12 terms every California driver should understand before comparing quotes. Each definition cites its authoritative source.
- Bodily injury liability
- Bodily injury liability pays medical and legal costs when you are at fault and injure another driver, passenger, or pedestrian. California minimum is $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident under CA Insurance Code 11580.1b. San Pablo drivers on I-80 corridor should consider 50/100 to match commute exposure.
- Source: CA Insurance Code 11580.1b
- Property damage liability
- Property damage liability pays vehicle and property repair costs when you are at fault. California minimum is $5,000 per accident. Most advisors recommend $25,000 or higher because newer vehicles routinely exceed $25K in repair costs.
- Source: CA Insurance Code 11580.1b
- Collision coverage
- Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your vehicle after a collision with another car or object, regardless of fault. Lenders require it on financed vehicles. San Pablo deductibles commonly run $500 or $1,000 depending on vehicle ACV per https://content.naic.org/consumer/auto-insurance.htm.
- Source: NAIC Auto Insurance Guide
- Comprehensive coverage
- Comprehensive coverage pays for non-collision vehicle damage - theft, fire, flood, hail, falling objects, animal strikes. In Contra Costa County, catalytic-converter theft and Bay Area vehicle theft make comprehensive especially relevant.
- Source: NAIC Auto Insurance Guide
- Uninsured motorist coverage
- Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays your medical expenses when an at-fault driver has no insurance. California uninsured driver rate is approximately 16.6% per NAIC 2024. UM coverage is especially practical for San Pablo I-80 commuters.
- Source: NAIC 2024
- SR-22
- An SR-22 is a state-required certificate of financial responsibility filed by a carrier with CA DMV to prove you carry minimum liability after a DUI, at-fault uninsured accident, or license suspension. San Pablo non-standard carriers (Dairyland, The General, Bristol West) handle SR-22 filings electronically with CA DMV.
- Source: CA DMV
- Good-driver discount
- A mandatory CA discount of at least 20% for drivers licensed 3+ years with no at-fault accidents and at most one DMV point. Every California carrier must offer it under Prop 103 (CA Ins. Code 1861.025). For a San Pablo clean-record driver, this is the largest single discount.
- Source: CA Insurance Code 1861.025
- Territory rating
- Territory rating is the practice of filing different base rates for different geographic areas - typically ZIP code zones - with the CA DOI. Two San Pablo drivers with identical profiles in different Contra Costa ZIPs (94806 vs. 94803 El Sobrante) can receive different quotes.
- Source: CA DOI rate filing rules
- Named driver exclusion
- A named driver exclusion formally excludes a specific household member from coverage. In California, excluded drivers are not covered under any circumstance. San Pablo households use exclusions to avoid pricing a high-risk teen or adult-child driver into a preferred-rate policy.
- Source: CA Insurance Code
- Lapse in coverage
- A lapse in coverage is any period - even one day - when a vehicle required to be insured had no active policy. Lapses appear on CLUE reports and can increase premiums, narrow carrier appetite, or trigger SR-22 in San Pablo.
- Source: CA DOI
- California Low Cost Auto Insurance (CLCA)
- CLCA is a state-subsidized minimum-liability program for income-qualified CA drivers, available at mylowcostauto.com. Contra Costa County coverage starts around $232-$285/year. CLCA provides 10/20/3 minimum limits only - below standard 15/30/5 minimums - and excludes collision and comprehensive.
- Source: CA DOI CLCA program
- Declarations page
- The declarations page is the document - typically the first 1-2 pages of a policy - that summarizes coverage limits, deductibles, premium, covered vehicles, listed drivers, and policy dates. Comparing declarations pages is the most reliable way to verify equivalent coverage at a lower price.
- Source: NAIC Consumer Guide