For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, Modesto car insurance averages about $315 a month ($3,776 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 5% below the California average of $332 a month. GEICO has the lowest full-coverage average of the five major insurers we compared (Allstate, CSAA, Farmers, GEICO and State Farm), at about $193 a month.
Modesto, the Stanislaus County seat, costs about $17 a month less than the California average for our benchmark driver. Of the 11 Stanislaus County cities and towns we price, only Ceres, about four miles southeast, costs more, at about $318 a month.
Our data covers seven ZIP codes with a Modesto mailing address, from about $301 a month in 95355 to $331 in 95354, which includes downtown.
Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across all seven Modesto ZIP codes in our data, compiled by Quadrant Information Services and updated as new rates are filed.
Rates as of Aug. 31, 2026. Page reviewed Oct. 7, 2026.
How Much Is Car Insurance in Modesto, CA?
Full coverage in Modesto averages $3,776 a year, or about $315 a month, for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits averages $1,379 a year ($115 a month), and 50/100/50 liability with comprehensive and collision averages $3,528 ($294 a month).
- Full coverage (100/300/100, $500 deductibles): $3,776 a year ($315 a month)
- 50/100/50 with $500 deductibles: $3,528 a year ($294 a month)
- Liability only (15/30/5): $1,379 a year ($115 a month)
- Stanislaus County: $3,698 a year ($308 a month) for full coverage
- California average: $3,979 a year ($332 a month) for full coverage
- ZIP code range: $301 (95355) to $331 (95354) a month for full coverage
Cheap Car Insurance in Modesto: Companies Compared
- Lowest average in our data, full coverage: GEICO, at about $193 a month ($2,314 a year).
- Next lowest among the five major insurers we compared: CSAA (AAA Northern California), at about $228 a month, then State Farm at $326.
- Liability only (15/30/5): GEICO and CSAA, effectively tied at about $55 a month each.
- Also on our list: USAA at about $211 a month, Mercury at $242, Progressive at $247, Travelers at $329 and Nationwide at $341 (USAA sells only to military families).
- Most expensive in our data: Farmers and Allstate, effectively tied at about $417 and $410 a month.
GEICO has the lowest full-coverage average among the five insurers in our Modesto rate data. Statewide, five of the eight published 2026 California rate studies we reviewed rank GEICO cheapest for full coverage, apart from USAA, which sells only to military families, and a sixth ties GEICO with Progressive. For liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits, GEICO and CSAA are effectively tied for the lowest average, at about $55 a month each.
Full-coverage averages by insurer in Modesto
Monthly, for the same driver and car. Insurers marked with an asterisk in the table below aren’t in the chart.
Rates insurers filed with state regulators, compiled by Quadrant Information Services, as of Aug. 31, 2026. Benchmark 40-year-old driver, 100/300/100 with $500 deductibles.
| Insurance Company: | Liability Only 15/30/5 (Yearly): | Liability Only 15/30/5 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEICO | $657 | $55 | $2,314 | $193 |
| CSAA (AAA Northern California) | $658 | $55 | $2,735 | $228 |
| State Farm | $1,657 | $138 | $3,906 | $326 |
| Allstate | $2,035 | $170 | $4,920 | $410 |
| Farmers | $1,889 | $157 | $5,006 | $417 |
| USAA (military families)* | $1,042 | $87 | $2,529 | $211 |
| Mercury Insurance* | $1,271 | $106 | $2,898 | $242 |
| Progressive* | $1,134 | $95 | $2,968 | $247 |
| Travelers* | $1,845 | $154 | $3,947 | $329 |
| Nationwide* | $1,721 | $143 | $4,096 | $341 |
| Modesto average | $1,379 | $115 | $3,776 | $315 |
This table uses Modesto ZIP codes only. See how we calculated these rates. Your own price depends on your car, driving record and coverage, so compare free car insurance quotes before you buy.
Modesto Car Insurance Rates by ZIP Code
Across the seven Modesto ZIP codes we price, full coverage for our driver ranges from about $301 a month in 95355 to $331 in 95354, a gap of $368 a year. 95355, in northeast Modesto, is the least expensive Modesto ZIP code in our data. Prices are highest in the central and southern ZIP codes: 95354, which includes downtown, averages about $331 a month, 95358, on the southwest side, $326 and 95351, on the south side, $323.
