Not married and need car insurance? You can get dinged for that in California

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred California has long been known as a progressive state that embraces evolving lifestyles, but when it comes to auto insurance, it seems stuck in the 1950s.Single, divorced or widowed and need coverage for your car? You might very well pay more than your married neighbor — a penalty sanctioned by the state and judiciary.A California appeals court last month upheld a lower court ruling that rejected a lawsuit seeking to abolish the right of insurers to charge the unwed more because of their higher statistical chance of getting into crashes.

The decision is expected to be appealed.The lawsuit by 11 unmarried drivers specifically sought a court order that would have forced Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to eliminate marriage as an optional factor in setting rates — but he opposed it, even as regulators bar the consideration of sex, age, race and other personal characteristics.Business Auto insurance rates have surged because of high inflation and soaring vehicle repair costs in the car capital of the country.“This is really a question about whether the insurance commissioner has the ability to pick and choose what civil rights laws are appropriate to enforce,” said Christian Schreiber, who is among several attorneys representing the drivers who also have filed proposed class actions against 12 insurers over the rule.A test conducted by the Consumer Federation of America, cited in a legal brief in support of the litigation, found that unmarried drivers pay more.Single, divorced and widowed drivers got quotes in April 2025 that were up to $108 higher for six months of premiums from four out of five California carriers.Mercury, a large Los Angeles-based insurer, charged the highest differential, though it offered lower rates to widowed motorists with 34 or more years of driving experience.

It decli...