Can my California auto insurer raise my rate based on my car''s telematics data?

No. California Insurance Code Section 1861.02 limits the rating factors insurers may use. Real-time telematics behavior data (instantaneous speed, hard braking, rapid acceleration) is not on the approved list. Voluntary low-mileage programs that simply count odometer miles are different and are legal.

What if I have OnStar or a similar connected-car service?

The GM settlement bans future sales of OnStar driving data to brokers for five years and restricts use. If you previously enabled OnStar, your historical data may have been shared with insurers in other states. California drivers were not subject to rate increases from this data per Attorney General Bonta because California insurance law prohibits the practice.

How do I find out what rating factors a California insurer is actually using?

Insurers must file their rating plan with the California Department of Insurance under Proposition 103. Approved rating plans are public records. The Department''s website at insurance.ca.gov includes a tool to look up filings, and consumer complaints about unauthorized rating factors can be filed at 800-927-4357.

Should I disable connected-car features to protect my California auto rate?

The legal protection on California rates is already in place. Disabling connected-car features may protect against data sales for other purposes (advertising, marketing) but is not necessary specifically to protect your California auto insurance rate. The settlement and California law both address that protection separately.

GM Settles California Driver Privacy Case for $12.75M. CA Insurance Code Already Bars Telematics from Setting Rates.

Attorney General Bonta's May 11 settlement bans OnStar driving-data sales for five years. The case puts a federal-style precedent behind what California insurance law already prohibits.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on May 11, 2026, a $12.75 million civil settlement with General Motors over how the automaker handled driving data collected through OnStar between 2016 and 2024. The agreement, subject to court approval, restricts GM''s use of consumer driving data, bans the sale of personal data for five years, and prohibits future data sales to brokers.

According to the Attorney General''s office, GM kept track of vehicle speeds and incidents of rapid acceleration. Media reports said this driving-behavior data was shared with auto insurers in some states and that some insurers used it to justify rate increases. Bonta stated that California drivers did not experience rate hikes due to GM''s sales because California insurance law already prohibits insurers from using telematics-collected driving data to set rates.

What California law actually says about telematics and rate-setting. California Insurance Code Section 1861.02 restricts the rating factors insurers may use to set personal auto insurance premiums. The mandatory factors are driving safety record, annual miles driven, and years of driving experience. Optional factors approved by the California Department of Insurance are tightly enumerated. Real-time telematics behavior data (speed at any moment, rapid acceleration events, hard braking) is not on the approved list and cannot be used to set base California personal auto rates.

What insurers can offer in California is voluntary usage-based insurance programs that count miles driven, where the rate reduction is tied to verified low mileage, not to behavior scoring. The distinction matters: a driver in California is legally protected from being penalized at quote time for hard braking caught by their car''s embedded telemetry.

Why this case matters even though California drivers were not directly harmed. The GM settlement creates a documented federal-style precedent that the broader telematics-to-insurer data pipeline is a privacy harm even where the destination state regulates rate setting. That precedent helps consumer-rights groups push for similar protections in other states and for stronger enforcement in California.

What QuoteMoto sees in California quote requests. QuoteMoto''s California auto quote engine collects ZIP, vehicle information, driving history, prior coverage status, and SR-22 or non-owner indicators. The platform does not consume telematics data because California law prevents pricing based on it. The pricing signals that move a California quote up or down are the legally permitted factors: clean driving record, miles driven annually, years licensed, vehicle make and model, garaging ZIP.

Sources

Insurance Journal, "GM to pay $12.75 Million to Settle California Driver Privacy Probe," May 11, 2026
California Insurance Code Section 1861.02, mandatory and optional rating factors for personal auto insurance
California Department of Insurance, consumer complaint hotline 800-927-4357

GM Settles California Driver Privacy Case for $12.75M. CA Insurance Code Already Bars Telematics from Setting Rates.

Sources

Frequently asked questions