Ranked #43 of 51 by Cost

2026 California Car Insurance Calculator

Estimate your monthly premium based on The Golden State averages

California state flag — 2026 car insurance rates

Rate Calculator

$163

per month

$1,956

per year

Updated July 1, 2026

Local insurance tip

California is one of the few states that prohibits insurers from using credit scores to price auto policies. Rates are based primarily on driving record, miles driven and years of experience. The most impactful way to lower your premium in California is to accurately report your annual mileage. Low-mileage drivers who underestimate their savings potential by not shopping pay-per-mile options are leaving significant money on the table.

Cost Breakdown

Average Monthly Insurance Rate by Coverage Level
Coverage	Monthly	Description
CA minimum	$77	Legal bare minimum (liability only)
Standard liability	$122	High Liability, no physical damage
Full coverage	$163	Comprehensive ($500 ded.)
Premium protection	$222	Max liability ($250 ded.)

Average Monthly Insurance Rate by Age Group
Age	Risk	Monthly
16-19	Very high	$481
20-24	High	$269
25-54	Standard	$163
55-69	Low	$155
70+	Moderate	$204

Average Monthly Insurance Rate by Driving History
Violation	Risk	Monthly
Clean	Standard	$163
Speeding Ticket	Moderate	$199
At-Fault Accident	High	$241
DUI / DWI	Very high	$465

California Snapshot · July 2026

California Car Insurance Rates by County July 2026

$163/mo

State avg (-33% US AVG)

#43

National Rank

38%

County Spread

Rate by Neighboring States (4)

Average Monthly Insurance Rate by State
Rank	State	Monthly	Population
1	Nevada	$332+104%	2,695,178
2	Arizona	$266+63%	6,370,731
3	Oregon	$196+20%	3,828,145
4	California	$163	37,166,323

State Insight

California is cheaper than all of its neighbors despite being the most urbanized. The gap is most striking against Nevada — largely a reflection of how aggressively Proposition 103 suppresses rates compared to states with no equivalent regulation.

Rate by Cities (Top 100)

Average Monthly Insurance Rate by City
Rank	City	Monthly	Population
1	Glendale	$236+45%	172,489
2	North Hollywood	$231+42%	155,954
3	Van Nuys	$224+37%	166,616
4	Pacoima	$210+29%	103,689
5	Los Angeles	$207+27%	2,374,674
6	Bell Gardens	$199+22%	101,279
7	South Gate	$195+20%	94,396
8	Compton	$194+19%	134,901
9	Burbank	$192+18%	106,841
10	Inglewood	$187+15%	135,222
11	Oakland	$186+14%	380,744
12	El Monte	$183+12%	90,977
13	Sylmar	$182+12%	91,725
14	Santa Monica	$181+11%	92,043
15	Hawthorne	$177+9%	93,193
16	San Francisco	$175+7%	799,169
17	Pasadena	$175+7%	153,114
18	Palmdale	$174+7%	171,170
19	Sacramento	$173+6%	757,530
20	San Bernardino	$173+6%	236,660
21	La Puente	$171+5%	115,525
22	Fontana	$170+4%	221,665
23	Downey	$170+4%	111,772
24	Stockton	$169+4%	355,885
25	Norwalk	$169+4%	105,549
26	Rialto	$169+4%	101,505
27	Long Beach	$168+3%	471,835
28	Pomona	$168+3%	154,204
29	Modesto	$167+2%	255,354
30	Moreno Valley	$167+2%	193,933
31	Victorville	$167+2%	130,495
32	Fresno	$166+2%	570,271
33	Perris	$166+2%	106,213
34	Hayward	$165+1%	177,085
35	Lancaster	$164+1%	182,305
36	Berkeley	$162-1%	115,628
37	Daly City	$162-1%	107,941
38	Santa Ana	$161-1%	348,131
39	Tracy	$161-1%	106,426
40	Riverside	$160-2%	343,942
41	Elk Grove	$160-2%	162,646
42	Antioch	$159-2%	102,729
43	Madera	$159-2%	98,719
44	Anaheim	$158-3%	354,475
45	Torrance	$158-3%	174,353
46	Garden Grove	$158-3%	172,782
47	Ontario	$158-3%	166,856
48	San Leandro	$158-3%	104,689
49	Hesperia	$158-3%	99,484
50	Rancho Cucamonga	$157-4%	165,435
51	West Covina	$157-4%	108,175
52	Bakersfield	$156-4%	520,197
53	Santa Rosa	$156-4%	209,844
54	Whittier	$156-4%	189,948
55	Fullerton	$156-4%	134,733
56	Vallejo	$156-4%	119,080
57	Menifee	$156-4%	97,687
58	Indio	$156-4%	87,432
59	Corona	$155-5%	233,717
60	Oxnard	$155-5%	211,523
61	Salinas	$155-5%	182,180
62	Westminster	$155-5%	89,747
63	Merced	$154-6%	97,703
64	Simi Valley	$153-6%	126,874
65	Palo Alto	$153-6%	92,558
66	Concord	$152-7%	123,688
67	Roseville	$152-7%	122,853
68	Chula Vista	$151-7%	239,879
69	Huntington Beach	$151-7%	190,249
70	Vacaville	$151-7%	99,475
71	San Jose	$150-8%	973,849
72	Irvine	$150-8%	212,569
73	El Cajon	$150-8%	165,433
74	Hemet	$150-8%	117,746
75	Fairfield	$150-8%	105,693
76	Escondido	$149-9%	171,802
77	Visalia	$148-9%	142,488
78	Costa Mesa	$148-9%	110,851
79	Clovis	$148-9%	109,930
80	Redwood City	$148-9%	104,429
81	Orange	$147-10%	141,692
82	San Diego	$146-10%	1,234,602
83	Murrieta	$146-10%	115,971
84	Santa Barbara	$145-11%	132,916
85	San Mateo	$145-11%	131,801
86	Santa Clara	$145-11%	115,820
87	Napa	$145-11%	94,014
88	Fremont	$144-12%	214,112
89	Oceanside	$144-12%	188,742
90	Temecula	$143-12%	114,424
91	Vista	$142-13%	112,033
92	Chico	$142-13%	106,193
93	Mission Viejo	$141-13%	94,804
94	Carlsbad	$140-14%	105,183
95	San Marcos	$139-15%	89,275
96	Sunnyvale	$138-15%	140,482
97	Santa Cruz	$138-15%	97,900
98	Ventura	$137-16%	112,613
99	Redding	$136-17%	111,624
100	Santa Maria	$135-17%	133,563

