How much California Low Cost Auto insurance costs in every county (2026)

What CLCA costs for each type of driver

CLCA counties fall into five price schedules. Within each one, the price depends on three answers: whether you have been continuously licensed for three years, whether you are 19 to 24 and unmarried, and whether you are 16 to 18. Drivers licensed three years who are not 19 to 24 and unmarried pay the least.

CLCA prices in all 58 California counties

Find your county below. The first price column is what most adult drivers with three years behind the wheel and a good record pay. Add-ons for medical payments and uninsured-motorist injury coverage cost extra, $38 to $81 a year according to the program.

Where CLCA is cheapest and most expensive

CLCA is cheapest in 18 counties, including Tulare, Merced, Imperial, Shasta and Humboldt, at $199 a year for a driver licensed three years. It is most expensive in Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Alameda counties at $448. Those five counties hold 17.2 million people, 43.8% of the state.

• The $199 price reaches 6.7% of residents. It applies in 18 counties (Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Imperial, Kings, Lake, Madera, Mendocino, Merced, Nevada, San Benito, Shasta, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Yuba), home to 2.6 million people.
• The typical Californian lives in a $287 county. Weighted by population, the price for a driver licensed three years averages about $347 a year, roughly $29 a month.
• Small rural counties are not the cheapest. Fourteen counties with 0.8% of residents, including Alpine, Mono, Inyo and Sierra, charge $245, more than the $199 charged in Central Valley counties such as Tulare, Madera and Merced.
• The Bay Area splits three ways: San Francisco, Santa Clara and Alameda at $448; San Mateo, Contra Costa, Marin and Solano at $287; Napa and Sonoma at $265.
• Southern California runs from $448 in Los Angeles and Orange to $287 in San Diego, Riverside and Ventura, $265 in San Bernardino and $199 in Imperial.
• The highest price on the schedule, $986 for a 16-to-18-year-old in the top five counties, is about five times the $199 floor.

Why two neighbors can pay different CLCA prices

The calculator asks three questions after your county. Being continuously licensed three years lowers the price by about 35% compared with a newer driver. Being 19 to 24 and unmarried adds 25%. Being 16 to 18 replaces both answers with the highest price, 2.2 times the three-year rate.

These ratios hold in every county, so the county sets the base and your profile sets the multiple. In Los Angeles County that means $448 for a driver licensed three years, $560 if that driver is 19 to 24 and unmarried, $694 for anyone licensed under three years, and $986 for ages 16 to 18 (rate calculator).

One detail the calculator makes visible: for drivers licensed under three years, the 19-to-24 answer does not change the price. A 22-year-old and a 45-year-old who were both licensed last year pay the same.

Applicants under 18 must be legally emancipated, and every applicant needs a California license, a pending reinstatement, or an out-of-state license while getting a California one; AB 60 licenses are accepted (eligibility questionnaire). Since 2015, drivers with less than three years of experience can join the program, which is why the "licensed under 3 years" price exists (California Department of Insurance).

How CLCA compares with regular liability insurance

California's average liability premium was $660.84 per insured vehicle in 2023 (NAIC). The top CLCA price for a driver licensed three years, $448, is 32% below that average, and the $199 floor is 70% below it. The comparison is not like for like: CLCA carries lower 10/20/3 limits.

The $660.84 figure comes from the NAIC 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report and covers all liability policies, at any limits, for all drivers. NAIC marks California's 2022 and 2023 data as preliminary. It is a benchmark, not a quote: a standard-market price depends on your ZIP code, record, years licensed, mileage and vehicle.

Even within CLCA, the youngest drivers can pay more than that statewide average: $986 for ages 16 to 18 in the five top counties.

Add-ons and payment plans

CLCA offers two optional coverages for $38 to $81 a year: $1,000 of medical payments per person and uninsured-motorist injury coverage of $10,000 per person and $20,000 per accident. You can pay the year in full or put 20% down and pay the rest in seven installments, each with a $4.00 fee.

Seven installments at $4.00 each add $28 to the year. Policies run for one year and renew annually (Insurance Code section 11629.71; CLCA FAQ). CLCA does not offer comprehensive or collision coverage, so it will not pay to repair or replace your own car.

Who can buy CLCA at these prices

You need a California address, a valid license, a vehicle worth $25,000 or less, a good driving record and household income at or below the program limit: $39,900 for one person, $54,100 for two, $68,300 for three, $82,500 for four and $96,700 for five.

• Good record: no more than one at-fault property-damage accident or one point in three years, no at-fault injury or death accident in three years, and no felony or misdemeanor Vehicle Code conviction.
• Vehicles: up to two, and every vehicle registered to you must be enrolled in CLCA; motorcycles and commercial vehicles are excluded.
• Use: commuting and personal errands are allowed, as is work such as housekeeping or home health care; delivery of goods or food, taxi and rideshare driving are not.
• Vehicle value is measured by the value DMV uses for the vehicle license fee, or another method the program approves.

Sources: CLCA FAQ, eligibility questionnaire, Insurance Code section 11629.71. For the full eligibility rules and what to do if you fall just outside them, see our CLCA eligibility guide.

How to apply for CLCA

Apply online at mylowcostauto.com or through a certified local agent at no cost, or call 1-866-602-8861. Online, you answer an eligibility questionnaire, then a broker contacts you within 24 to 48 hours to collect proof of income and vehicle ownership before issuing a temporary insurance card.

1. Check your county price on the official rate calculator.
2. Take the eligibility questionnaire and choose the quick or full application.
3. Wait 24 to 48 hours for the program broker (Pacific Preferred Insurance) to review the application and contact you.
4. Send proof of household income and vehicle ownership. CalFresh EBT, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, SSI, EDD and LIHEAP documents count as proof of income.
5. Receive a temporary insurance card once the broker verifies your documents.

Process and accepted documents: CLCA FAQ. QuoteMoto does not sell CLCA policies; the program handles enrollment.

Will CLCA prices change in 2027?

Possibly. The California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan has proposed an overall average CLCA increase of 15.4% for 2027. The Department of Insurance's October 9, 2026 notice schedules a public hearing on December 2, 2026. It is a proposal, not an approved rate, and it does not set a new county schedule.

The prices on this page are the ones the official calculator showed on October 9, 2026. An overall average does not tell you what any single county or driver would pay, so we have not projected new prices. Written comments must reach the Department of Insurance by the end of December 2, 2026. Read our coverage: California's low-cost auto rate proposal: how to comment and check coverage.

How we built this table

We read all 290 price records (58 counties by five driver profiles) from the official CLCA rate calculator on October 9, 2026, confirmed how the calculator picks a record from its own script, and weighted counties by the Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 population estimates.

• Population is all residents, not licensed drivers or CLCA-eligible households, so the "share of Californians" figures describe where people live, not who is enrolled.
• Some official pages still show older numbers. The program's Spanish FAQ lists a $199 to $920 range and add-ons at $39 to $78, and a CA.gov program page last updated January 13, 2022 lists the 2020 income limits and a $244 to $966 range. The English FAQ and the calculator show $199 to $986, which this page uses.
• We will re-read the calculator when the Department of Insurance acts on the 2027 proposal and update the date at the top of this page.

California Low Cost Auto rates: frequently asked questions