California Proposes Ending Use of Marital Status in Auto Insurance Rates
Single drivers in California may soon stop paying more for car insurance simply because they are unmarried. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has proposed regulations to prohibit insurers from using a driver's marital status as an optional factor when setting private passenger auto insurance rates, so premiums reflect driving risk instead.
Under Proposition 103, California auto rates are set mainly by three mandatory factors: driving safety record, annual miles driven, and years of driving experience. The Insurance Commissioner may also approve optional factors with a substantial relationship to the risk of loss. Since 1996, marital status has been one of those approved optional factors, and insurers that chose to use it often quoted married drivers lower rates.
'The price of your auto insurance should be based on how you drive, not whether you're married,' Lara said, noting that insurers have used marital status for 30 years and calling the proposal an end to an outdated practice. Assembly Insurance Committee Chair Lisa Calderon and Senate Insurance Committee Chair Steve Padilla both backed the change, arguing that ratemaking should rest on real indicators of risk such as safety records and mileage.
The proposal follows a July 16, 2026 ruling by California's First District Court of Appeal in Ison v. Lara, which upheld the Commissioner's authority over optional rating factors under Proposition 103. Once the regulations are final, insurers using marital status will have to bring their rating plans into compliance through the department's Prop. 103 review process, and any resulting rates remain subject to review for fairness. Consumers with insurance questions can call the department's hotline at 1-800-927-4357. (Source: California Department of Insurance)
Source: California Department of Insurance
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：公路上行驶的汽车（资料图）。CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A car on the highway (file photo). CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
