Auto insurance

I'm Javier Calvo, and I run a Farmers agency in Murrieta. If you live in this valley, you probably spend your week on the I-15 or the I-215, so this page is the plain version of what I'd tell you across my desk: what California requires, what the coverages actually do, and what moves your price.

Why carry more than the bare minimum?

California is an at-fault state. If you cause a crash, you're responsible for the other people's injuries and damage, and your liability coverage is what pays for it. Anything past your limits can come out of your own pocket, and a hospital stay plus a newer car can blow past a minimum policy fast.

Some states run a no-fault system where everyone claims on their own policy first. California doesn't, which is why liability limits matter so much here.

What are the minimum auto insurance requirements in California?

Since January 1, 2025, the legal minimum is $30,000 for injury or death to one person, $60,000 for injury or death to more than one person, and $15,000 for property damage. You'll see it written as 30/60/15. It used to be 15/30/5, so if your policy hasn't been looked at in a few years, it's worth checking.

My honest opinion: the minimum keeps you legal, and that's about all it does. $15,000 doesn't go far when the other car is a new truck. I go deeper on the rules in this post on California's auto insurance requirements.

What does auto insurance cover?

Liability

Liability comes in two parts. Bodily injury liability pays for the other people's medical bills, lost wages and similar costs when you're at fault. Property damage liability pays to fix or replace what you hit, usually the other car, but also a fence or a storefront.

Collision and comprehensive

Collision pays to repair your own car after you hit another vehicle or an object, like a guardrail or a pole. Comprehensive covers damage that isn't a crash: theft, vandalism, a cracked windshield from a rock, a tree branch, or hitting a deer. If you have a loan or lease, the lender will almost always require both.

On an older car that's paid off, dropping collision can make sense once the yearly cost gets close to what the car is worth. That's a judgment call, and I'm happy to run the numbers with you.

Medical payments

Medical payments coverage, or MedPay, is optional in California. It helps pay medical bills for you and your passengers after an accident no matter who caused it, up to the limit you pick. Personal injury protection, which can also cover lost wages, belongs to the no-fault states and generally isn't offered here.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist

This one protects you when the other driver has no insurance or not enough of it. California doesn't make you carry it, but insurers have to offer it, and you can only turn it down in writing. I almost always recommend keeping it.

What affects the cost of auto insurance in California?

California does this differently from most states. Under Proposition 103, your rate has to be based mainly on three things: your driving safety record, how many miles you drive each year and how many years you've been driving. Everything else counts for less.

Your driving record

Accidents and tickets raise rates, and a DUI raises them a lot, usually for several years. The flip side is the good driver discount. California requires insurers to give qualifying good drivers at least 20% off, and keeping a clean record is how you get it.

Miles and experience

A long daily commute costs more to insure than a short one. New drivers, teenagers especially, pay more because they don't have years behind the wheel yet. California also doesn't allow insurers to use your gender to set your rate, and credit scores can't be used to price auto insurance here.

The car you drive

Sports cars and expensive vehicles cost more to insure because they cost more to fix and tend to be driven harder. A family sedan with good safety features usually costs less. If you're shopping for a car, ask me for a quick estimate before you sign; it can be a surprise.

Where you keep it

Location is a secondary factor in California. Areas with more accidents and car thefts can cost more than quieter ones, but it carries less weight than your record or your mileage.

Auto insurance for Murrieta and Lake Elsinore drivers

Calvo Insurance Agency has been in Murrieta since 2017. Plenty of people around here live between Murrieta and Lake Elsinore and commute out of the valley every day, so I think about long freeway miles and older family cars as much as new ones. I'll go over your current policy line by line and tell you what I'd keep, what I'd raise and what you're paying for without needing it.

If you own a home too, putting home and auto insurance together usually gets you a multi-policy discount. I wrote more about that in this post on bundling discounts, and there are more shopping tips in finding the right car insurance in Murrieta.

Call me at (951) 383-3000 or send a message. I answer in English or Spanish, and I write auto insurance for drivers in Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake and the rest of the valley.