California Casualty Insurance Review
- With 3.2/5 stars in 2024, California Casualty is a decent insurance company.
- Read California Casualty reviews, complaints and prices before you buy.
California Casualty insurance: Ratings and reviews
California Casualty has provided insurance for more than 100 years. Based in San Mateo, California, the company offers a wide range of coverage types in a number of U.S. states. However, eligibility is limited to those who work in the professions of education, nursing, law enforcement or who work as first responders. With its relatively limited scope, the company aims to provide special perks and benefits to its customers that wouldn’t otherwise be available.
While these occupation-focused perks may appeal to some, the company suffers from a higher complaint ratio for both home and auto insurance. Below you’ll find an overview of the different policy options provided by California Casualty Insurance.
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Caters to essential workers who work in a number of sectors
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12-month premium guarantee
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Customizable coverage options
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Bundling options
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Not everyone is eligible
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Not a great option for high-risk drivers
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Lacking in mobile and online services
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Higher than average premiums
Is California Casualty a good insurance company?
The majority of The Zebra's review incorporates how well California Casualty scores in terms of customer service. In order to determine that we looked at the following third-party ratings.
BBB Customer Reviews: 1.33/5
- California Casualty has a 1.33/5 rating from Better Business Bureau customers[1]
Complaint Index: Above average
- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) receives Above average customer complaints for California Casualty[2]
Financial Strength: Fair
- California Casualty received a financial strength rating of Fair from A.M. Best for its ability to pay out claims[3]
The Zebra Customer Satisfaction Survey
Alongside third-party ratings, we like to include results from our own customer survey. Feedback from real customers indicated which auto insurance companies are the best in multiple categories. While California Casualty received an overall score of 7.64/10, putting it in 27th place, we did not collect a sufficient amount of data on California Casualty for it to be included in individual categories.
How much does California Casualty insurance cost?
Currently, the national average for a 6-month car insurance policy is $1093, whereas California Casualty is about $958Â or roughly 9%Â more expensive than a typical policy.
The table below shows how California Casualty auto insurance compares against other top insurers.
Updating data...
| Company | Avg. Monthly Premium |
|---|---|
| Allstate | $201 |
| Cal Casualty | $160 |
| Farmers | $149 |
| GEICO | $129 |
| Nationwide | $123 |
| Progressive | $157 |
| State Farm | $131 |
Source: The Zebra
Similar to any insurance company, pricing for California Casualty auto insurance does vary based on your age and generally will get cheaper the older you get. The table below shows California Casualty's car insurance premiums for different age brackets.
Updating data...
| Age Group | Avg. Monthly Premium |
|---|---|
| Teens | $587 |
| 20s | $208 |
| 60s | $162 |
| 40s | $158 |
| 30s | $155 |
| 50s | $154 |
Source: The Zebra
The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool data methodology
The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool for home and auto insurance rates utilizes the latest ZIP code-level rate filings from across the U.S., sourced from Quadrant Information Services and S&P Global. These filings, typically updated annually or biennially by insurers, are verified through Quadrant’s QA process and then integrated into The Zebra’s estimator.
The displayed rates are based on a dynamic home and auto profile designed to reflect the content of the page. This profile is tailored to match specific factors such as age, location, and coverage level, which are adjusted based on the page content to show how these variables can impact premiums.
For a comprehensive understanding, see our detailed methodology.
Discounts offered
California Casualty offers many ways to save on your car insurance. Below is a list of some of the more common car insurance discounts available through Cal Casualty:Â
- Multi-car: Save money by insuring multiple vehicles on your policy.
- Multi-policy: Bundling multiple policy types can lead to discounts.
- Mature driver: With age comes wisdom — and better driving that leads to savings.
- Good student: Students with higher grades cost less to insure.
- College graduate: Save on your premiums if you have a college degree.
Read more about California Casualty discounts here.Â
Search, compare and buy all on one site. Start saving today!
What types of coverage does California Casualty offer?
