In reversal, California regulator says unmarried drivers should not pay more for auto insurance

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Set us as preferred For decades, single, divorced and many widowed drivers have paid more for auto insurance in California than those who are married.That could soon change.Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in a surprising decision announced Wednesday he is barring auto insurers from considering marital status in setting premiums.While the insurance department has previously defended the regulation as valid because unmarried drivers are more prone to get into accidents than married ones, it cast doubt on that position in a regulatory filing last week.Business An appeals court has upheld a California regulation allowing insurers to charge unmarried drivers more for auto insurance.The department said that while there is a correlation between marital status and accident rates, it said that correlation could be driven by secondary factors, such as income, educational attainment and employment.“In light of evolving societal norms, the Commissioner deems there is insufficient justification for the continued use of marital status in automobile insurance rating,” the filing stated.Unmarried drivers will see discounts in the future when insurers seek approval for new rate plans from the department.

The department will no longer allow martial status to be used for any rate plan filed after Oct 25.The regulatory change was included in a legal brief filed by the department in a lawsuit brought by 11 unmarried drivers in 2022 seeking to overturn the policy.A state appeals court decision upholding the marital status policy is being appealed to the state Supreme Court.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 f...