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Key takeaways 💡
The average cost of full coverage insurance is $1,656 a year, or about $138 a month.
The average cost of minimum coverage insurance is $452 a year, or about $38 a month.
Auto Club of SoCal offers the cheapest full coverage in the state, on average, with an annual rate of $970.
Comparing rates from different insurers can help you find the best policy to fit your needs at the lowest price.
Although California is one of the most expensive states to live in, California drivers actually pay less for auto insurance than many in other states.
According to NerdWallet’s analysis, the average cost of full coverage insurance in California is $1,656 per year, or about $138 a month, for a 35-year-old driver with a clean driving record. The average cost of a minimum coverage policy in California is $452 per year, or about $38 per month.
California is one of the most consumer-friendly states when it comes to car insurance. Insurers are banned from using a driver’s gender or credit score to price insurance premiums. This means drivers with poor credit won't necessarily pay more for a policy than those with good credit.
Read on for NerdWallet’s breakdown of how much car insurance in California costs by:
Read more about car insurance in your state
If you're looking for more specific information about auto insurance in the Golden State, take a look at the NerdWallet articles below.
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Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you.Cost of car insurance in California: The cheapest companies
NerdWallet compared car insurance rates from 24 companies in California. Auto Club of SoCal offers the cheapest full coverage in the state, on average, with an annual rate of $1,187, or $99 per month, for a 35-year-old driver with a clean driving record.
Geico is the cheapest option for minimum coverage. The company has an average rate of $239 per year, which breaks down to around $20 a month.
Here are the average yearly rates for the cheapest auto insurance companies in California, sorted from lowest to highest rate based on average full coverage cost.
| Company | Median annual rate | Median monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Club of SoCal | $1,187 | $99 |
| Mercury | $1,205 | $100 |
| Geico | $1,236 | $103 |
| CIG | $1,300 | $108 |
| Grange Insurance Association | $1,304 | $109 |
If you want the cheapest car insurance in California, shop around and compare quotes for at least three insurers.
If you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance in your city, NerdWallet also analyzed rates for some of the largest California cities, including:
Cost of car insurance in California, by age
The cost of car insurance in California varies widely based on your age. Younger drivers tend to pay more for a policy than older, more experienced drivers.
Here are the median costs of car insurance in California for both full and minimum coverage, by age.
| Age | Median full coverage rate | Median minimum coverage rate |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | $2,873 | $778 |
| 30 | $1,713 | $469 |
| 35 | $1,656 | $452 |
| 40 | $1,656 | $452 |
| 50 | $1,656 | $452 |
| 60 | $1,655 | $452 |
| 70 | $1,655 | $452 |
See what you could save on car insurance
Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you.Cost of car insurance in California by driving history
Drivers in California with a clean driving history will pay the least for auto insurance. But if you have a traffic violation, like a speeding ticket or at-fault accident, you can expect your rates to go up.
Below are the cheapest companies for California drivers with different driving histories, along with their median rates for full coverage.
| Driving history | Cheapest company | Median annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| Clean driving history | Auto Club of SoCal | $1,187 |
| After a DUI | Mercury | $2,125 |
| After an accident | CIG | $1,670 |
| After a speeding ticket | Auto Club of SoCal | $1,623 |
Average car insurance cost in California by zip code
Get an estimate for the cost of a full coverage policy based on your zip code below.
Estimate full coverage rates by ZIP code
Enter your ZIP code to find the average car insurance rate for your area. Rates are for policies that include full coverage for a 35-year-old driver with good credit and a clean driving record.
Average car insurance rate in your ZIP code:
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Factors that affect the cost of car insurance
How to save on car insurance in California
If you’re wondering how to get cheap car insurance, here are six things you can try:
Compare quotes from multiple insurers. Use NerdWallet’s car insurance comparison tool to easily shop for cheap auto insurance online. You may find that you already have the best car insurance deal, but prices can change, so check roughly once a year.
Ask for discounts. You could save money from car insurance discounts you’re not taking advantage of. For example, maybe you work from home and don’t drive much. Mention that and you might get a low-mileage discount. Other common discounts are given for bundling car insurance with homeowners insurance, insuring multiple cars on the same policy and being a student.
Cash in on major life changes. Certain life events could translate to cheaper car insurance, so shop for quotes whenever something major changes in your life. For instance, many companies offer a lower rate for married couples or domestic partners. Or perhaps you moved to a suburb with lower accident and crime rates. Even if you moved to a more expensive area for car insurance, shopping around can help you get cheaper coverage.
Raise your deductible. The higher your car insurance deductible, the more you pay out of pocket before insurance pays for a covered claim. The upside is that by raising your deductible, you’ll usually be able to lower your premium. Just make sure you have enough money set aside to cover the higher deductible if you ever get in an accident.
Revisit quotes after your driving record improves. Shop for cheap auto insurance quotes online three to five years after any accidents, tickets or moving violations. They may have dropped off your driving record.
Reconsider the car you drive. The type of car you drive affects how much you pay for auto insurance. For example, new and expensive cars tend to cost more to insure than older or less expensive cars, among other factors. Check out NerdWallet’s analysis of the cheapest cars to insure to see if your vehicle made the list.
NerdWallet averaged rates based on public filings obtained by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We examined rates for drivers of a variety of ages for all ZIP codes in any of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Although it’s one of the largest insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is not included in our rates analysis due to a lack of publicly available information.
In our analysis, “good drivers” had no moving violations on record; a “good driving” discount was included for this profile. These are average rates, and your rate will vary based on your personal details, state and insurance provider.
Sample drivers had the minimum required coverage by law. Some policies include additional coverage at the insurer’s discretion.
In situations where minimum additional coverages were added, we used the same assumptions for all other driver profiles, with the following exceptions:
For drivers with minimum coverage, we adjusted the numbers above to reflect only the minimum coverage required by law in the state.
For drivers with one at-fault crash, we added a single at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage.
For drivers with a DUI, we added a single drunken driving violation.
For drivers with a ticket, we added a single speeding violation for driving 16 mph over the speed limit.
We used a 2021 Toyota Camry LE for all drivers and assumed 12,000 annual miles driven. We analyzed rates for drivers of the following ages: 20, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60 and 70.
These are rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your rates will be different.
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