California car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs
Last updated: November 12, 2026
California drivers must carry at least $30,000/$60,000 of bodily injury liability and $15,000 of property damage liability. In 2023, insured drivers in California spent an average of $1,223.16 on car insurance, 5% below the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes California the 18th most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.
Minimum car insurance required in California
| Coverage | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $30,000 |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $60,000 |
| Property damage liability, per accident | $15,000 |
You'll often see this written as 30/60/15. The first two numbers are the bodily injury limits in thousands of dollars (per person and per accident), and the last is property damage. Those amounts are the most the policy pays for injuries and damage you cause to others. Anything above them can come back to you personally.
California raised its minimums from 15/30/5 to 30/60/15 on January 1, 2025 (Senate Bill 1107). The DMV lists the new amounts under California Insurance Code §11580.1b.
Is California a no-fault state?
No. California isn't one of the 12 no-fault states listed by the Insurance Information Institute, so the driver who causes a crash, and their insurer, is generally responsible for the other people's injuries and damage. That's why the liability limits above matter so much.
SR-22 rules in California
California's form is the California Insurance Proof Certificate (SR 22/SR 1P). The DMV can suspend your driving privilege for up to four years if you're in a collision without proper insurance. You can get your license back during the last three years of that suspension by filing the certificate and keeping it in place for the full three-year period.
Read more: what an SR-22 is and how it works.
What drives car insurance costs in California
Average spending in California rose 16% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:
| Year | California average | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $1,051.82 | $1,075.08 |
| 2020 | $1,047.08 | $1,047.76 |
| 2021 | $1,047.44 | $1,060.23 |
| 2022 | $1,086.62 | $1,124.45 |
| 2023 | $1,223.16 | $1,281.60 |
The NAIC's "average expenditure" is total written premium divided by insured vehicles. It isn't a quote, and your own price depends on your driver profile and the coverage you choose.
- Uninsured drivers. An estimated 20.4% of drivers in California were uninsured in 2023, higher than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 8th highest rate among the 50 states and D.C. When more drivers are uninsured, insured drivers' own uninsured motorist coverage pays more claims, which pushes up its price.
- Crash deaths. California recorded 3,876 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.19 per 100 million miles driven, the same as the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 24th highest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
- Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 27% of California's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 29% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 28% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).
Ways to save on car insurance in California
- Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in California can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
- Don't drop uninsured motorist coverage to save money. With roughly 1 in 5 drivers in California uninsured, it's what pays your injury bills if one of them hits you. How UM coverage works.
- Shop at renewal. Even where prices rise more slowly, your own renewal can jump after a claim, a move or a new car. When to compare.
- Pick a deductible you can actually pay. Raising it lowers your premium, but only if you could cover it after a claim. How deductibles work.
- Check whether you qualify for the low-cost program. California runs a low-cost auto insurance program for income-eligible drivers through the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan. Its policies have lower limits (10/20/3) than the standard minimum.
- Ask about discounts. Common ones include safe driver, multi-car, bundling, paying in full, good student and usage-based programs. They're not always applied automatically.
See other states in our car insurance guides by state.
Sources
- Insurance Information Institute, Automobile Financial Responsibility Limits and Enforcement by State (as of July 2024)
- NAIC, 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (June 2025), Table 4: average expenditure
- California DMV, Insurance requirements
- Insurance Information Institute, Background on: No-fault auto insurance
- California DMV Driver Handbook, Financial responsibility, insurance requirements and collisions
- Insurance Information Institute / Insurance Research Council, Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists (2023 estimates)
- IIHS-HLDI, Fatality Facts 2024: State by state
- Insurance Information Institute, Automobile Financial Responsibility Limits by State (July 2024), note 2
Compare car insurance options in your area → It takes about 2 minutes, and we never ask for your name, phone number or email.
DriveCheaper may be paid by companies shown on this site. How we make money. This page is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Laws and prices change, so confirm details with your insurer or your state's insurance department or DMV.