If you have a bad driving record, you’ll pay more for car insurance. Depending on the details, you might pay a lot more for car insurance. Having speeding tickets, accidents or DUIs on your record increases your insurance rates by 26% to 75%, according to our study.
The cheapest insurance with a bad driving record depends on several things, including the type of violation. However, we found that Erie, USAA and State Farm generally had the cheapest rates for bad drivers across the board.
Learn how to get cheap car insurance for your bad driving record, including:
Cheapest car insurance companies with a bad driving record
We analyzed over 100,000 car insurance quotes for drivers with poor driving records. We compared car insurance quotes for clean driving records against drivers with a speeding ticket, accident or DUI on their record.
In general, Erie, USAA and State Farm offered the cheapest car insurance for a bad driving record, regardless of the violation. Here’s how it shakes out for each specific violation.
Rate increases for bad driving vary depending on the violation. Progressive increased rates by 55% after an accident, but only 32% after a DUI. Increases also depend on the company: MetLife and Geico charge more than double after a DUI, while State Farm only raised rates by 36%.
Looking for cheap car insurance with a bad driving record?
Comparing quotes can help a bad driver save over $1,000 a year.
How much does car insurance cost for a bad driving record?
There’s no way around it: it’s expensive. We looked at thousands of quotes for full-coverage car insurance in every state, and here’s what we found.
Car insurance goes up by 26% after a speeding ticket, 40% after an accident and 75% after a DUI. It’s virtually guaranteed that your car insurance rates will go up with a violation on your record. And you’ll usually pay higher rates for three to five years after the violation. Depending on the severity of the violation and where you live, it could be longer.
Insurance costs after an accident, speeding ticket or DUI in 2021
Just how much is that speeding ticket, accident or DUI going to cost you? It depends on where you live and your exact insurance coverage, but the answer is generally more than you might think. We found that on average, your insurance premiums will increase by 26% after a speeding ticket, 40% after an accident and 75% after a DUI.
| State | Yearly rate increase after a speeding ticket | Yearly rate increase after at-fault accident | Yearly rate increase after a DUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $216 | $421 | $791 |
| Alabama | $203 | $396 | $743 |
| Alaska | $146 | $286 | $537 |
| Arizona | $383 | $747 | $1,403 |
| Arkansas | $173 | $339 | $636 |
| California | $178 | $348 | $654 |
| Colorado | $251 | $489 | $919 |
| Connecticut | $283 | $552 | $1,036 |
| Delaware | $289 | $564 | $1,059 |
| Florida | $382 | $747 | $1,402 |
| Georgia | $212 | $414 | $778 |
| Hawaii | $156 | $305 | $573 |
| Idaho | $129 | $252 | $473 |
| Illinois | $254 | $497 | $932 |
| Indiana | $127 | $248 | $466 |
| Iowa | $117 | $228 | $428 |
| Kansas | $130 | $255 | $478 |
| Kentucky | $321 | $626 | $1,176 |
| Louisiana | $339 | $663 | $1,244 |
| Maine | $106 | $207 | $390 |
| Maryland | $285 | $557 | $1,046 |
| Massachusetts | $184 | $358 | $673 |
| Michigan | $470 | $917 | $1,722 |
| Minnesota | $231 | $451 | $848 |
| Mississippi | $237 | $462 | $869 |
| Missouri | $201 | $392 | $736 |
| Montana | $131 | $255 | $479 |
| Nebraska | $121 | $236 | $444 |
| Nevada | $383 | $748 | $1,404 |
| New Hampshire | $182 | $356 | $668 |
| New Jersey | $218 | $425 | $798 |
| New Mexico | $170 | $332 | $624 |
| New York | $579 | $1,131 | $2,124 |
| North Carolina | $117 | $228 | $429 |
| North Dakota | $113 | $221 | $415 |
| Ohio | $114 | $223 | $419 |
| Oklahoma | $195 | $381 | $716 |
| Oregon | $295 | $576 | $1,081 |
| Pennsylvania | $157 | $306 | $574 |
| Rhode Island | $377 | $736 | $1,383 |
| South Carolina | $232 | $453 | $852 |
| South Dakota | $105 | $205 | $385 |
| Tennessee | $152 | $296 | $556 |
| Texas | $302 | $589 | $1,106 |
| Utah | $213 | $417 | $782 |
| Vermont | $108 | $212 | $397 |
| Virginia | $161 | $314 | $589 |
| Washington | $234 | $458 | $859 |
| West Virginia | $137 | $268 | $504 |
| Wisconsin | $118 | $230 | $431 |
| Wyoming | $89 | $175 | $328 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | |||
Speeding tickets, accidents and DUIs can stay on your driving record for years but they will generally only affect your insurance premium for around three years. The table below shows just how much your bad driving record is going to cost while it’s on your insurance record.
