Good news for California drivers: Jerry’s latest data shows that liability coverage in the Golden State averages about $323 per month, even with California’s strict insurance regulations and higher-than-average repair costs. In the last year, we’ve helped 120,501 Californians secure cheaper coverage, and drivers who buy through Jerry save an average of $245 a year while keeping the protection they need.
Jerry compares quotes from up to 10 trusted insurers in California to build your policy and help you secure your best rate in minutes.
Save on California insurance with Jerry.
What California drivers are paying right now
Insurance rates in California shift frequently. Repair costs climb, wildfire seasons affect comprehensive losses and congestion on major routes creates higher collision exposure. Two drivers with clean records can end up with very different rates depending on where they live.
Jerry tracks live quotes across California to give you a real-world view of what drivers are paying today. Here are a few recent full coverage examples purchased through Jerry.
Recent quotes
Based on Jerry customers with clean driving records who found savings in the past 12 months. Savings vary by state, coverage, driver profile and other factors.
Key takeaway: Check your rate regularly. In California, everything from wildfire risk to new mileage patterns to fluctuations in repair costs can shift what you pay at renewal time.
4 easy ways Jerry helps California drivers save on car insurance
If you’re trying to cut your car insurance costs in California, you’re far from alone. But grabbing the cheapest price isn’t always the best strategy. Real savings come from understanding how insurers set your rate and what you can adjust without losing important protection.
Jerry does the heavy lifting by comparing real offers, surfacing discounts you may not know about and showing you exactly where you can save.
Here are our best tips to help you spend less and stress less.
| How to save | Average California driver savings |
|---|---|
| Compare quotes | 32% to 56% |
| Stack discounts | 53% to 61% |
| Pick the right deductible | 16% to 71%* |
| Use telematics | 6%* |
*Among all Jerry drivers nationwide.
Based on Jerry customers with clean driving records who found savings in the past 12 months. Savings vary by state, coverage, driver profile and other factors.
Jerry Agent Tip 1: Compare quotes from multiple insurers
California’s insurance pricing is shaped by strict state rules, high repair costs and wide regional differences. Because each insurer weighs these risks differently, pricing for the same driver can vary a lot. Comparing quotes side by side with Jerry is the fastest way to make sure you’re not overspending.
Here’s where California drivers who saved most often switched last year after comparing rates with Jerry:
| Insurance carrier | California drivers who switched | Average Jerry savings |
|---|---|---|
| National General | 23% | 31% |
| Root | 10% | 27% |
| Aspire General | 8% | 27% |
| Bluefire Nations | 18% | 35% |
| Bluefire Prime | 8% | 33% |
Based on Jerry customers with clean driving records who found savings in the past 12 months. Savings vary by state, coverage, driver profile and other factors.
Why it matters: Location matters in California, and living near wildfire-prone areas, dense freeways or regions with high theft rates all shape your premium. Jerry helps you compare these differences instantly so you can find coverage that fits your life and your budget.
Jerry Agent Tip 2: Combine discounts for a cheaper rate
Many California drivers qualify for multiple discounts, but they don’t always appear automatically. You might save for safe driving, bundling, completing defensive driving, going paperless or installing approved anti-theft devices. If you commute on BART, the Metro or Caltrain, some companies even recognize low annual mileage as a cost-saver.
Jerry identifies the discounts you qualify for so nothing gets left behind.
Key takeaway: Stacking discounts often delivers bigger savings than raising your deductible alone.
Jerry Agent Tip 3: Pick the right deductible
Raising your deductible can lower your premium, but only if it’s a number you could comfortably cover after filing a claim. California drivers face everything from wildfire debris to potholes, and have some of the highest parts-and-labor costs in the country, so a realistic deductible matters.
Here’s what many Jerry drivers tend to choose for their deductibles:
To find the right deductible:
-
Check your car’s current value (Jerry updates this monthly).
-
Choose an amount you could afford on short notice.
-
Compare how each deductible option affects your price in real time.
The Jerry difference: Jerry shows savings across multiple deductible levels instantly so you can pick a balance of cost and coverage that fits your budget.
Jerry Agent Tip 4: Use telematics to lower your rate
Telematics programs that track how, when and how often you drive can help California drivers cut their premiums. Insurers reward smoother braking, lower mileage and avoiding late-night driving, which is especially helpful in cities where traffic conditions change fast.
Jerry’s DriveShield takes those savings a step further. It monitors your driving, scores your habits and automatically shops for lower rates when your score qualifies you for a discount.
We only share your score if it can actually lower your price. On average, Jerry drivers save about 6% with telematics.
Get personalized car insurance rates now.
How to get better coverage without overpaying
California requires 15/30/5 liability coverage, but many drivers choose higher limits due to high crash severity and expensive repair costs. Here are the common coverage levels in California:
Minimum
$70 – $132/mo
Meets state liability requirements but does not cover your own vehicle.
Full
$168 – $366/mo
Adds collision and comprehensive, typically required if your car is financed or leased.
Standard
$198 – $406/mo
Adds uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage coverage, important in a state where roads are crowded and hit-and-runs are common.
Preferred
$226 – $424/mo
Higher liability limits, lower deductibles and extras like roadside assistance or rental reimbursement maximize protection.
Key takeaway: Start with your comfort around risk and the value of your car. Jerry shows real-time prices so you can choose confidently.
The cheapest policy in California is liability-only, but a few important add-ons can better protect you from loss. Here’s a look at what each type of coverage offers.
-
Coverage definitions
California insurance factors at a glance
California’s insurance costs reflect the realities of driving here, from wildfire seasons to dense traffic grids and some of the most expensive repair rates in the country. Here’s what drivers need to know:
Severe weather
Wildfires, windstorms, flash floods and mudslides all contribute to claim costs and make comprehensive coverage valuable.