Compared to CA avg ($163)

City Insight

Los Angeles is the clearest driver of the state's cost, sitting well above the statewide average. Glendale, Van Nuys and North Hollywood stand out as significant outliers — all within the greater LA metro but with rates that far exceed even Los Angeles city itself, reflecting concentrated vehicle theft and dense traffic in those specific corridors.

Rate by Counties (58)

Average Monthly Insurance Rate by County
Rank	County	Monthly	Population
1	Los Angeles	$186+14%	9,803,249
2	San Francisco	$175+7%	799,169
3	Sacramento	$167+2%	1,419,820
4	Stanislaus	$166+2%	516,314
5	Fresno	$163	934,617
6	San Joaquin	$163	682,474
7	Alameda	$162-1%	1,512,038
8	Sutter	$162-1%	93,812
9	San Bernardino	$161-1%	2,019,178
10	Colusa	$158-3%	21,608
11	Riverside	$157-4%	2,191,564
12	Madera	$157-4%	150,446
13	Contra Costa	$156-4%	1,042,065
14	Sierra	$156-4%	2,809
15	Imperial	$155-5%	170,273
16	Merced	$155-5%	254,011
17	Calaveras	$155-5%	45,486
18	El Dorado	$155-5%	180,942
19	Alpine	$155-5%	957
20	Kern	$154-6%	840,750
21	Mono	$154-6%	12,232
22	Tulare	$153-6%	438,264
23	Sonoma	$153-6%	482,902
24	Lake	$153-6%	64,284
25	Orange	$152-7%	3,015,743
26	San Mateo	$152-7%	735,797
27	Solano	$152-7%	408,171
28	Marin	$152-7%	246,591
29	Mariposa	$152-7%	16,750
30	Tuolumne	$152-7%	56,298
31	Yuba	$152-7%	69,292
32	Modoc	$152-7%	8,384
33	Trinity	$151-7%	13,867
34	Plumas	$150-8%	18,321
35	Kings	$149-9%	151,702
36	Monterey	$149-9%	402,330
37	Placer	$149-9%	351,455
38	Ventura	$148-9%	827,534
39	Napa	$148-9%	136,792
40	San Benito	$148-9%	53,857
41	Amador	$147-10%	38,211
42	Yolo	$147-10%	201,975
43	San Diego	$146-10%	3,069,080
44	Santa Clara	$146-10%	1,759,665
45	Humboldt	$146-10%	133,952
46	Glenn	$145-11%	28,708
47	Butte	$144-12%	220,067
48	Nevada	$144-12%	95,262
49	Mendocino	$143-12%	87,426
50	Santa Cruz	$142-13%	280,065
51	Siskiyou	$141-13%	46,055
52	Lassen	$141-13%	35,454
53	Tehama	$141-13%	70,407
54	Inyo	$140-14%	19,413
55	Santa Barbara	$139-15%	420,768
56	Shasta	$138-15%	169,844
57	San Luis Obispo	$136-17%	269,227
58	Del Norte	$135-17%	28,596

Compared to CA avg ($163)

County Insight

Los Angeles County pulls the statewide average upward, but the spread across California's counties is remarkably narrow compared to most states. San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Shasta counties sit at the low end, while no county reaches dramatically above the state average outside LA. Prop 103's rate regulation compresses the county-to-county variation more than almost any other state.

What Every CA Driver Needs To Know

What are the minimum car insurance requirements in CA for 2026?

California raised its minimums on January 1, 2025 for the first time in decades. The new requirements are 30/60/15: $30,000 bodily injury per person, $60,000 per accident and $15,000 for property damage. California is an at-fault state and does not require PIP or Uninsured Motorist coverage, though both must be offered.

Can California insurers use my credit score to set my rate?

No, California is one of a small number of states that explicitly prohibits credit-based insurance scoring. Under Proposition 103, insurers must base rates primarily on driving record, years of driving experience and annual mileage. This means good-credit drivers may not see the same savings they would in other states, but drivers with poor credit are also protected from the surcharges that apply almost everywhere else.

What is the California Low Cost Auto Insurance program?

California operates a state-sponsored Low Cost Auto Insurance program for income-eligible drivers who meet certain requirements. Qualifying drivers can obtain liability-only coverage at significantly reduced rates through the program. Income limits, vehicle value caps and driving record requirements apply. The program is administered through the California DMV and is designed to reduce the state's high uninsured driver rate by making basic coverage accessible to low-income residents.

What are the penalties for driving uninsured in California?

California fines for a first uninsured driving offense range from $100 to $200, but court fees and assessments typically bring the total to $400–$500 or more. Your vehicle may be impounded. A second offense within three years results in fines of $200–$500 plus fees. California also uses an electronic verification system and uninsured drivers involved in accidents can have their vehicles impounded and registration suspended regardless of fault.

Sources: California DMV