Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance in Los Angeles?
Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance in Los Angeles?
Geico has the best cheap car insurance in Los Angeles, at $48 per month for minimum liability coverage.
Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Los Angeles
Best cheap car insurance in Los Angeles
To help you get the best cheap car insurance in Los Angeles, ValuePenguin's editorial team compared quotes in every ZIP code for the top car insurance companies in California. We ranked the best insurance companies in LA based on customer service, coverage availability and overall value. Companies are also ranked based on affordability for different drivers.
To find the cheapest companies, ValuePenguin compared quotes for minimum liability coverage, which meets California's minimum requirements of $15,000 in bodily injury liability per person and $30,000 per accident, plus $5,000 in property damage coverage. Quotes for full coverage include higher liability limits than state minimums, plus collision and comprehensive coverage.
Cheapest minimum-coverage car insurance in Los Angeles: Geico
Geico has the cheapest minimum-liability insurance in Los Angeles.
At an average cost of $48 per month, a minimum-coverage policy from Geico is 34% cheaper than the city average, which is $73 per month.
Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Los Angeles
Drivers in LA pay 49% — or $24 per month — more for car insurance than the average driver in the state. On average, California drivers pay $49 per month for minimum-coverage car insurance.
Cheapest minimum-liability car insurance in LA
Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Geico | $48 |
| Progressive | $53 |
| Mercury | $64 |
| AAA SoCal | $67 |
| State Farm | $83 |
A minimum-coverage policy is the cheapest insurance you can buy, as it has the lowest amount of coverage required to legally drive.
Minimum coverage requirements are regulated on a state-by-state basis. California’sminimum coverage requirements include bodily injury (BI) and property damage (PD) liability.
- Bodily injury liability helps pay for injuries to other drivers and passengers in an accident where you are at fault.
- Property damage liability helps cover the costs of damage you cause to another person’s property.
However, minimum coverage won't help pay for damage to your own car. For that reason, we recommend that most drivers get full coverage, which generally includes comprehensive and collision coverage.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Los Angeles: Geico
Geico has the cheapest full-coverage insurance policies in Los Angeles, at $159 per month. That's 23% cheaper than the city average, which is $206 per month.
Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Geico | $159 |
| Mercury | $172 |
| Progressive | $187 |
| AAA SoCal | $199 |
| State Farm | $217 |
Full coverage includes more protection and, as a result, is more expensive than minimum liability insurance. A full-coverage policy includes comprehensive and collision coverage.
- Comprehensive coverage helps pay for damage caused by events out of your control, like natural disasters, theft, vandalism, shattered windows, a crash with an animal, falling objects and fires.
- Collision coverage helps pay for damage caused by driving into another vehicle or object, including crashing into another car (or another car crashing into your car while it's parked), or driving into a ditch and your car flipping over.
Cheapest quotes for Los Angeles drivers with prior incidents
Mercury has the best cheap car insurance in LA for drivers with traffic violations on their record.
Drivers with incidents on their record tend to pay more for car insurance than those with a clean record. Insurance companies believe that their risky behavior behind the wheel means they're more likely to cause an accident in the future, making them more expensive to insure.
Cheapest car insurance after a speeding ticket: Mercury
Mercury has the cheapest car insurance rates in Los Angeles after a speeding ticket. A full-coverage policy from Mercury costs $227 per month after a single speeding ticket, which is 28% cheaper than average.
Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Mercury | $227 |
| Geico | $249 |
| AAA SoCal | $297 |
| State Farm | $334 |
| Allstate | $337 |
On average, one speeding ticket raises your car insurance rates by 52% in LA — a difference of $108 per month.
You can do a few things to help make car insurance rates more affordable after a ticket. One is to look for discounts. Taking defensive driving or safe driving courses could qualify you for a discount with your insurance company.
Cheapest car insurance in LA after an accident: Mercury
Mercury has the most affordable car insurance quotes after an accident, at $260 per month for full coverage. That's 38% cheaper than the Los Angeles average, which is $418 per month.
Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Mercury | $260 |
| AAA SoCal | $319 |
| Progressive | $390 |
| Geico | $409 |
| State Farm | $432 |
Having an accident on your record doubles the cost of your car insurance in LA, as it shows you are a high-risk driver.
If you haven't been in an accident yet, you can ask about your insurance company's accident forgiveness policy. Qualifications vary by company, but it can prevent your rates from going up after an accident.
Cheapest car insurance after a DUI: Mercury
Mercury also has the cheapest car insurance quotes for LA drivers with a DUI on their record. A full-coverage policy from Mercury costs $284 per month after a DUI, which is half as expensive as the citywide average.
Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Mercury | $284 |
| Geico | $405 |
| Progressive | $456 |
| Farmers | $486 |
| AAA SoCal | $598 |
A DUI is a very serious driving violation, and you'll probably see a major increase in rates if you've been caught driving under the influence. On average, car insurance rates in LA double after a DUI.
