The average auto insurance premium in California is around $957 which is close to the national average. The cost varies widely from driver to driver and we will go through the factors and tips with you in this article.
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Auto Insurance protects you against financial loss in the event of an accident or theft. The price and regulations usually vary from state to state. What can auto insurance protect you? What are the best options? We have collected and written some information to help you find the best deal for you.
What does auto insurance cover?
While each state has different regulations for auto insurance, there are six basic types of coverage. Below is what you need to know. Click here to read more about auto insurance liability.
- Bodily Injury Liability
If you hit someone, you’d be responsible for the injured person’s medical bills, lost wages, plus pain and suffering. In addition, if sued, you would likely have to pay a hefty legal bill. With the increasing of the average salary for drivers, $50K may not be enough. (The per occurrence coverage is less relevant because most cars on the road have only one person in it.) So we recommend carrying at least $100K-per-person. - Property Damage Liability
With so many Tesla’s and other luxury cars on the road, damaging one of them could easily generate a loss of over $50K, costing potentially tens of thousands out of your pocket. So we recommend carrying a $100K coverage. The good news is that doubling this coverage from $50K to $100K cost you almost nothing. - Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist
1 out of 7 drivers on the road is uninsured. They typically don’t have many asset. Collecting from them could take years. With this coverage, your own insurance pays you immediately if you are hit by an uninsured/underinsured driver. This is vital yet inexpensive protection for yourself and your family.
What discounts are available for auto insurance?
Below is a list of auto insurance discounts available in California.
Discount | Description |
---|---|
Multi-Car | When you insure more than one car in your policies, usually you can get a multi-car discount for each of them. In another word, it's better to insure all the vehicles in the same policy instead of putting them in separate policies. |
Multi-Policy | If you purchase multiple policies from the same company, you can often get a multiple policy discount. For example, if you already have auto insurance from a company and then you purchase the renters policy from them, you can get a discount on your auto insurance about 5-15% depending on the company or state. However, it doesn't mean you should always purchase all policies from the same company because sometimes the saving you can get to buy a standalone renters insurance policy is even higher than the discount for the multi-policy. |
Education and Profession | There're two types of education discounts. One is for the degree you earned. The other is for the college you graduated from which is not available in all the insurance companies. For some advanced professions, you can get a decent discount of 10-15% which may require verification from your employer. |
Anti-theft/Anti-lock Brakes/Airbags | Most companies can give you a discount on the comprehensive proportion of the premium if you have security-related features such as install an alarm, anti-theft, steering wheel locking or anti-lock brakes. |
Good Driver | If you don't have any record of violation or accident during the last three or five years, you're considered as a good driver for most companies. This is also one of the best discounts in most companies. |
Good Student | For a student who maintains an average grade of B or above can receive a significant discount on their insurance premium. Although, the premium maybe still high because students usually don't have lengthy driving experience. |
Standard Risk | Every insurance company manages its risk differently. But in general, there're standard risks for auto insurance including No tickets or no accidents within a specific period, no drivers under 25 years old or over the age of 65, no high-performance vehicles. |
Paperless | A few carriers even provide paperless discounts. But more and more new insurance carriers do not offer it probably because the overall cost has already been saved. |
What factors impact the cost of auto insurance?
- Age
- Gender
- Driving records
- Annual mileage
- Profession
- Education background
- Bundling of multi cars
- Bundling of auto and home policies
- Features of the car (e.g. anti-theft devices)
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Curious about auto insurance rate for a city in California?
We compiled data about auto Insurance rates for every city in California. A word of caution, as you explore the list below, there is no doubt you will find a wide price range.
