The best way to get low cost California car insurance is to go for liability only (which protects the other guy, not you), especially if you have an older car with a low value. However, you may want to take in a few factors first.

Liability auto insurance is what is required by law in California; all the rest is optional. It assures that if you hit someone and it's your fault, that that person's injuries and car damage will be paid for. If you want to get extremely low cost California auto insurance, this is the way to go. You'll be required to purchase $15K worth of bodily injury, $30K worth of bodily injury total for everyone involved, and $5K worth of car damage, usually written as 15/30/5. 

However...

If that isn't enough to cover damage YOU caused in an accident, then the person you injured may try to sue you for damages. If you don't have any assets (house, expensive car, large bank account), then there is naught they can do. But if you DO have any large assets, you may want to consider purchasing higher levels of liability auto insurance to reduce the chances of getting sued.

If you have a relatively expensive car (say $10K and up) you may also want to consider collision and/or comprehensive. These kinds of auto insurance will protect your own car no matter whose fault it is, but are only really worth it if you stand a lot to lose by being hit. If your car is an older one with a lower value (according to Kelley Blue Book at kbb.com), then it usually is not worth paying for comprehensive and collision. 

If neither of these two factors apply to you, and you are really broke, then go ahead and get the lowest required liability. This way, all you're doing is complying with the absolute minimum California law requires from car insurance. 

Did you know you can get extremely cheap California auto insurance if you know in advance what you need and what you must have to comply with the law? There are two basic kinds of car insurance in California: liability, and "full" coverage. Liability covers the guy you hit, and full coverage covers yourself. Full coverage can be further divided into comprehensive and collision.

To comply with the law and keep from getting a ticket, California requires you to have enough liability coverage to pay for $15,000 in bodily injury, $30,000 in more than one bodily injury, and $5,000 for car damage. THIS IS ALL YOU NEED. You can get many, many low cost insurance plans if you ask for only 15/30/5.

However, you may want to weigh the risks and decide if you need to buy anything to cover yourself. Collision insurance pays for your car no matter whose fault the accident is, and comprehensive car insurance covers anything else that can happen to your car besides a collision: theft, water damage, fire, etc.

If you have an older car or a car whose value is dropping quickly, you may want to consider forgoing the comprehensive and collision insurance and just going with the liability. The amount you save over time may well make up for any damage that eventually does occur.

This program is aimed at solving the problem of high numbers of uninsured drivers on the road in California by theorizing that many people don't buy car insurance because of the cost. If there were a way to get the cost down, perhaps more people would purchase it. Say hello to the California Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program. There are a few prerequisites to qualify:

• You must make $26,000 or less (or $35,000 or less if there are two of you)
• You must not have had more than one your-fault accident or one moving violation that results in a California DMV point within the last three years
• You must not have had an accident involving bodily injury or death within the past three years
• You must be at least 19 years old
• You must have had a driver's license for the past three years
• Your vehicle must not be valued at more than $20,000

If you meet these requirements, you may be able to get low cost California car insurance. For more details, call 1-866-602-8861.

There are many, many factors that can affect whether you can get low cost car insurance in California. Here are some of the more prominent factors in order of importance:

1. Age

When you reach 25 years of age, your auto insurance will become cheaper dramatically. Insurance companies like statistics, and statistically you have calmed down from your wreckless teenage years by then

2. Driving History

It goes without saying that your past (recent) driving history is the most reliable indication of what you will drive like in the near future. The more accidents, speeding tickets, and so on, the less you will be able to find cheap insurance.

3. Neighborhood

If you live in the ghetto, you're gonna pay a higher insurance rate in California

4. Car

The auto insurance industry in California is fickle in regards to what type of car you own. In general, some things are common sense. For instance, if you have airbags, you are less likely to be hurt in an accident and thus are less likely to file auto insurance claims.

Estimating the price you can get for a cheap insurance plan is difficult, as each individual is unique. The only way to find out is to get a quote and compare the many California insurance companies offers.

You'll need car insurance in California for one of two reasons: you want to protect yourself and your car, or you just want to comply with the law by buying insurance that protects the guy you hit. If you are only interested in going the low cost route, then you'll need to meet the minimum required liability insurance that California law requires.

The minimum insurance is currently 15/30/5, which means a maximum payout of $15,000 for one injured person (caused by you), a maximum payout of $30,000 for property damage (the car you hit), and a maximum payout of $5,000 for all other injuries caused by you. That means that if you hit somebody, your insurance company will pay up to those amounts to that person for their injuries and damage.

This is what you are required to have by law, and if a copy stops you it's what you'll need to prove you have so you don't get a ticket for not having insurance. So is it cheap?

Perhaps. It depends of course on your driving history, age, car, and so on, and can be highly variabl. Currently I am paying $56.61 a month for my 15/30/5 insurance, and that is for two drivers and two vehicles, one of which is a sports car convertible.

I can't guarantee you'll get the same. All you can do is shop around and see what prices you are offered.