What is the minimum car insurance required in California?

California requires at least $30,000 / $60,000 / $15,000: that is bodily-injury liability per person and per accident, plus property-damage liability.

Is California a no-fault state?

No. California is an at-fault (tort) state: the driver who causes a crash is responsible for the resulting injuries and damage, and their liability insurance pays the other party.

Is the California minimum enough coverage?

For most drivers, no. State minimums are a legal floor, not a safe amount. A single serious injury claim or a totaled late-model vehicle can run well past $30,000 limits, and anything above your policy limit comes out of your own pocket, including your wages and savings. The right number is one that covers what you could actually lose, which is what the coverage calculator helps you size.

Car insurance · California

Car insurance requirements in California

Here are California's mandatory minimum limits, whether it runs on a no-fault or at-fault system, and (the part sales sites skip) why that legal minimum is usually far less coverage than you actually need.

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California at a glance

Minimum liability: $30,000 / $60,000 / $15,000
Fault system: At-fault (tort)
Uninsured-motorist coverage: Not required

Those three numbers read “30/60/15” in shorthand: bodily-injury liability per person, bodily-injury liability per accident, and property-damage liability.

Minimums rose to 30/60/15 on January 1, 2025 under the Protect California Drivers Act, up from the old 15/30/5.

Why the minimum is rarely enough

The state minimum keeps you legal, not protected. Liability coverage only pays for the otherparty’s injuries and property, and it stops at your limit. Once a hospital bill or a new-car repair runs past that limit, the rest is legally yours to pay, which can mean a lien on your wages or your savings.

Match your bodily-injury limit to what you could lose in a lawsuit: for most people that means far more than the state floor.
Liability does nothing for your own car. If yours is worth insuring, that is what collision and comprehensive are for.
Uninsured/underinsured-motorist coverage is the one that protects you when the at-fault driver has the same thin minimum you’re looking at here.

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Common questions

What is the minimum car insurance required in California?: California requires at least $30,000 / $60,000 / $15,000: that is bodily-injury liability per person and per accident, plus property-damage liability.
Is California a no-fault state?: No. California is an at-fault (tort) state: the driver who causes a crash is responsible for the resulting injuries and damage, and their liability insurance pays the other party.
Is the California minimum enough coverage?: For most drivers, no. State minimums are a legal floor, not a safe amount. A single serious injury claim or a totaled late-model vehicle can run well past $30,000 limits, and anything above your policy limit comes out of your own pocket, including your wages and savings. The right number is one that covers what you could actually lose, which is what the coverage calculator helps you size.

Auto-insurance laws change and limits are occasionally raised. Confirm current requirements with the California DMV or department of insurance before you rely on them. This page is educational and is not legal or insurance advice.

Size your own coverage

Start from your assets, not the state floor. The free coverage calculator shows how much liability, collision, and comprehensive actually make sense for you. No email, nothing stored.

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Car insurance requirements in California

California at a glance

Why the minimum is rarely enough

Common questions

Size your own coverage

Requirements in other states