- Adelanto
- Agoura Hills
- Alameda
- Albany
- Alhambra
- Aliso Viejo
- Alondra Park
- Alpine
- Alta Sierra
- Altadena
- Alum Rock
- American Canyon
- Anaheim
- Anderson
- Antioch
- Apple Valley
- Aptos
- Arcadia
- Arcata
- Arden-Arcade
- Arroyo Grande
- Artesia
- Arvin
- Ashland
- Atascadero
- Atherton
- Atwater
- Auburn
- August
- Avenal
- Avocado Heights
- Azusa
- Bakersfield
- Baldwin Park
- Banning
- Barstow
- Bay Point
- Baywood-Los Osos
- Beaumont
- Bell
- Bell Gardens
- Bellflower
- Belmont
- Benicia
- Berkeley
- Bermuda Dunes
- Beverly Hills
- Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara
- Bloomington
- Blythe
- Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos
- Bonita
- Bostonia
- Boyes Hot Springs
- Brawley
- Brea
- Brentwood
- Buena Park
- Burbank
- Burlingame
- Calabasas
- Calexico
- California City
- Calimesa
- Calipatria
- Camarillo
- Cambria
- Cameron Park
- Camp Pendleton North
- Camp Pendleton South
- Campbell
- Canyon Lake
- Capitola
- Carlsbad
- Carmichael
- Carpinteria
- Carson
- Casa de Oro-Mount Helix
- Castro Valley
- Castroville
- Cathedral City
- Ceres
- Cerritos
- Charter Oak
- Cherryland
- Chico
- Chino
- Chino Hills
- Chowchilla
- Chula Vista
- Citrus
- Citrus Heights
- Claremont
- Clayton
- Clearlake
- Cloverdale
- Clovis
- Coachella
- Coalinga
- Colton
- Commerce
- Compton
- Concord
- Corcoran
- Corning
- Corona
- Coronado
- Corte Madera
- Costa Mesa
- Cotati
- Coto de Caza
- Country Club
- Covina
- Crestline
- Cudahy
- Culver City
- Cupertino
- Cypress
- Daly City
- Dana Point
- Danville
- Davis
- Del Aire
- Delano
- Delhi
- Desert Hot Springs
- Diamond Bar
- Dinuba
- Discovery Bay
- Dixon
- Downey
- Duarte
- Dublin
- Earlimart
- East Compton
- East Foothills
- East Hemet
- East La Mirada
- East Los Angeles
- East Palo Alto
- East Pasadena
- East Porterville
- East San Gabriel
- El Cajon
- El Centro
- El Cerrito
- El Dorado Hills
- El Monte
- El Paso de Robles
- El Rio
- El Segundo
- El Sobrante
- Elk Grove
- Emeryville
- Encinitas
- Escondido
- Eureka
- Exeter
- Fair Oaks
- Fairfax
- Fairfield
- Fairview
- Fallbrook
- Farmersville
- Fillmore
- Florence-Graham
- Florin
- Folsom
- Fontana
- Foothill Farms
- Foothill Ranch
- Fort Bragg
- Fortuna
- Foster City
- Fountain Valley
- Fremont
- Fresno
- Fullerton
- Galt
- Garden Acres
- Garden Grove
- Gardena
- Gilroy
- Glen Avon
- Glendale
- Glendora
- Gold River
- Golden Hills
- Goleta
- Gonzales
- Grand Terrace
- Granite Bay
- Grass Valley
- Greenfield
- Grover Beach
- Hacienda Heights
- Half Moon Bay
- Hanford
- Hawaiian Gardens
- Hawthorne
- Hayward
- Healdsburg
- Hemet
- Hercules
- Hermosa Beach
- Hesperia
- Highland
- Hillsborough
- Hollister
- Home Gardens
- Huntington Beach
- Huntington Park
- Huron
- Imperial
- Imperial Beach
- Indio
- Inglewood
- Interlaken
- Ione
- Irvine
- Isla Vista
- Kentfield
- Kerman
- King City
- Kingsburg
- La Canada Flintridge
- La Crescenta-Montrose
- La Habra
- La Mesa
- La Mirada
- La Palma
- La Presa
- La Puente
- La Quinta
- La Riviera
- La Verne
- Ladera Heights
- Lafayette
- Laguna
- Laguna Beach
- Laguna Hills
- Laguna Niguel
- Laguna West-Lakeside
- Laguna Woods
- Lake Arrowhead
- Lake Elsinore
- Lake Forest
- Lake Los Angeles
- Lakeside
- Lakewood
- Lamont
- Lancaster
- Larkfield-Wikiup
- Larkspur
- Lathrop
- Lawndale
- Lemon Grove
- Lemoore
- Lennox
- Lincoln
- Linda
- Lindsay
- Live Oak
- Livermore
- Livingston
- Lodi
- Loma Linda
- Lomita
- Lompoc
- Long Beach
- Loomis
- Los Alamitos
- Los Altos
- Los Altos Hills
- Los Angeles
- Los Banos
- Los Gatos
- Lucas Valley-Marinwood
- Lynwood
- Madera
- Madera Acres
- Magalia
- Malibu
- Mammoth Lakes
- Manhattan Beach