Policyholders can expect standard auto policy options including liability, comprehensive and collision coverage, uninsured motorist coverage, personal injury protection (where applicable) and medical payments.
However, the company also offers some unique coverages that aren't widely available elsewhere. See below for some of the additional car insurance options available through California Casualty.
- $500 in personal property coverage
- Non-factory/custom equipment coverage
- Pet injury coverage
- Loan or lease payoff coverage
- Deductible waivers for nurses, educators and public safety professionals
See a full list of Cal Casualty's coverage options here.
Additional lines of insurance
Alongside auto insurance, California Casualty offers a multitude of other insurance products:
California Casualty insurance: Summary
California Casualty offers unique benefits for eligible customers, so essential workers in fields like education, nursing, law enforcement or first-response teams may consider this insurance company worthwhile. However, its prices are slightly above average and customer reviews indicate a high complaint threshold and shaky financial strength. The Zebra finds California Casualty to be a bit of a toss-up — it may work for those eligible customers who value customized coverage and are comfortable with the price, but others may find the poor reviews and lack of online and mobile services troubling.
Methodology — how The Zebra reviews insurance companies
The team of insurance experts at The Zebra considers the company's standing in five main categories to come up with an overall rating. These metrics are weighted according to importance and are detailed below:
- Price (20%): Using the base profile detailed below, we compared the company's average rate with the national average. If it surpassed this average, we gave a lower rating; if it fell below, we awarded a higher rating.
- Coverage (20%): The highest-scoring companies offer a variety of coverage options, including bundling options, roadside assistance, telematics, beyond-basic coverage levels, and a variety of other coverage types.
- Customer service (30%): We averaged ratings from JD Power, the NAIC complaint index to come up with a rating for the company's customer service. In instances when a company is not rated, we may use alternative rating agencies such as the Better Business Bureau and Trust Pilot.
- Financial strength (10%): We use AM Best to determine a company's financial standing. In some cases when a company is not rated by AM Best, we may use an alternative measure such as Demotech.
- The Zebra's Customer Satisfaction Survey (20%): The Zebra conducts an annual survey measuring customer satisfaction for many of the top insurance companies with the goal of ranking both the best auto insurance companies and best home insurance companies. Read more below.
For our auto insurance review, we analyzed more than 83 million insurance rates spanning every U.S. ZIP code using a sample user profile: a 30-year-old single male driver with a Honda Accord, good credit and full coverage at these levels:
- $50,000 per person/$100,000 per incident for bodily injury liability
- $50,000 per incident for property damage liability
- $500 deductibles for collision and comprehensive coverage
For our home insurance review, rates are based on a sample user profile: a 45-year-old married homeowner living in a 2,500-square-foot single-story home built in 2011 with these coverage levels:
- $200,000 for the dwelling
- $20,000 for other structures
- $100,000 for personal property
- $100,000 for personal liability
- $1,000 deductible
These sample premiums are dynamic and automatically refresh whenever the newest data is made available.
To generate pricing for particular rating factors, we adjusted this profile based on common pricing factors used by major car insurance companies. These factors include credit score, coverage level and others.
For The Zebra's Customer Satisfaction Survey, findings are based on an online quantitative survey of 4,134 current U.S. auto and home insurance customers, with Census-balanced sampling by age, gender and region. Categories with n=<20 responses are considered insufficient sample size and are not reported. This survey was developed by The Zebra and executed by independent research firm Maru/Blue in 2023.
California Casualty insurance: Frequently asked questions
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About The Zebra
The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.
- The Zebra’s insurance content is written and reviewed for accuracy by licensed insurance agents.
- The Zebra’s insurance editorial content is not subject to review or alteration by insurance companies or partners.
- The Zebra’s editorial team operates independently of the company’s partnerships and commercialization interests, publishing unbiased information for consumer benefit.
- The auto insurance rates published on The Zebra’s pages are based on a comprehensive analysis of car insurance pricing data, evaluating more than 83 million insurance rates from across the United States.