Liability-Only Car Insurance in Daly City, CA
California's lowest legal coverage — the 30/60/15 minimum that took effect in 2025. We explain exactly what liability-only covers, what it does not, and whether it actually fits your car and budget. Serving Daly City.
By Auto World Insurance Services · CA Broker License #6005606
Your quote is never sold to a list of agents — one licensed California broker (#6005606) contacts you.
Quick answer
In Daly City, 29.6% of households have exactly one vehicle and 10.8% of commutes are an hour or more (Census). For qualifying Daly City drivers, liability-only coverage starts at $31 a month — an advertised starting point, not a quote: your own rate depends on your record, mileage, vehicle and coverage choices, and different carriers price the same driver very differently, which is why we compare.
Local data · San Mateo County
One car, long miles, and Daly City’s pedestrians
Liability is the part of a policy that pays for the people you injure. These are the figures for Daly City.
- Households with exactly one vehicle
29.6% of Daly City households (9,547 of 32,225).
- An hour or more to work
10.8% of Daly City’s 48,396 commuters.
- Pedestrians
Daly City, 2023: 43 pedestrians were killed or injured.
Of them, 6 were under 15 and 5 were aged 65 or older.
4th of 62 in OTS size group B (1 = worst) — among the worst fifth.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates, 2023 — 29.6% (table B08201); 10.8% (table B08303)
- California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), 2023 — 43
Not insurance rates or quotes.
Local guide
Liability-only in Daly City: who handles the crash, the theft trend and where to sue
A crash on I-280 or Highway 1 in Daly City is a San Francisco CHP case, and a small-claims suit is heard in Redwood City or South San Francisco. For a liability-only driver, whose own car is paid for only if someone else pays, that paper trail is the whole claim.
Freeway crashes go to CHP San Francisco
The CHP’s San Francisco Area does not stop at the county line: its jurisdiction runs south down the Peninsula on US-101 and I-280 to Millbrae and on State Route 1 to Montara Beach, which takes in Daly City’s freeways. Its office is at 455 Eighth Street in San Francisco, and its crash report, the CHP 555, can be requested at any CHP Area office or online.
That report matters more when you carry liability only. With no collision coverage, the other driver’s insurer is the only source of payment for your car, and the report is one of the first documents that insurer will read on fault.
Daly City’s theft numbers
Daly City police reported 371 vehicle thefts to the Department of Justice for 2023, 320 for 2024 and 159 for 2025, so the 2025 count was less than half of 2023’s. Thefts of motor-vehicle accessories fell from 408 in 2022 to 107 in 2025, and thefts from vehicles were 115 in 2025.
The Department of Insurance places theft and vandalism under comprehensive. A falling count is good news for a Daly City driver weighing liability-only, but a single theft still comes entirely out of pocket for someone without comprehensive.
Suing an uninsured driver
San Mateo County Superior Court holds small-claims hearings either at the Hall of Justice in the County Center complex in Redwood City or at its Northern Branch in South San Francisco. Hearing calendars require an in-person appearance, with Zoom available on a hardship basis, and the court runs a small-claims advisor and a mediation program.
Code of Civil Procedure section 116.221 sets the ceiling at $12,500 for a person, and California’s self-help guide is plain that if you win, collecting the money is up to you, not the court.
Where this comes from
- California Highway Patrol — (335) San Francisco Area — Jurisdiction south on US-101 and I-280 to Millbrae and on SR-1 to Montara Beach; CHP 555 crash reports
- California DOJ OpenJustice — Crimes and Clearances data file, 1985–2025 — Motor-vehicle theft, theft-from-vehicle, vehicle-accessory theft and clearance counts reported by each police department
- California Department of Insurance — Auto insurance terms — What comprehensive, collision and uninsured-motorist property damage coverage pay for; deductibles
- Superior Court of San Mateo County — Small Claims Division — Small-claims hearings at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City or the Northern Branch in South San Francisco
- California Code of Civil Procedure section 116.221 — Small-claims jurisdiction for a natural person up to $12,500 (amended by SB 71, effective January 1, 2024)
- California Courts Self-Help Guide — Small claims — The small-claims ceiling for individuals and businesses; collecting a judgment is up to the winner
Reviewed 2026-10-18
Liability-only is the most basic coverage California lets you drive on, and for some Daly City drivers it is the right call. Since January 1, 2025, the minimum is 30/60/15 — in thousands of dollars: injury per person, injury per accident, property damage — replacing the old 15/30/5.
Daly City & San Mateo County
Speed was a factor in 29 fatal or injury collisions in Daly City that year, and a speeding ticket goes on the same driving record your rate is built from. 16.3% of Daly City commuters are at work inside fifteen minutes, and annual miles driven is one of the factors California rates on. 47% of workers here are on the road half an hour or more each way, and more time on the road is more exposure, whatever your record looks like. 55% of Daly City workers drive to work alone, which is why almost every household here needs its own policy rather than a shared one. 12.4% of Daly City workers carpool, and who else drives your car is a question worth answering honestly on the application rather than after a claim. 14 motorcyclists were killed or injured in Daly City in the ranked year, which is the case for carrying more than the minimum on two wheels.
Sources: California Office of Traffic Safety, Crash Rankings; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates
Driving in Daly City
Closest DMV field offices
- Daly City — 1500 Sullivan Avenue, Daly City 94015
Source: California DMV field office list, retrieved September 21, 2026.
City population
104,901
Liability coverage from $31 a month. Yes, really.
State-minimum coverage for less than a tank of gas. Not everyone qualifies — two minutes tells you if you do.
Quote Daly City today
Insurance in Daly City: What Local Drivers Should Know
Vehicle thefts reported to Daly City police fell from 332 in 2022 to 159 in 2025, according to California DOJ figures. Liability insurance never pays for your own car; comprehensive is the coverage that pays when a car is stolen, after the deductible.
Source: California DOJ OpenJustice — Crimes and Clearances (1985–2025)
Major routes
I-280 · SR-1 · US-101
SR-22 / DMV
We normally file your SR-22 electronically with the California DMV the same business day your policy is bound. The closest DMV field offices to Daly City that accept proof of insurance are the Daly City and San Francisco offices.
Carriers we write for Daly City
National General · Bristol West · Foremost — servicio en español disponible
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum car insurance a Daly City driver can carry?
Is the state minimum enough in Daly City?
Sources: California Office of Traffic Safety, OTS Crash Rankings — Daly City, 2023 (derived from SWITRS)
Who should choose liability-only in Daly City?
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2023) — Daly City city, California
If I carry only liability in Daly City, what happens when someone else hits me?
Sources: California Office of Traffic Safety, OTS Crash Rankings — Daly City, 2023 (derived from SWITRS)
I commute over an hour from Daly City. Is liability-only still reasonable?
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2023) — Daly City city, California