So you are new to the scene of California auto insurance? It’s like searching for the best taco at a lively festival–there are so many choices, each claiming to be better than all others. This part of insurance is not just smart; it’s necessary. Drivers can often be as unpredictable as kids with candy. But never fear; navigating this road shouldn’t be bumpy. Ready to dive in to Golden State Auto Rates?

First things first: in California, every driver has to have liability insurance. They hope to make the roads safer this way. Liability insurance pays for any harm you do to someone else in an auto accident–thinking of it as minimum coverage is pretty much on the money. With gridlock as bad as that in LA or the streets of San Francisco sloping sometimes steeply up anywhere you look, what you get from topping off your minimum coverages here can and will be a lifesaver. Who wants to get a big old bill after giving only a friendly “hello” through bumpers?

Now we peep behind the curtain of premium payments. See how they change like the weather on California’s shore? Calm one moment, stormy another! Anything from your driving record to where you park your wheels every day and even whether someone else drives here most of the time can throw these numbers around. Live in high-crime land? Count on them to go up. Keep a squeaky-clean record? They’re likely to come down.

One thing that people might not know is that low-mileage drivers can get a break on their rates. This is California’s way of saying thank you for helping to alleviate traffic jams of legendary badness. It’s not just human hands that adjust these prices either. Here come telematics in order to save you money if your driving looks more like that of a cautious tortoise than a hasty hare.

Silent means of transport for a long time, the car radio has been the subject of many an hour’s interminable learners’ course. However this is not all bad. (See why next paragraph.) While distractedly driving is just plain no fun to anyone, here’s a realistically tongue-in-cheek piece of advice for you: Please, please don’t pretend the steering wheel is a secret agent’s joystick. That way you can both keep peace and save on your household budget. With earthquakes at times, forest fires now and then and the very earth under our feet occasionally going out to lunch on us, comprehensive might become your prince when you’re in a jam.

Finally do remember: Don’t let yourself be caught without the foggiest idea of what point had been reached when accidents come. Take along your insurance certificate, policy details and even a disposable camera–yes they still exist. Got the picture? Ok, good. California automobile insurance looks complicated, but with the right knowledge you won’t be caught flatfooted.