Auto liability coverage pays for injuries and property damage you are legally responsible for causing to other people. It does not pay for your own car or your own injuries.
The CDI automobile terms list defines liability insurance as coverage for a policyholder's legal liability for injuries to other persons or damage to their property. Vehicle Code §16056 sets the California minimum for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025: $30,000 for injury or death of one person, $60,000 for two or more people, and $15,000 for property damage, written as 30/60/15. The same section raises those amounts again for policies from January 1, 2035. Section 16020 requires financial responsibility to drive.
Liability only vs more
Liability only meets the law; it leaves your own car uninsured. Compare in full coverage vs liability. Spanish: responsabilidad civil. Index: glossary.
Sources, checked October 7, 2026: CDI automobile terms, Vehicle Code §16056, §16020.