Heavy traffic
Metro areas like Los Angeles, the Bay Area and San Diego regularly rank among the most congested in the nation, bumping your chances of an accident.
Uninsured drivers
Over 20% of California drivers are uninsured, making UM/UIM coverage especially valuable.
At-fault rules
California uses a pure comparative negligence system, and collision coverage can protect your vehicle if you’re mostly at fault.
California Insurance After a Ticket, Accident or SR-22
A single driving mistake shouldn’t determine your rate forever. And with Jerry, it doesn’t.
Even if your record isn’t perfect, you can still find competitive pricing. Jerry partners with top insurers that take a balanced view of past violations and automatically re-shops your policy as your record improves.
If you got a ticket
California uses a point-based system. A speeding ticket, illegal U-turn or red-light violation adds points that stay on your record for years. Too many points can lead to license penalties or traffic school requirements.
A single ticket can raise your premium 15% to 30%. Completing traffic school can often prevent the point from hitting your record. Once a violation clears, Jerry searches for lower prices so you’re not paying more than necessary.
Here are the average rate increases we’ve seen for California drivers after a ticket:
-
Speeding under 15: 21%
-
Speeding over 15: 31%
-
Failure to obey traffic sign: 14%
-
Reckless driving: 23%
Based on Jerry customers with clean driving records who found savings in the past 12 months. Savings vary by state, coverage, driver profile and other factors.
If you’ve had an accident
California is an at-fault state. An at-fault accident typically raises premiums by 17%, and the increase can last three to five years. Jerry helps you find the lowest available rate immediately and re-shops your coverage once the accident falls off.
Rates after an accident, full coverage
|
Accident record
|
Average monthly quote
|
|---|
|
Accident record
|
Average monthly quote
|
|---|---|
| Not At Fault | $353 |
| At Fault With No Injury | $369 |
| At Fault With Injury | $412 |
Based on Jerry customers with clean driving records who found savings in the past 12 months. Savings vary by state, coverage, driver profile and other factors.
If you’ve been convicted of a DUI
A DUI in California brings steep fines, license restrictions and significant insurance increases, averaging 10%. Prices stay elevated for several years, but some insurers offer more competitive options for high-risk drivers.
Jerry identifies those carriers and re-shops your policy as your record improves.
Here are the five most competitive carriers for California drivers after a DUI conviction:
|
Insurer
|
Avg monthly rate after DUI
|
Offers coverage after DUI
|
|---|
|
Insurer
|
Avg monthly rate after DUI
|
Offers coverage after DUI
|
|---|---|---|
| $217 | Yes | |
| $255 | Yes | |
| $256 | Yes | |
| $256 | Yes | |
| $279 | Yes |
Based on Jerry customers with clean driving records who found savings in the past 12 months. Savings vary by state, coverage, driver profile and other factors.
If you need an SR-22 in California
California may require an SR-22 after certain violations, uninsured accidents or suspensions. Select the SR-22 option in the Jerry app and we’ll only show insurers that file them. Many companies charge around $25 per year to submit an SR-22.
Car Insurance with Bad Credit
Unlike many other states, California law prohibits insurers from using credit scores to set auto insurance rates. Your price is based on driving record, mileage and other allowed factors, but not your credit. Still, maintaining continuous coverage and comparing quotes regularly helps you avoid avoidable price increases.
Average rates in California by credit score
Based on Jerry customers with clean driving records who found savings in the past 12 months. Savings vary by state, coverage, driver profile and other factors.
Drive with confidence
California’s mix of wildfire weather, crowded freeways, scenic coastal roads and high repair costs means there’s no universal best policy. The right coverage is the one that fits the way you actually drive.
Jerry makes it simple to build a policy tailored to life in California and stay protected year-round.
Get California coverage in as little as 2 minutes.
Methodology
To find the cheapest car insurance in each state, we use proprietary, real-world quotes from drivers — not third-party estimates. Each shopping journey includes multiple rounds of quotes, with information verified along the way.
At every stage, we aggregate and anonymize data to protect privacy and ensure accuracy. Because Jerry has delivered millions of quotes, often with multiple offers per driver, our datasets are large enough to avoid bias toward any one region, carrier or driver type.
Unlike other sites that rely on modeled rates, Jerry is a licensed insurance broker in 48 states, giving us firsthand visibility into how quotes are generated and validated.
Unless otherwise stated, rates reflect the last six months of verified full-coverage quotes for clean-record drivers. Data involving accidents or credit uses the last 18 months to ensure reliability.
Read more about Jerry’s data gathering and verification processes
Stephanie Colestock is a professional writer, CFEI®, and licensed insurance agent specializing in personal finance. With over 14 years of experience, she crafts insightful and accessible content on a wide range of financial topics, including insurance, loans, credit/debt, investing, retirement planning, and banking.
Her bylines appear in top-tier publications such as TIME, Fortune, MSN, Business Insider, USA Today, Money, Fox Business, and CBS. Stephanie’s deep understanding of complex financial concepts and her ability to communicate them clearly have made her a trusted voice in the industry.
When she’s not writing, Stephanie enjoys SCUBA diving, reading a good book, and traveling the world with her family.
Ben Moore is a writer and editor at Jerry and an auto insurance expert. He previously worked as a writer, editor and content strategist on NerdWallet’s auto insurance team for five years. His work has been published in The Associated Press, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, MarketWatch, Nasdaq and Yahoo News. He also served as a NerdWallet spokesperson, with appearances on local broadcast television and quotes in Martha Stewart and Real Simple magazine.
Ben has an extensive background in digital marketing, working on affiliate and programmatic advertising campaigns for brands like Cabela’s, H&R Block and Sears. He holds a bachelors degree in marketing from Olivet Nazarene University.