However, not all insurance companies treat a DUI with the same severity. For example, Mercury only raises rates by 65% after a DUI citation. On the other hand, rates at Allstate are four times more expensive for a driver with a DUI versus someone with a clean record.
Cheapest car insurance for young drivers in LA: Geico
Geico has the cheapest rates for teen drivers in Los Angeles.
A minimum-coverage policy from Geico costs around $149 per month for an 18-year-old driver, which is 20% cheaper than average.
Teen drivers looking for full coverage can find the lowest rates at State Farm, where a policy costs $384 per month — 23% cheaper than the LA average.
Cheap car insurance quotes for Los Angeles teens
Company | Liability only | Full coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Geico | $149 | $420 |
| Progressive | $160 | $578 |
| State Farm | $160 | $384 |
| Mercury | $161 | $423 |
| AAA SoCal | $195 | $511 |
Drivers who are young and inexperienced are more likely to make a mistake and cause an accident. As a result, Los Angeles teens pay $118 per month more for minimum coverage insurance than a 30-year-old driver.
Outside of comparing quotes from multiple companies, you can also save money by doing the following:
- Ask about discounts. Insurance companies typically have discounts for safe drivers and good students, and for installing safety features in your car. You may already be eligible for some of these discounts.
- Consider a family plan. If your older family members already have insurance, ask if you can join their policy. Sharing with a low-risk driver, like a parent, increases the cost of their policy, but it is likely cheaper than having two separate policies. Some insurance companies even offer discounts for adding cars to your policy.
Best car insurance companies in Los Angeles
State Farm has the best-rated insurance in Los Angeles, based on a combination of great customer service, coverage availability and overall value.
The company also earned a high rating on J.D. Power's annual claims satisfaction survey, which means State Farm customers are generally happy with the service they get after an accident.
Best car insurance in LA
Company |
Editor's rating
|
|---|---|
| State Farm | |
| AAA SoCal | |
| Geico | |
| Farmers | |
| Allstate |
The cheapest car insurance policy isn’t always the best.
When comparing rates, drivers need to consider price and customer service. Insurance companies with the best customer service typically have low wait times, quick responses, convenient call times and empathetic agents. That can result in a much easier claims process if you're ever in an accident.
Average car insurance cost in Los Angeles by neighborhood
San Pedro has the cheapest car insurance quotes in Los Angeles, while drivers in Beverly Hills pay the highest rates in the city.
Los Angeles residents and insurance companies know that not every area of the city is the same. Population density, crime rates and accident rates vary by neighborhood, resulting in higher car insurance costs in some areas of Los Angeles.
For instance, if you live in San Pedro, you’ll pay an average $151 per month for full-coverage car insurance. However, if you live in Beverly Hills, car insurance costs $249 per month on average — a difference of $98 per month.
Average cost of car insurance by ZIP code
ZIP code | Monthly cost | % from average |
|---|---|---|
| 90001 | $191 | 4% |
| 90002 | $203 | 11% |
| 90003 | $204 | 11% |
| 90004 | $236 | 29% |
| 90005 | $233 | 27% |
Minimum required car insurance in Los Angeles
In California, drivers are required to have a minimum amount of bodily injury liability and property damage liability to legally drive, often written as 15/30/5. Car insurance requirements are regulated on a state level.
- Bodily injury liability (BI): $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident
- Property damage liability (PD): $5,000 per accident
Minimum liability coverage is the cheapest and lowest amount of coverage you can buy, but it may not be the best choice for you. If you get into an expensive accident and don’t have enough insurance coverage, you could find yourself paying thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses.
We recommend that drivers get more coverage than the minimum, especially if:
- Your car is new or less than eight to 12 years old.
- Your car is worth more than $5,000 to $10,000.
- You don't have enough saved to replace your car if it's destroyed or stolen.
Frequently asked questions
How much is car insurance per month in LA?
Minimum-coverage car insurance costs $73 per month in Los Angeles, on average. Drivers looking for full coverage, which includes comprehensive and collision coverage, can expect to pay around $206 per month for car insurance.
Why is LA car insurance so expensive?
There are many reasons why car insurance in Los Angeles is expensive, including the high number of cars on the road, population density and car accident and theft rates. Minimum-coverage car insurance in LA costs 49% more than the California average and 33% more than the national average.
Who has the cheapest car insurance in LA?
Geico has the cheapest car insurance quotes in Los Angeles for most people. A minimum-coverage policy from Geico costs $48 per month, while full coverage costs $159 per month. However, the cheapest car insurance for you depends on a lot of factors, like your age, driving history and which neighborhood you live in.
Methodology
To find the best cheap car insurance in Los Angeles, ValuePenguin gathered quotes from the state's largest insurance companies. Rates are for a 30-year-old man who owns a 2015 Honda Civic EX and has a good credit score.
Full-coverage quotes include higher liability limits than the state minimum requirement, along with comprehensive and collision coverage.
Coverage | Limit |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 per accident |
| Medical payments | $10,000 |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist BI | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Comprehensive and collision | $500 deductible |
ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only — your own quotes may be different.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.