The Best Car Insurance in California for 2024

Auto insurance ratings methodology

NerdWallet’s auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints and discounts. Our “ease of use” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. Using our editorial discretion, we also consider customer satisfaction surveys. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines and full ratings methodology for auto insurance.

Here’s how we evaluated each car insurance company in 2024 and the weights we placed on each category:

• Financial strength (30%).

• Consumer complaints (30%).

• Ease of use (20%).

• Affordability (20%).

The best auto insurers excel at all of these categories. They provide the information people need to make a purchase without any surprises along the way. They offer insurance at a fair price and provide more than one way to buy and manage a policy. They're financially strong and able to keep their customers happy throughout the relationship.

Insurer complaints methodology

NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2021-2023. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.

Average rates methodology

NerdWallet averaged rates based on public filings obtained by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We examined rates for men and women 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. Our “good” credit rates are based on credit score approximations and do not account for proprietary scoring criteria used by insurance providers.

These are median rates, and your rate will vary based on your personal details, state and insurance provider.

Sample drivers had the following coverage limits:

• $100,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person.

• $300,000 bodily injury liability coverage per crash.

• $50,000 property damage liability coverage per crash.

• $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per person.

• $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per crash.

• Collision coverage with $1,000 deductible.

• Comprehensive coverage with $1,000 deductible.

In states where required, 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 in all cases and assumed 12,000 annual miles driven. We analyzed rates for 35-year-old drivers.