Lowest-priced Modesto ZIP codes
Highest-priced Modesto ZIP codes
Search the table for your ZIP code. The last column shows how far each ZIP code is above or below Modesto’s average.
| ZIP Code: | Liability Only 15/30/5 (Yearly): | Liability Only 15/30/5 (Monthly): | Full Coverage (Yearly): | Full Coverage (Monthly): | Full Coverage vs. City Average: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95350 | $1,372 | $114 | $3,674 | $306 | -3% |
| 95351 | $1,363 | $114 | $3,877 | $323 | +3% |
| 95354 | $1,491 | $124 | $3,976 | $331 | +5% |
| 95355 | $1,333 | $111 | $3,608 | $301 | -4% |
| 95356 | $1,330 | $111 | $3,695 | $308 | -2% |
| 95357 | $1,332 | $111 | $3,690 | $308 | -2% |
| 95358 | $1,433 | $119 | $3,913 | $326 | +3% |
Your ZIP code matters
How Much More Does Better Coverage Cost in Modesto?
Raising liability limits from 50/100/50 to 100/300/100 adds about $248 a year on average in our Modesto data, with the same $500 deductibles. That’s about $21 a month for double the per-person injury limit, three times the per-crash limit and double the property damage limit, and the full-coverage package also raises uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to 100/300.
Is Car Insurance Going Up in Modesto?
For our benchmark driver, full coverage isn’t going up. Comparing the four insurers that are in both sets of rates, in the same Modesto ZIP codes, their full-coverage average fell from $3,589 a year nine months earlier to $3,469 in rates as of Aug. 31, 2026, a 3.3% drop. State Farm cut its Modesto average 11.0%, while Allstate’s, CSAA’s and GEICO’s averages were unchanged. Farmers is new in our rates over the past nine months, so it’s left out, which is why these averages differ from the Modesto average above. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits rose 7.1%, led by State Farm, which raised its liability-only average 24.9%.
What Shapes Car Insurance Costs in Modesto
Stanislaus County averages about $308 a month for full coverage, the 12th-most expensive of the 55 California counties we price. Turlock, about 13 miles southeast, averages about $304 a month and Oakdale, about 12 miles northeast, $299, both less than Modesto.
Across Modesto’s seven ZIP codes, full coverage varies by about $30 a month for the same driver and car. Prices depend on where in California you live, not just on your car and driving record.
How Modesto Car Insurance Compares With Other California Cities
More California cities and towns are in the California rates by city table, and you can compare states on our car insurance rates by state page.
Stockton, about 27 miles northwest, averages $323 a month, and Merced, about 37 miles southeast, $289. Fremont, about 55 miles west, averages $282, and Sacramento, about 70 miles northwest, $338.
What Car Insurance Is Required in Modesto?
Drivers in Modesto follow California’s rules. The minimum rose for policies issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2025, and every policy must now carry at least:
- Bodily injury liability of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per crash
- Property damage liability of $15,000 per crash
Our California requirements guide covers uninsured motorist coverage, proof of insurance and the penalties for driving uninsured.
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Rate in Modesto
- Compare GEICO and CSAA first. They have the two lowest full-coverage averages among insurers anyone can buy from in our Modesto data, about $193 and $228 a month.
- Quote several insurers. In our Modesto data, the lowest and highest insurer averages are about $224 a month apart for the same driver and car.
- Keep proof of insurance on your phone. California law lets you show it on a mobile device, and the officer may look only at the proof. Not showing proof to an officer carries a $200 base fine, dismissed if you show you were insured.
- Compare at every renewal. Over the past nine months, State Farm has cut its Modesto average 11.0%, so the order in our table can shift.
- Ask about discounts and check your deductible. Many insurers lower rates for a clean driving record, paying in full or insuring more than one car, so ask which car insurance discounts you qualify for. Our full-coverage prices use $500 deductibles. A higher deductible lowers your premium but means you pay more yourself after a claim; see how your deductible works.
- Price a bundle. Pairing your auto policy with a home or renters policy usually earns a multi-policy discount. See home insurance costs in California, then compare free home insurance quotes.
Ready to compare
How We Calculated Modesto Car Insurance Rates
Insurers must file their rates and rating rules with each state’s insurance regulator. Quadrant Information Services uses those filings to calculate what each insurer would charge a specific driver, and InsuranceQuotes analyzes those prices. This page uses rates in effect on Aug. 31, 2026.
