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Drivers facing the Kemper California rate increase are in an unusual spot: their carrier is raising rates in the same state, and the same month, that the largest insurer in the market is cutting them.
The squeeze also comes in two parts. The headline filing lands in April, and a second, smaller one follows in June, so the 7% number isn’t the whole story.
About 517,000 California Drivers Will Pay 7% More Starting April 2026
Kemper filed a 7.0% rate increase on a California private passenger auto book covering roughly 516,944 policyholders. The filing runs through Infinity Insurance Company, Kemper’s California non-standard brand, and takes effect on policies renewing on or after April 6, 2026.
The average affected driver will pay about $187 more per year, pushing the typical premium from roughly $2,692 up to about $2,880. Across the book, Kemper will collect roughly $96.7 million in additional written premium each year because of this change. The increase was filed with the California Department of Insurance, tracking number NFNT-134708647, and has cleared the state’s prior-approval review.
Spread $187 across twelve billing cycles and it lands near $16 a month. The book behind it is big: this single filing sits on roughly $1.39 billion in annual premium that Kemper already collects from these drivers.
A Second Kemper Filing Follows in June
The April increase isn’t the only one moving. Kemper filed a companion 3.0% increase through the same Infinity book, covering another 231,948 policyholders. That one starts hitting renewals on June 7, 2026.
The companion filing adds about $21.6 million in new written premium. Divide that $21.6 million across its 231,948 policyholders and the average driver in that pool pays roughly $93 more per year.
| FILING | RATE CHANGE | DRIVERS AFFECTED | RENEWALS BEGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFNT-134708647 | +7.0% | 516,944 | April 6, 2026 |
| NFNT-134751751 | +3.0% | 231,948 | June 7, 2026 |
Source: SERFF rate filings NFNT-134708647 and NFNT-134751751, California Department of Insurance.
Put the two filings together and the Kemper California rate increase reaches 748,892 drivers. The combined change adds about $118.4 million in annual premium, which works out to an average of $158 per policyholder. Blended across both pools, the typical premium moves from about $2,822 to $2,980.
Why Kemper Is Raising While State Farm Is Cutting
The contrast is the story. The same cycle, State Farm filed a 6.2% decrease on its four-million-policy California book. Kemper, writing through Infinity, sits in the non-standard segment, the market for drivers who have had trouble getting standard-market rates because of a recent claim, a lapse, or a thinner credit-based insurance history.
Non-standard books carry higher claim costs and recover more slowly than the standard market, so they tend to lag on the way down. A standard-market carrier can file a decrease in the same state where a non-standard carrier files an increase, because the two are pricing very different pools of risk.
The cost pressure behind the filing is the familiar kind. Modern bumpers hide sensors, repair labor is tight, and medical bills tied to injury claims keep climbing. When those costs outrun the premium coming in, a carrier files for more, and the non-standard segment feels that squeeze first because its drivers file claims more often.
What a Non-Standard Policy Means for Your Price
Non-standard is the industry’s label for drivers the standard market won’t take at its best rates. A recent at-fault accident, a DUI, a coverage lapse, or a thin insurance history can all land you there. Carriers like Infinity build their whole book around those profiles.
That focus shows up in the base price. The average policy in this filing already costs about $2,692 a year before the increase. Premiums at that level usually carry surcharges, and surcharges fade over time.
The label isn’t permanent, either. Tickets and accidents age off your record, lapses heal once you hold continuous coverage, and a driver who entered this book two years ago may already qualify for better pricing somewhere else. Carriers won’t volunteer that news, so the only way to find out is to ask for fresh quotes and compare them against your renewal.
Kemper and Infinity: One Bill, Two Names
The renewal notice may say Infinity rather than Kemper, and that’s normal. Infinity Insurance Company is the legal entity Kemper uses to write non-standard auto policies in California, and the product on these filings is called Infinity Special Automobile.
From the driver’s seat it’s the same company and the same bill. Both filings in this story were submitted by Infinity, reviewed by the state under Kemper’s corporate group, and priced against the same California book.
