California Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in 2026: What 30/60/15 Really Means
In 2026, every California driver must carry at least 30/60/15 liability coverage: $30,000 for bodily injury to one person, $60,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $15,000 for property damage. Those limits took effect on January 1, 2025 under Senate Bill 1107, replacing the 15/30/5 minimums California had used for decades. If your policy still shows the old numbers, it no longer satisfies state law — and if you're required to file an SR-22, your policy has to meet these current minimums before the filing will do its job.
This guide breaks down what each number actually pays for, what the minimum leaves uncovered, and how the limits connect to an SR-22 filing.
TL;DR: California's minimum liability limits are 30/60/15 as of January 1, 2025 — $30k per injured person, $60k per accident, $15k property damage. They're scheduled to rise again to 50/100/25 in 2035. Liability-only coverage pays for other people's injuries and property, never your own car. An SR-22 policy must meet at least the 30/60/15 minimums to satisfy the DMV.
What the three numbers actually mean
"30/60/15" is shorthand for three separate limits on your liability coverage. Liability coverage pays other people when you're at fault — it never pays for your own vehicle or your own injuries.
| The number | What it is | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | Bodily injury liability, per person | The maximum paid toward one injured person's medical bills, lost wages, and related damages in an at-fault accident you cause |
| $60,000 | Bodily injury liability, per accident | The maximum paid across all injured people in a single accident, no matter how many are hurt |
| $15,000 | Property damage liability | The maximum paid to repair or replace what you damaged — usually another car, but also fences, mailboxes, storefronts, and light poles |
Two things trip people up. First, the $60,000 is a ceiling for the whole crash, not an amount added to each person's $30,000. Second, anything above your limits is your personal responsibility — the other party can pursue you directly for the difference.
Why California's minimums went up
California's old 15/30/5 limits were set in 1967 and never adjusted for inflation. Senate Bill 1107 (2022) changed that with a two-step increase:
| Effective date | Bodily injury per person | Bodily injury per accident | Property damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through Dec 31, 2024 | $15,000 | $30,000 | $5,000 |
| Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2034 | $30,000 | $60,000 | $15,000 |
| Jan 1, 2035 onward | $50,000 | $100,000 | $25,000 |
The practical reason for the change is simple: $5,000 in property damage no longer covers much of a modern vehicle repair. Doubling the bodily-injury limits and tripling property damage brings the floor closer to what real claims cost — which protects the injured party and protects you from being sued for the shortfall.
What to do about it: pull up your declarations page (the summary sheet from your insurer) and look at the liability line. If it reads 15/30/5, you are below the legal minimum and need to update your policy. Most carriers adjusted policies automatically at renewal, but not every driver got the memo — and drivers who let coverage lapse and later reinstated an old quote sometimes end up short.
What the state minimum does not cover
Meeting the minimum keeps you legal. It does not make you fully protected. California's requirement covers only liability, which means the following are all optional and all absent from a bare-minimum policy:
- Collision coverage — repairs to your car after an accident you caused.
- Comprehensive coverage — theft, vandalism, fire, hail, a tree branch, a cracked windshield.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) — pays your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough. Insurers must offer it in California; you can reject it in writing, and many minimum-limits buyers do.
- Medical payments (MedPay) — your own and your passengers' medical bills regardless of fault.
- Rental reimbursement and roadside assistance.
If you finance or lease your vehicle, your lender almost certainly requires collision and comprehensive on top of the state minimum — that's a contract term with your lender, not a state law. Our high-risk auto insurance guide explains how those coverages sit alongside a required filing.
How the minimums connect to your SR-22
An SR-22 is not insurance. It's a certificate of financial responsibility that your insurance company files electronically with the California DMV to prove you carry at least the state-required liability coverage. The filing is attached to a policy — it isn't a policy of its own, and it isn't something you buy from the DMV.
That distinction matters here because the SR-22 certifies a specific level of coverage. Since January 1, 2025, that level is 30/60/15. So:
- An old policy at 15/30/5 can't support a valid SR-22. The coverage behind the filing must meet current minimums.
- The filing has to stay continuous, typically for three years. If your policy cancels or lapses, your insurer files an SR-26 with the DMV, your license can be re-suspended, and your three-year clock may restart.
- You don't need to own a car to file. A non-owner (operator) SR-22 certifies liability coverage for you as a driver in vehicles you don't own — a common path for people reinstating without a vehicle.