- Sample: 35 full-coverage premiums from five insurers across seven Modesto ZIP codes, plus the same number of liability-only and 50/100/50 premiums.
- Driver: a single 40-year-old driver, licensed 24 years, with good credit and no accidents or violations, driving a 2024 Toyota Camry LE they own, for personal use.
- Coverage: full coverage is 100/300/100 liability with $500 comprehensive and collision deductibles and 100/300 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. We also price 50/100/50 with the same deductibles, and liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits, with 15/30 uninsured motorist coverage and no comprehensive or collision. California’s minimum has been 30/60/15 since Jan. 1, 2025, so our liability-only prices use lower limits than the law requires.
- Calculation: for each insurer we take its lowest eligible price in each ZIP code and average those prices across the ZIP codes. The overall average is the mean of every insurer-and-ZIP price. Monthly figures are annual premiums divided by 12 and rounded.
- Rankings: we name a cheapest insurer only where it’s priced in at least half the ZIP codes and its lead over the next insurer isn’t so wide that it looks like an outlier. Annual prices within 3% of each other are called effectively tied.
- Rate changes: we compare the same insurer in the same ZIP codes, for the same driver and coverage, in rates as of Nov. 30, 2025, and Aug. 31, 2026. Farmers is new in our rates since November 2025, so it’s left out of rate-change comparisons; the other four insurers, Allstate, CSAA, GEICO and State Farm, are in both sets of rates. Rate-change percentages are calculated from the annual premiums shown; other percentages use the rounded monthly figures.
- Insurers marked *: priced from published 2026 California rate studies, scaled to our benchmark driver. They aren’t included in our averages or rankings.
- What this isn’t: a quote. These are modeled prices for one driver profile, calculated from insurers’ rate filings. Your price depends on your ZIP code, vehicle, driving record, coverage choices and discounts.
Coverage requirements come from California law and the California Department of Insurance. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.
Modesto Car Insurance FAQ
For our benchmark driver, full coverage in Modesto averages about $315 a month ($3,776 a year) and liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits about $115 a month, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. Full coverage is 5% below the California average of $332 a month.
GEICO has the lowest full-coverage average in our Modesto rate data, at about $193 a month, followed by CSAA at $228 among insurers anyone can buy from. USAA*, which sells only to military families, is priced at about $211 a month from published rate studies. For liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits, GEICO and CSAA are effectively tied for the lowest average in our Modesto data. Statewide, five of the eight published 2026 California rate studies we reviewed rank GEICO cheapest for full coverage, apart from USAA, and a sixth ties GEICO with Progressive. Rates vary by driver, so compare quotes for your own car and ZIP code.
Modesto, for our benchmark driver. Modesto full coverage averages about $315 a month and Stockton about $323, a difference of about $8 a month for the same driver and car.
In our data, 95355 has the lowest full-coverage average in Modesto, at about $301 a month, and 95354 the highest, at about $331. The ZIP code table on this page lists all seven.
In our Modesto data, full coverage (100/300/100 with $500 deductibles) averages about $315 a month and liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits, below California’s 30/60/15 minimum, about $115, a difference of about $200 a month ($2,397 a year). Liability-only coverage won’t pay to repair or replace your own car after a crash, a theft or a storm. California law doesn’t require full coverage, but a lender or leasing company may.
Not for full coverage, for our benchmark driver. Comparing the four insurers in both sets of rates (Farmers is new over the past nine months), their Modesto full-coverage average fell 3.3%, from about $3,589 to $3,469 a year. That’s lower than the Modesto average of $3,776 because it leaves out Farmers. State Farm cut its Modesto average 11.0%. Liability-only coverage at 15/30/5 limits rose 7.1%.
For our benchmark driver, full coverage in Modesto averages about $315 a month. Nearby, Stockton averages about $323, Merced about $289 and San Jose about $289. Merced and San Jose are cheaper; prices depend mostly on ZIP code, so compare quotes for your own address.
- About the Author
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Michael Giusti is a senior insurance analyst, business journalist, and university professor with over 20 years of experience. He serves as department chair at Loyola University New Orleans and contributes to Insurance Thought Leadership, U.S. News, and other leading financial outlets.