- Manteca
- Marina
- Marina del Rey
- Martinez
- Marysville
- Maywood
- McFarland
- McKinleyville
- Mendota
- Menlo Park
- Mentone
- Merced
- Mill Valley
- Millbrae
- Milpitas
- Mira Loma
- Mira Monte
- Mission Viejo
- Modesto
- Monrovia
- Montclair
- Montebello
- Montecito
- Monterey
- Monterey Park
- Moorpark
- Moraga
- Moreno Valley
- Morgan Hill
- Morro Bay
- Mountain View
- Murrieta
- Muscoy
- Napa
- National City
- Newark
- Newman
- Newport Beach
- Nipomo
- Norco
- North Auburn
- North Fair Oaks
- North Highlands
- Norwalk
- Novato
- Oakdale
- Oakland
- Oakley
- Oceano
- Oceanside
- Oildale
- Ojai
- Olivehurst
- Ontario
- Opal Cliffs
- Orange
- Orange Cove
- Orangevale
- Orcutt
- Orinda
- Orland
- Orosi
- Oroville
- Oroville East
- Oxnard
- Pacific Grove
- Pacifica
- Palm Desert
- Palm Springs
- Palmdale
- Palo Alto
- Palos Verdes Estates
- Paradise
- Paramount
- Parkway-South Sacramento
- Parlier
- Pasadena
- Patterson
- Pedley
- Perris
- Petaluma
- Pico Rivera
- Piedmont
- Pinole
- Pismo Beach
- Pittsburg
- Placentia
- Placerville
- Pleasant Hill
- Pleasanton
- Pomona
- Port Hueneme
- Porterville
- Portola Hills
- Poway
- Prunedale
- Quartz Hill
- Ramona
- Rancho Cordova
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Rancho Mirage
- Rancho Palos Verdes
- Rancho San Diego
- Rancho Santa Margarita
- Red Bluff
- Redding
- Redlands
- Redondo Beach
- Redwood City
- Reedley
- Rialto
- Richmond
- Ridgecrest
- Rio Linda
- Rio del Mar
- Ripon
- Riverbank
- Riverside
- Rocklin
- Rodeo
- Rohnert Park
- Rolling Hills Estates
- Rosamond
- Rosedale
- Roseland
- Rosemead
- Rosemont
- Roseville
- Rossmoor
- Rowland Heights
- Rubidoux
- Sacramento
- Salida
- Salinas
- San Anselmo
- San Bernardino
- San Bruno
- San Buenaventura
- San Carlos
- San Clemente
- San Diego
- San Diego Country Estates
- San Dimas
- San Fernando
- San Francisco
- San Gabriel
- San Jacinto
- San Jose
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Leandro
- San Lorenzo
- San Luis Obispo
- San Marcos
- San Marino
- San Mateo
- San Pablo
- San Rafael
- San Ramon
- Sanger
- Santa Ana
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Clarita
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Fe Springs
- Santa Maria
- Santa Monica
- Santa Paula
- Santa Rosa
- Santee
- Saratoga
- Sausalito
- Scotts Valley
- Seal Beach
- Seaside
- Sebastopol
- Selma
- Shafter
- Shasta Lake
- Sierra Madre
- Signal Hill
- Simi Valley
- Solana Beach
- Soledad
- Sonoma
- South El Monte
- South Gate
- South Lake Tahoe
- South Oroville
- South Pasadena
- South San Francisco
- South San Gabriel
- South San Jose Hills
- South Whittier
- South Yuba City
- Spring Valley
- Stanford
- Stanton
- Stockton
- Suisun City
- Sun City
- Sunnyvale
- Susanville
- Taft
- Tamalpais-Homestead Valley
- Tehachapi
- Temecula
- Temple City
- Thermalito
- Thousand Oaks
- Tiburon
- Torrance
- Tracy
- Truckee
- Tulare
- Turlock
- Tustin
- Tustin Foothills
- Twentynine Palms
- Twentynine Palms Base
- Ukiah
- Union City
- Upland
- Vacaville
- Valinda
- Valle Vista
- Vallejo
- Valley Center
- Vandenberg AFB
- Victorville
- View Park-Windsor Hills
- Vincent
- Vineyard
- Visalia
- Vista
- Walnut
- Walnut Creek
- Walnut Park
- Wasco
- Waterford
- Watsonville
- West Athens
- West Carson
- West Covina
- West Hollywood
- West Modesto
- West Puente Valley
- West Sacramento
- West Whittier-Los Nietos
- Westlake Village
- Westminster
- Westmont
- Whittier
- Wildomar
- Willowbrook
- Willows
- Windsor
- Winter Gardens
- Winters
- Winton
- Woodcrest
- Woodlake
- Woodland
- Yorba Linda
- Yreka
- Yuba City
- Yucaipa
- Yucca Valley
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