- The filing fee itself is small (often around $25). What drives the cost is the high-risk policy underneath it, which is why comparing carriers matters so much.
Learn how the filing works end to end in our California DMV SR-22 guide and What Is an SR-22?.
Not sure whether your current policy meets the minimum?
Send us your declarations page and we'll read it for you in a couple of minutes — no charge, no pressure. Call (657) 600-0955 or request a free SR-22 quote.
Is the state minimum enough coverage?
Legally, yes. Practically, it depends on what you'd lose in a bad outcome.
Consider what $15,000 in property damage covers. A single late-model vehicle can exceed that in repairs, and a multi-car pileup exhausts it quickly. The same goes for the $30,000 bodily injury limit — one emergency-room visit with imaging and a short hospital stay can approach it. Once your limits are used up, the injured party's attorney looks at your assets and your wages.
That's the case for buying above the minimum when you can. The counterweight, especially for drivers who need an SR-22, is affordability: a lapsed policy is far worse than a modest one, because a lapse re-suspends your license and can restart your filing period. The right answer is usually the highest limits you can comfortably sustain for three straight years, not the highest limits you can afford this month.
If budget is the constraint, look at the levers that actually move the price before you cut coverage — see 12 Ways to Lower Your SR-22 Insurance Cost and our SR-22 discounts page. California also runs a state Low Cost Automobile Insurance program for income-eligible drivers; we can tell you whether you'd qualify and whether it fits your situation.
What happens if you drive without meeting the minimum
California's financial responsibility law (Vehicle Code 16028/16029) requires you to carry evidence of insurance and show it on request.
- A first offense for driving without insurance typically carries a fine of $100–$200, plus court assessments that can multiply the total considerably.
- Your vehicle can be impounded, adding towing and storage costs.
- If you're uninsured in an at-fault accident, the DMV can impose a financial-responsibility suspension — and getting your license back then requires filing an SR-22 and keeping it active for the standard three-year period.
That last point is the one people don't see coming: an uninsured fender-bender can put you on the same three-year SR-22 track as a DUI. Our driving without insurance in California page covers the process in detail.
Quick checklist: are you compliant in 2026?
- Your declarations page shows liability limits of at least 30/60/15.
- Your policy is active today — not lapsed, not in a grace period you're hoping stretches.
- You can produce proof of insurance (card or electronic) on request.
- If the DMV requires a filing, your insurer has an SR-22 on file and it has not been cancelled by an SR-26.
- If you have a loan or lease, you also carry the collision and comprehensive your lender requires.
Frequently asked questions
What are California's minimum car insurance requirements in 2026? Liability limits of 30/60/15: $30,000 bodily injury per person, $60,000 bodily injury per accident, and $15,000 property damage. These have applied since January 1, 2025.
Did California's insurance minimums really change? Yes. Senate Bill 1107 raised the minimums from 15/30/5 to 30/60/15 effective January 1, 2025, with a further increase to 50/100/25 scheduled for January 1, 2035.
Does an SR-22 policy have to meet the new 30/60/15 limits? Yes. An SR-22 certifies that you carry at least the state-required liability coverage, so the policy behind the filing must meet the current minimums. A policy still written at the old limits won't satisfy the requirement.
Is uninsured motorist coverage required in California? No. Insurers must offer it, but you may reject it in writing. It's optional — though it's the coverage that pays your injuries when the at-fault driver has none, which is worth weighing before you decline it.
What happens if my insurance lapses while I have an SR-22? Your insurer files an SR-26 cancellation notice with the DMV, your driving privilege can be suspended again, and your three-year filing clock may restart. See What Happens If Your SR-22 Lapses?
Get a policy that meets the requirement — and keeps meeting it
Compliance isn't a one-time box to tick. It's three years of not letting anything slip. That's the part we handle every day: we shop California's high-risk market for the lowest rate you actually qualify for, write the policy at limits that satisfy the DMV, file your SR-22 electronically — often the same day — and watch the renewal dates so your filing never lapses.
Call (657) 600-0955 or request your free quote. No judgment, no pressure — just clear answers and a policy that holds up.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Insurance requirements, DMV rules, and fees can change; verify the specifics of your situation with the California DMV, the California Department of Insurance, or a qualified attorney. Woodward Agency is a licensed California insurance agency and is not affiliated with the California DMV.