Single drivers in California could soon pay less for car insurance

If you’re single in California, your car insurance may soon become just a little bit cheaper.

Under California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the state could soon adopt regulations that would ban auto insurance companies from using a driver’s marital status when determining car insurance rates.

The proposed changes to Proposition 103 would mean auto insurance rates are determined by only three main factors: a driver’s safety record, the number of miles driven each year, and years of driving experience.

Although marital status has been an optional factor under Prop 103, reports show that unmarried drivers, including those who are single, divorced or widowed, can be charged up to $100 more than married drivers with the same coverage.

Lara’s proposed regulations would change that.

The state’s formal public notice and review process is expected to happen next.

If adopted, the regulations would require insurance companies to submit revised rating plans to the California Department of Insurance to ensure compliance.

It’s unclear, however, how insurance companies would adjust their overall base-rate structures if marital status is no longer a factor.

When voters approved Prop 103 in 1988, the measure established mandatory and optional factors that could be used to determine auto insurance rates.

Marital status was approved as an optional rating factor by the Department of Insurance in 1996.

In a July 16, 2026, ruling in “Ison v. Lara”, a divided panel of the First District Court of Appeal upheld the insurance commissioner’s authority over what could remain an optional rating factor.

Presiding Justice Alison M. Tucher disagreed, arguing that using a person’s marital status as a rating factor conflicts with state civil rights protections.

Lara has decided to use this ruling to formally introduce the proposed regulations that would eliminate marital status as a factor in setting auto insurance rates.

“The price of your auto insurance should be based on how you drive, not whether you’re married,” Lara said in a statement.

Some state lawmakers expressed support for the proposed change.

“There is no circumstance where it is acceptable for an unmarried driver to pay more for auto insurance for the sole reason of being unmarried,” said Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee.

State Sen. Steve Padilla, chair of the Senate Insurance Committee, agreed.

“Marital status is a data shortcut, not a direct, demonstrable fact about how someone drives. By finally eliminating marital status as a rating factor, Commissioner Lara is correcting a 30-year failure and putting fairness back into what Californians pay,” he said.

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