How much does insurance go up after a ticket?

Insurance Q&A: “How much does insurance go up after a ticket?”

If we had a nickel for every time we were asked this question, we’d be able to afford our car insurance!

These types of questions are common around here, and come in many variations.

How much does insurance go up after an accident, a DUI, 1 point on a license, etc., etc.…the list is long and seemingly never-ending.

What’s the not-so-good news?

You got caught breaking the speed limit and now you’re dealing with a ticket. How much is this going to cost you with your auto insurance company?

First off, there is no set insurance premium increase for a ticket.

But there are several factors that play a role in how much, if anything, you’ll be charged for the infraction.

Type of ticket – Are we talking DUI, speeding (5 or 25 miles per hour over the limit), hit and run, or failure to obey a signal? Every type of violation has a different “point” assignments and therefore affect your insurance costs differently.

Generally, a 10% rate increase is not out of the question for your first speeding violation.

For example, if you pay $1,000 per year for car insurance with a clean driving record and then get a “failure to yield” ticket, you might jump up to $1,100 per year, or $8.33 more per month.

On the other hand, if you were cited for DUI, reckless driving, or “leaving the scene of an accident,” you may notice a HUGE difference in premium…assuming your policy is not canceled or you’re non-renewed.

Reckless driving or a DUI might double or triple your premium costs. That “annoying” $1,000 per year might jump to as much as $3,000 per year. You could also be designated a high-risk driver, which means some companies could choose not to insure you at all.

Keep in mind that a non-moving violation, like a parking ticket, should not affect your insurance premium.

Your age – If you’re 16, a speeding ticket may ruin you. On the other hand, if you’ve been behind the wheel for 10 or more years, you may not see much of an increase at all in your auto insurance rate.

“Young” equals “inexperienced” as far as insurers are concerned. And inexperienced drivers tend to cost insurance companies more money in the form of insurance claims.

[How much is car insurance for a 16 year old?]

Driving history – If this is your first ticket (and your above, say 25 years old) you will likely get off with little punishment. If this is your second or third ticket, you’ll probably see a pretty hefty insurance increase.

Insurance companies review multiple reports about our driving history when deciding how much to charge us for coverage. Expect your motor vehicle record (MVR) and C.L.U.E. report to be reviewed at the very least.

Your personal credit history (insurance score) plays a big role in your premium as well.

[Credit scores and car insurance rates.]

That said; if these reports contain “activity” in the form of other previous tickets or accidents, expect to pay more…and more.

As discussed above, everyone makes mistakes, but few of us make multiple mistakes. If you can’t follow the rules of the road it’ll cost you.

Type of insurer – There are types of auto insurance companies out there that specialize in drivers with “activity.” They don’t get too stressed out about a ticket or an accident.

On the flip side, there are some insurance providers that make it clear they aren’t interested in insuring a “risky” driver and will hike your rate significantly if you receive a ticket.

Should you consider accident forgiveness?

You may want to purchase accident or ticket forgiveness if you are insured with a carrier that doesn’t like to see “activity” on their insured’s records. This works for everyone involved…sort of.

Companies who don’t specialize in insuring drivers with tickets (i.e. their rates are HIGH for it) will allow you to pay an additional premium every month to “insure” your insurance policy against you getting into an accident or receiving a ticket.

That way they can get more money out of you over time and hold onto your policy if you have any “trouble.” It’s called “retention,” and it’s how insurance companies make money.

Accident and ticket forgiveness help the insured as well, although maybe not for all the best reasons.

The “good” is you won’t see a HUGE premium spike if you get a ticket or have an accident while enrolled in the program.

The “bad” is you stay with the same insurer by paying them more money to “accept” your coverage.

Most major insurers offer a number of insurance discounts to policyholders. While you might not qualify for a safe driver discount with violations on your record, you could still be entitled to a variety of discounts, such as the multi-vehicle discount, multi-line discount, and defensive driving class discount, to name a few.

You could also raise your deductible and/or drop some coverage options from your auto insurance policy. Just remember, if you raise your collision deductible, you’ll pay more out of pocket for damages after an accident. (For more information, read our “What is a collision deductible waiver?“)

Most states have minimum coverages you must maintain to drive legally. Generally these consist of bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage.

Some states also require uninsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection.

If you have an older vehicle that you would probably replace after an accident, you may not need collision or comprehensive coverage.

What changes should you expect when you get a speeding ticket?

Taking the information above into account, here are some VERY GENERAL guidelines:

“Minor” offenses – expect anywhere from 3-10 percent increase in your premium without ticket forgiveness.

“Major” offenses – your policy premium could double (or even triple) depending on the factors listed above.

Worst-case scenario your policy may be non-renewed or denied coverage by another carrier.

What’s the good news?

If you received a ticket recently, now is the time to get insurance quotes to put all your concerns to rest. You might find that switching insurers is something you should have done a while back…

And be sure to review the basics of how car insurance rates are determined to familiarize yourself with the concepts discussed above.

Remember, as time passes after your ticket, you’ll be charged less and less until the ticket eventually “falls off” your record. So it’s certainly not the end of the world!

Read more: What do insurance companies consider a lot of tickets?