Average Cost of Car Insurance in California for 2026

California car insurance costs more than most states, and what you pay depends heavily on where you live, the age and driving experience of the drivers on your policy and your driving record.

Some factors, like your coverage level and which companies you quote, are in your control and can lower your costs right away. Others, like your age and location, are harder to change but still affect your rates over time.

Jump to factors you can control today:

• Cost of Car Insurance in California by Company
• Cost by Coverage Level

Jump to factors that are fixed (for now):

• Cost by City
• Cost by Age and Gender
• Cost by Driving Record
• Cost by Credit Score
• Cost by Vehicle

California drivers pay $155 per month for full coverage and $73 per month for minimum coverage. Annually, that's $368 above the national average for full coverage and $155 above for minimum coverage.

California ranks 46th in the country for full coverage, meaning only five states are more expensive. Vermont is the cheapest state at $75 per month, and Florida is the most expensive at $243 per month. At $155 per month, California is just above Nevada ($152 per month, rank 45).

A 2025 law (Senate Bill 1107) doubled California's minimum liability requirements, raising baseline payouts on every policy and pushing premiums up across all coverage tiers, not just minimum coverage. About 17% of California drivers are uninsured, one of the higher rates nationally. When those drivers cause accidents, insured drivers absorb the cost through higher premiums.

California leads the country in vehicle theft, with over 208,000 cars stolen in 2023, roughly twice the number in Texas. Los Angeles and San Francisco top the list of metro areas for theft. Wildfire exposure pushes comprehensive coverage claims higher statewide, with over 8,000 fires burning more than a million acres in 2024 alone. Dense urban traffic in Los Angeles adds to all of these pressures; LA drivers pay $196 per month for full coverage, 26% above the state average (see city rates below).

Shopping around saves California drivers up to $85 a month on full coverage ($1,020 a year). GEICO offers the lowest full coverage rate among major carriers at $91 per month. Auto-Owners charges $176 per month for the same coverage. The rates below use the same driver profile, so the difference reflects real savings from switching.

Read more: Cheapest and Best Car Insurance Companies in California

Rates vary so much between companies because each insurer uses its own formula to weigh risk factors like your driving record, location, age and vehicle. A company with a larger California customer base and more historical claims data will price certain driver profiles differently than one with fewer California policies. Some carriers prioritize low-risk drivers and offer aggressive rates for clean records; others specialize in higher-risk drivers and price accordingly. Your cheapest option depends on your driver profile, and comparing quotes directly is the only way to find it.

Your coverage level is one of the main cost factors you can control today, along with which company you choose. State minimum liability in California costs $63 per month. Adding comprehensive and collision with a $1,000 deductible brings that to $69 per month, $6 more for coverage that pays for damage to your own vehicle.

Lowering your deductible can cost more than raising your liability limits: the most expensive level in our California database is a minimum liability policy with a $0 deductible for comprehensive and collision.

Car insurance rates vary by $59 a month across California's 10 most populous cities, a $708 annual difference between the cheapest and most expensive. Los Angeles is the most expensive city at $196 per month for full coverage, 26% above the state average of $155. San Diego is the most affordable among the state's largest cities at $137 per month, followed by Fresno and San Jose at $138.

Los Angeles' high rates stem from dense traffic, high accident frequency and one of the country's highest concentrations of uninsured drivers, all of which push claim costs up for insured drivers across the metro. San Diego's lower rate reflects less congestion and lower vehicle theft rates compared to LA and the Bay Area.

In California, only age affects car insurance rates. Gender isn't a permitted pricing factor, unlike most other states. Adding a 16-year-old to a family policy costs an average of $6,178 per year, regardless of gender.

Staying on a family policy costs much less than a solo policy: a 16-year-old male pays $6,178 per year on a family policy versus $6,389 on an individual policy. Rates fall through the early 20s and level off around age 25.

Your driving record is fixed in the short term, but violations don't last forever. Drivers with a clean record pay $133 per month for full coverage in California. A speeding conviction raises that to $192 per month, a 44% increase or $708 more per year. Most violations affect your rate for three to five years in California, though the timeframe varies by violation type. The most serious violation in our database, a DUI, raises rates by an average of 149% in California.

Drivers with multiple violations are often classified as high-risk, which limits their options and pushes rates even higher. If that applies to you, high-risk car insurance in California offers more affordable coverage.

California is one of only three states where your credit score doesn't affect your car insurance rate. In most states, poor credit can more than double what you pay for full coverage. California has blocked that practice since 1988, when voters passed Proposition 103 to limit the factors insurers can use to set rates. Hawaii and Massachusetts are the only other states with the same protection.

Before your next purchase, knowing how insurance costs by vehicle change in California can inform your coverage budget. Full coverage in California ranges from $155 per month for a Ford F-150 to $240 per month for a Tesla Model Y, an $85 monthly difference, or $1,020 per year. Sedans like the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry fall in the middle. Vehicle type is one of many factors California insurers use to set your rate, with no state-specific rules applied.

Electric vehicles cost more to insure because parts and specialized repairs are more expensive than on conventional vehicles. For a Tesla Model Y, that means higher premiums tied to the cost of its battery, sensors and proprietary components.

California car insurance costs vary more than most drivers expect. Your rate depends on your city, age, driving record and coverage level, and each factor can shift what you pay by hundreds of dollars a year.

We used this profile to determine auto insurance costs across all available ZIP codes and cities in California:

• 40 years old
• Clean driving record
• Good credit
• 2012 Toyota Camry LE

Sections on cost by age and driving record use rates for those specific driver profiles, with all other factors held constant.

Minimum coverage is a state's minimum liability coverage. Full coverage is a policy with 100/300/100 liability limits and a $1,000 deductible for comprehensive and collision coverage.