Is Allstate writing new auto insurance policies in California right now?

Yes. Allstate lifted its California auto underwriting restrictions in December 2023 after the state approved a roughly 30% rate increase, and the carrier remains open to new auto applicants in May 2026.

Is Allstate writing new homeowners policies in California?

No. Allstate paused new California homeowners writing in 2022 and has not reopened the book. It is not among the six private carriers the San Francisco Chronicle identified in March 2026 as having filed expansion commitments under California's Sustainable Insurance Strategy.

How much have California Allstate auto rates gone up recently?

The California Department of Insurance approved an approximately 30% average increase that took effect in late 2023, followed by a 6.9% statewide average increase effective May 7, 2025, the maximum allowed under Proposition 103 without a public hearing.

Does my credit score affect my California Allstate auto quote?

No. California's Proposition 103 prohibits insurers from using credit-based scoring as a rating factor for personal auto coverage, so credit history does not influence a California auto quote from any carrier, including Allstate.

Allstate Is Open for California Auto Business in 2026, but Homeowners Stays Paused

After a 30% auto rate hike unlocked new-business writing in late 2023, Allstate's California auto book grew through Q1 2026 even as the carrier kept its homeowners freeze in place.

Allstate is still actively writing new auto insurance in California in May 2026, more than two years after a 30% rate increase ended its yearlong pause on new business in the state. The carrier's California homeowners book remains closed to new applicants, a separation that matters for shoppers comparing quotes this spring.

The current posture traces back to December 2023, when the California Department of Insurance approved a roughly 30% average auto rate increase for Allstate. The carrier had stopped writing new California auto policies in November 2022, citing inadequate rates, and treated the approval as a precondition for returning to the market. Within weeks of the decision Allstate told regulators it was lifting its underwriting restrictions on new California drivers, a move S&P Global Market Intelligence and Insurify both documented at the time.

A second California auto increase landed in May 2025

After coming back online, Allstate followed up with another California auto filing that took effect May 7, 2025. The Department of Insurance approved a 6.9% statewide average increase, the largest single increase Proposition 103 allows without triggering a public hearing. Bankrate and trade outlet AutoQuoteTracker reported the filing pushed an average California Allstate policy from about $3,728 to roughly $3,985 a year.

That 6.9% ceiling has become a recurring pattern across the California auto market. Multiple Farmers companies, Allstate's Esurance subsidiary, an Auto Club Enterprises subsidiary, and Aspire General were each cleared for 6.9% increases inside the same regulatory window, according to ProgramBusiness reporting on CDI activity.

Q1 2026 results show the California reopening paid off

Allstate's first quarter 2026 earnings, released April 29, 2026, suggest the rate path is working at the corporate level. Auto insurance underwriting income more than doubled year over year to $1.73 billion, the recorded combined ratio improved 9.4 points to 81.9, and policies in force grew. Insurance Business and CollisionWeek both flagged the result as a sharp turnaround versus peer carriers.

In February 2026, Allstate said it had cut premiums for 7.8 million auto and homeowners customers nationally by an average of 17% after doubling 2025 net income. The company did not break out the California share of those reductions, and the announcement did not signal a change to California homeowners availability.

Homeowners is a different story

Allstate has not resumed writing new California homeowners policies. The carrier paused new home business in the state in 2022 and, despite expressing interest, has not filed a new-business commitment under Commissioner Ricardo Lara's Sustainable Insurance Strategy on terms that have reopened the book. A May 2025 CDI announcement listed Allstate among insurers that planned to submit filings under the strategy alongside Mercury and CSAA, but the San Francisco Chronicle noted in March 2026 that Allstate and State Farm General remained outside the group of six private carriers that had actually filed to expand under the new rules.

That split, auto open and homeowners closed, sits inside a tense statewide moment. On May 4, 2026, the California Department of Insurance announced enforcement action against State Farm over its handling of Eaton and Palisades wildfire claims, with regulators citing 398 violations. Governor Gavin Newsom warned other carriers the same day that they would be held to the same standard. The state's insurance commissioner seat is also on the June 2, 2026 primary ballot, with Lara termed out and roughly a dozen candidates competing to replace him.

What it means for California shoppers right now

If you are quoting auto coverage today, Allstate is one of the carriers actively bidding for new business. Pricing reflects two consecutive approved increases on top of California's 2025 minimum-liability change to 30/60/15 under SB 1107, so quotes are higher than they were in 2022. California's Proposition 103 also prohibits the use of credit-based scoring in auto rating, so credit history is not a factor in any California auto quote, including Allstate's.

For homeowners, Allstate is not a current option for new applicants in California. Shoppers in wildfire-exposed ZIPs are most often choosing between renewal carriers, the FAIR Plan, and the small group of insurers that have filed expansion commitments under the Sustainable Insurance Strategy.

The practical move in May 2026 is to compare at least three auto quotes, including a Sustainable Insurance Strategy participant and a national carrier that returned to California writing, before binding a policy.