The minimum liability insurance in California is 30/60/15: $30,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $60,000 total when more than one person is hurt in the same accident, and $15,000 for property damage.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 16056 Those limits doubled on January 1, 2025, and apply to any policy issued or renewed after that date. Carrying less, or nothing, exposes you to fines, a license suspension, and personal liability for every dollar of damage you cause.
What 30/60/15 Means in Dollars
- $30,000 for bodily injury or death of one person in a single accident
- $60,000 total for bodily injury or death when two or more people are hurt in the same accident
- $15,000 for property damage in a single accident
These amounts are set by Vehicle Code Section 16056.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 16056 Before 2025, California’s floor was 15/30/5, among the lowest in the country, until Senate Bill 1107 doubled it.2California Legislative Information. California Senate Bill 1107 – Vehicles: Insurance The California Department of Insurance confirmed every standard auto policy would move to the new limits as it came up for renewal in 2025, so check your declarations page if you aren’t sure what you have.3California Department of Insurance. New Year Means New Changes for Insurance, Make Sure You are Protected
What the Minimum Does Not Cover
Liability insurance pays the other person’s bills when you cause an accident. It does nothing for you. It will not repair your car, pay your medical bills, or cover a rental while your vehicle is in the shop. Those protections come from collision, medical payments, and comprehensive coverage, which are optional add-ons in California.4California Department of Insurance. Automobile Coverage Limits
The minimum also runs out quickly in a serious crash. If you cause an accident where one injured person racks up $50,000 in hospital bills, your policy pays $30,000 and you owe the remaining $20,000 personally. The injured party can sue you for it. A single emergency room visit after a collision can easily reach five figures, so the state minimum covers only modest accidents.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Every insurer selling auto liability in California must include uninsured motorist coverage unless you reject it in writing.5California Legislative Information. California Insurance Code 11580.2 It protects you when the driver who hits you has no coverage or flees the scene. Underinsured motorist coverage, which fills the gap when the at-fault driver’s limits are too low, must be offered alongside it.
You can waive both, but the insurer needs your signed waiver on file. Roughly one in seven California drivers is uninsured, so think carefully before dropping these coverages to save a few dollars on your premium.
What Happens If You Drive Without Insurance
Vehicle Code Section 16029 sets the base fine for a first offense at $100 to $200, and $200 to $500 for a repeat offense within three years.6California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 16029 California’s penalty assessment system then stacks mandatory surcharges on top. A $200 base fine commonly climbs to roughly $900 by the time the court is done, and judges have no discretion to waive the assessments.
Accident While Uninsured: License Suspension
If you’re in a collision without coverage, the DMV will suspend your license for up to four years regardless of fault. You can apply to get it back during the last three years of the suspension, but only by filing and maintaining an SR-22 proof of insurance certificate with the DMV for the full three years.7California DMV. California Driver Handbook – Financial Responsibility, Insurance Requirements, and Collisions An SR-22 is filed by your insurer directly with the DMV; if the policy lapses at any point in those three years, your license is suspended again. Insurers charge a small administrative fee for the filing, usually $15 to $50, but premiums rise substantially for the duration.8California DMV. Financial Responsibility (Insurance)
Proposition 213: Lost Damages in Court
Under Civil Code Section 3333.4, passed by voters as Proposition 213 in 1996, an uninsured driver who is injured in an accident cannot recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering, even if the other driver was entirely at fault. You can still sue for medical bills and lost wages, but the often-larger category of pain, disfigurement, and quality-of-life compensation is off the table. The one exception: if you were hit by a drunk driver, non-economic damages remain available.9California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 3333.4 – Damages for Wrongs Most uninsured drivers don’t learn this rule until they’re already in a courtroom.
Proving You Have Coverage
California requires you to carry proof of financial responsibility in the vehicle and show it when registering a car, during a traffic stop, or after an accident.8California DMV. Financial Responsibility (Insurance)10California DMV. Auto Insurance Requirements11California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 16054.2 The bond and cash deposit routes exist for people self-funding their liability risk; for almost every individual driver, a standard liability policy is cheaper and simpler. If you can’t produce proof during a stop, the fine applies even when you actually have active coverage, so keep the card where you can reach it.
One More Change Coming in 2035
The same law that doubled the limits in 2025 raises them again on January 1, 2035, to 50/100/25: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 16056 If you’re buying a policy now, choosing limits at or above the 2035 floor means you won’t need to adjust anything when the law changes.