| State | Extra insurance costs for speeding ticket | Extra insurance costs for at-fault accident | Extra insurance costs for DUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Average | $976 | $1,216 | $2,374 |
| Alabama | $405 | $1,187 | $2,229 |
| Alaska | $146 | $857 | $1,610 |
| Arizona | $383 | $2,241 | $4,209 |
| Arkansas | $520 | $1,016 | $1,908 |
| California | $578 | $1,044 | $1,961 |
| Colorado | $501 | $1,467 | $2,756 |
| Connecticut | $848 | $1,656 | $3,109 |
| Delaware | $578 | $1,691 | $3,176 |
| Florida | $1,147 | $2,240 | $4,207 |
| Georgia | $424 | $1,242 | $2,333 |
| Hawaii | $469 | $915 | $1,719 |
| Idaho | $387 | $755 | $1,418 |
| Illinois | $763 | $1,490 | $2,797 |
| Indiana | $254 | $744 | $1,398 |
| Iowa | $350 | $684 | $1,284 |
| Kansas | $391 | $764 | $1,435 |
| Kentucky | $962 | $1,878 | $3,527 |
| Louisiana | $1,018 | $1,988 | $3,733 |
| Maine | $106 | $622 | $1,169 |
| Maryland | $551 | $1,670 | $3,137 |
| Massachusetts | $1,409 | $1,075 | $2,019 |
| Michigan | $3,287 | $2,750 | $5,165 |
| Minnesota | $1,156 | $1,354 | $2,543 |
| Mississippi | $237 | $1,387 | $2,606 |
| Missouri | $602 | $1,176 | $2,208 |
| Montana | $392 | $765 | $1,437 |
| Nebraska | $363 | $708 | $1,331 |
| Nevada | $1,532 | $2,244 | $4,213 |
| New Hampshire | $547 | $1,068 | $2,005 |
| New Jersey | $653 | $1,276 | $2,395 |
| New Mexico | $170 | $996 | $1,871 |
| New York | $1,448 | $3,394 | $6,373 |
| North Carolina | $351 | $685 | $1,287 |
| North Dakota | $340 | $663 | $1,245 |
| Ohio | $228 | $669 | $1,257 |
| Oklahoma | $586 | $1,144 | $2,148 |
| Oregon | $590 | $1,727 | $3,243 |
| Pennsylvania | $157 | $918 | $1,723 |
| Rhode Island | $1,131 | $2,209 | $4,149 |
| South Carolina | $465 | $1,360 | $2,555 |
| South Dakota | $210 | $615 | $1,155 |
| Tennessee | $152 | $888 | $1,668 |
| Texas | $905 | $1,766 | $3,317 |
| Utah | $640 | $1,250 | $2,347 |
| Vermont | $217 | $424 | $1,192 |
| Virginia | $482 | $941 | $1,767 |
| Washington | $703 | $1,373 | $2,578 |
| West Virginia | $412 | $536 | $1,511 |
| Wisconsin | $118 | $689 | $1,294 |
| Wyoming | $89 | $524 | $984 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | |||
We used the average rate increases for speeding, accidents and DUIs and extrapolated it over a three year period. The resulting number is an estimate of how much a driver will pay in additional insurance costs while a driving violation stays on their record.
How to get insurance discounts as a bad driver
We’ve established that you’ll likely face higher rates for a few years if you have blemishes on your driving record. Besides comparing car insurance quotes, there are a few things you can do to get cheaper rates.
First, bundling your insurance is an easy way to cut 10% (or more) off your premium. Most people bundle car insurance with home or renters insurance.
Second, you can work to lower your credit score. If your credit score is lousy, you’ll likely face significantly higher rates. Taking steps to improve your credit can cut a hefty amount off your insurance rates.
Third, check with your insurer to see if you qualify for any other discounts, including:
- Low mileage
- Defensive driver courses
- Good student
High-risk insurance companies for bad drivers
If you rack up violations on your record, insurance companies may see you as a high-risk driver. Standard insurance companies may refuse to cover high-risk drivers, or, if they do offer coverage, they’ll charge considerably higher rates.
You may struggle to find an insurance company to cover you due to your bad driving record, but you have a few options. First, you can get quotes from companies that specialize in covering high-risk drivers.
High-risk car insurers include companies like:
- Dairyland
- Acceptance
- The General
- Bristol West
- Kemper
- GAINSCO
If you’re still struggling to get insured, see if your state offers an assigned risk plan. These are government programs that provide liability insurance to drivers who struggle to find car insurance on their own. But know that these plans are often expensive and should be considered a last resort.
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