factors mandatory and ranks them in order of importance: your driving safety record, the miles you drive each year, and your years of driving experience (Insurance Code 1861.02). Insurers may add other approved factors, such as where the car is garaged and the vehicle you drive. California doesn't allow insurers to use credit scores or gender. Marital status is still an allowed optional factor, as it has been since 1996; the Insurance Commissioner proposed ending its use on September 16, 2026 (California Department of Insurance). In the 2026 CDI survey, one at-fault accident raised the typical premium by 45%, same insurer and same city.

Compare at least once a year at renewal, and again whenever something changes: you move, buy a car, add or remove a driver, marry or divorce, or a ticket or accident turns three years old and stops counting against the Good Driver Discount. Insurers change their approved rates over time, so your price can move even when your profile doesn't.

California requires minimum liability coverage of 30/60/15: $30,000 bodily injury per person, $60,000 bodily injury per accident, and $15,000 property damage. These limits increased from 15/30/5 in January 2025. Many drivers also price 100/300/50 to see what more protection costs: in the 2026 CDI survey, full coverage at 100/300/50 had a 30-city median of $5,202 a year, against $1,686 for basic 30/60/15.

Comprehensive and collision coverage are optional under state law, but a lender or leasing company usually requires both. Comprehensive covers theft, vandalism, fire and falling objects, which matters in wildfire areas and places with frequent car theft. On an older car, compare the yearly cost of collision with what the car is worth before you keep it.

California law requires every insurer to offer a Good Driver Discount of at least 20% (Insurance Code 1861.02). You qualify if, for the past three years, you have been licensed, have no more than one violation point and were not principally at fault in an accident that injured or killed someone, and if you have no DUI conviction in the past ten years (Insurance Code 1861.025). The CDI survey prices already include it.

Yes. After a DUI the DMV requires proof of insurance, an SR-22 certificate, usually for three years; the SR-22 filing fee is $9 to $15 per SR-22 filing, the fee insurers file with the state; any agency fee is separate. The CDI premium survey has no DUI profile, so there is no official average increase: compare quotes from insurers that file SR-22 certificates, and expect to lose the Good Driver Discount for ten years.

The Good Driver Discount of at least 20% is the one set by law. Insurers set the rest in their approved rates, so they differ by company: common ones are multi-policy, multi-car, good student, low mileage, anti-theft devices, vehicle safety features and paying in full. Ask each insurer which apply to you, and compare the final price, not the discount list.

A lot. In the 2026 CDI survey, the same driver's basic 30/60/15 median was $2,339 a year in Los Angeles and $1,386 in Chula Vista, the cheapest of the 30 largest cities. Even inside Los Angeles, the survey's 14 areas ran from $1,912 to $2,792. That is why every quote should use the ZIP code where the car is garaged.

Both methods can help. Online comparison supports side-by-side review, while independent agents can explain complex situations and policy terms. Neither method guarantees a lower price; compare equivalent written quotes and verify coverage with a licensed professional.