Some California drivers will be getting a nasty surprise when they open their car insurance bills this year.
That's because California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved some big rate hikes in the last six months, ending a long COVID break after insurance companies complained they were losing money and cutting back in the nation's largest vehicle market. Higher rates for Geico, Mercury and others are just now showing up in insurance renewal letters that customers receive.
And more increases are in the pipeline, consumer advocates say, even as some insurers have yet to refund customers for premium overcharges during the early months of the pandemic when people were driving less and getting into fewer accidents.
