(a) The annual rate offered under the program for each of the counties in California shall be established at a date according to the discretion of the commissioner. Surcharges, as a percentage of the base rate, shall be added to the base rate and that percentage shall be set at the discretion of the commissioner, if the named insured or a resident of the household of the named insured will be a driver of the automobile covered under the low-cost policy, and is a person 16 years of age or older to whom any of the following applies:

(1) Is an unmarried individual between 16 and 24 years of age.

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(2) Operates a vehicle with a driver’s license issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to § 12801.9 of the Vehicle Code and has fewer than three years of driving history.

(3) Has fewer than three years of driving history.

(4) Has not been continually licensed to drive for the past three years.

(b) (1) The California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan shall make available to an insured under the program, subject to approval by the commissioner, a premium installment option pursuant to which an insured is required to pay not more than 20 percent of the total policy cost upon issuance of the low-cost policy, followed thereafter by seven other payments. The plan may make additional payment plans available, subject to approval by the commissioner.

(2) No other premium financing arrangement shall be permitted.

(c) Rates for policies issued under the program in each county or city and county shall be reviewed and revised as follows:

(1) Rates shall be sufficient to cover (A) losses incurred under policies issued under the program, and (B) expenses, including, but not limited to, all reasonable and necessary expenses such as the costs of administration, underwriting, taxes, commissions, and claims adjusting, that are incurred due to participation in the program. For purposes of this paragraph, “losses incurred” means claims paid, claims incurred and reported, and claims incurred but not yet reported. In assessing loss reserves, the commissioner shall only allow loss reserves that are estimated from actual losses in the program or comparable data by a licensed statistical agent, as adjusted to reflect coverage provided under the program.

(2) Rates shall be set so as to result in no projected subsidy of the program by those policyholders of insurers issuing policies under the program who are not participants in the program.

(3) Rates shall be set with respect to the program so as to result in no projected subsidy by policyholders in one county of policyholders in any of the other counties.

(4) (A) Commencing on January 1, 2015, and annually thereafter through January 1, 2017, the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan shall submit the loss and expense data, together with a proposed rate and the surcharge authorized by subdivision (a) for the low-cost automobile policy for the program, to the commissioner for approval in accordance with this chapter. The commissioner shall act on the recommendation within 90 days.

(B) After the January 1, 2017, rate filing, subsequent rate filings are mandatory if the rate indication is a change of greater than 7 percent from the previous filing, or at the discretion of the CAARP Advisory Committee if the rate indication is a change of less than 7 percent.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 274, Sec. 1. (SB 570) Effective January 1, 2020.)