California Auto Insurance

Three reasons to look at a California auto policy again

1
The legal minimum changed, and old policies renewed into it
Senate Bill 1107 raised the floor to $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident and $15,000 for property damage, effective January 1, 2025. Carriers had to bring policies up at renewal. Worth confirming yours did, and worth asking whether the minimum is where you want to be rather than simply where the law is.
2
Proposition 103 decides what may be used to rate you
California law requires the three biggest rating factors to be your driving record, your annual mileage and your years of driving experience, in that order. It also mandates a Good Driver Discount for drivers who qualify. That makes mileage worth getting right — people who changed jobs or stopped commuting often never updated it.
3
A lapse reaches the DMV automatically
Carriers report coverage electronically to the California DMV. A gap can lead to a suspended registration, and reinstating it costs money and time. Switching carriers is fine; leaving a day uncovered in the middle is what causes the trouble.

Rideshare and delivery

California has more app-based driving than anywhere else, and a standard personal auto policy generally stops short once you are logged in and waiting for a request. The app’s own coverage does not always fill the whole window. Some carriers sell an endorsement for it, some decline the risk outright, so this belongs at the start of the conversation rather than the end.

Commute, not ZIP code alone

A car that goes eight miles a day and a car that runs the 405 twice daily are different risks even on the same street. Because annual mileage is a mandated rating factor in California, an out-of-date mileage figure follows you from renewal to renewal. It is one of the few things you can correct in a single phone call.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist

Carriers must offer it and you have to decline it in writing. It is the coverage that responds when the at-fault driver has nothing, or has the state minimum against an injury worth far more than the state minimum. Given how recently that floor was $15,000 per person, the underinsured half of it does real work.

Have these ready when you call

Year, make, model and VIN for every vehicle
Driver licence numbers for every driver in the household
Your current declarations page, so the limits can be compared like for like
Realistic annual mileage per vehicle — this is a mandated rating factor in California
Any ticket or at-fault accident in the last three to five years
Whether any vehicle is used for rideshare, delivery or other paid driving

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Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum auto insurance in California?

Since January 1, 2025, the minimum is $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident and $15,000 for property damage, under Senate Bill 1107. Before that date it was 15/30/5.

What is the Good Driver Discount?

California law requires carriers to offer a discount to drivers who meet the state’s good-driver definition, which turns on licensing history and your record over the past several years. Ask whether you are being rated as one.

Why does the quote ask how many miles I drive?

Because Proposition 103 makes annual mileage one of the three mandatory rating factors in California, ranked above most of what carriers elsewhere use. A stale mileage figure quietly follows you through every renewal.

Can you quote auto insurance by phone in California?

Yes. Auto is quoted by phone in California. Our home, condo and renters products work differently in this state — see the California pages for each.

Three reasons to look at a California auto policy again

The legal minimum changed, and old policies renewed into it

Proposition 103 decides what may be used to rate you

A lapse reaches the DMV automatically