How the Kemper California Rate Increase Compares
Inside Kemper’s own house, the two filings point the same direction: the carrier believes its California book needs more premium. The 7% main filing does most of the work, and the 3% companion finishes the job.
Outside the house, the gap is sharper. State Farm’s 6.2% decrease covers four million policies in the same state, in the same cycle. A driver who has aged out of the non-standard segment could see prices falling at the exact moment Kemper customers see them rise.
Averages also hide a range. Drivers carrying full coverage tend to land above the $187 average on the main filing, while liability-only drivers usually land below it. Your renewal notice will show your exact number before the new rate touches your account.
How a Filed Increase Reaches Your Bill
California is a prior-approval state. A carrier files its proposed change with the California Department of Insurance through SERFF, the system regulators use to track rate filings, and the change can’t take effect until the department signs off. Both Kemper filings have cleared that review.
Approval doesn’t change anyone’s bill by itself. Your premium only moves when your own policy renews on or after the filing’s renewal date, April 6 for the main filing and June 7 for the companion. Two neighbors with the same coverage can see the new rate months apart just because their policies started in different seasons.
One term worth decoding on your notice is the average. The $158 combined figure is a blend across two pools of drivers paying two different increases, 7% in one and 3% in the other. Your own change depends on which pool you sit in, plus your vehicle, your coverage choices, and your record.
That lag is your shopping window. The day a filing lands isn’t the day you need to act, but the weeks before your renewal date are.
What This Means for Your Renewal
A 7% increase on a non-standard California policy already priced near $2,900 a year is exactly the situation where shopping pays off most. If your driving record or credit profile has improved since you first took this policy, you may now qualify for standard-market pricing that this filing does not reflect, and the standard market in California is actively cutting rates right now.
Check which filing covers you first. If your renewal lands between April 6 and June 7, the 7% main filing is the one in play, and waiting won’t help, because the companion follows right behind it.
If your record has stayed clean since you signed up, get standard-market quotes before you accept the new number. One clean year can be the difference between renewing into the Kemper California rate increase and starting at a lower base with another carrier.
Your coverage choices deserve a look too. If you carry full coverage on a vehicle worth only a few thousand dollars, the renewal letter is a good moment to rethink the collision and comprehensive lines, not just the carrier. At premiums near $2,900 a year, even small trims add up fast.
We log every new California filing as it lands. Bookmark the national rate tracker and check it the week your renewal notice arrives, so you know whether your carrier is moving up or down before you commit to another term.
A 7% increase rarely arrives alone. Non-standard carriers like Kemper tend to file in the same direction for several cycles, so one hike can signal more to come. Locking in a lower rate now, before the next filing, helps protect you from stacking increases. The cost of waiting is usually higher than the cost of switching.
How to Save on Insurance
- Shop before your renewal date. Pull quotes from three to five carriers, including at least one standard-market carrier filing decreases this cycle, so you are comparing the new Kemper number against fresh competition.
- Check whether you now qualify for standard-market pricing. A single clean year since your last incident can move you out of the non-standard segment, where rates often run sharply higher.
- Compare against the majors filing cuts. Quote State Farm, GEICO, and Progressive before accepting.
- Raise your deductibles if you carry low ones, and ask about every discount you qualify for.
- See how this filing compares to other California rate changes.
A 7 percent Kemper increase lands at your next renewal, not before, which gives California drivers a clear window to act first. Kemper writes heavily in the non-standard market, so the same driver can sometimes find a standard-market carrier at a lower price after a clean year. The goal is not loyalty to one company but a fair price on identical coverage, and that often means re-quoting the moment an increase is announced. Drivers who treat the hike as a prompt to shop, rather than a fee they have to absorb, typically keep the most control over their premium.
Sources Used
- California Department of Insurance: filings NFNT-134708647 and NFNT-134751751
- NAIC Auto Insurance Database Report
- Insurance Information Institute, Auto Insurance Facts & Statistics