How Does a Clean Driving Record Affect Car Insurance Rates in 2024?

Your driving record significantly affects your car insurance rates. For example, a driver with a clean driving record might earn a quote as low as $106 per month, while a driver with a bad record could pay as much as $496 per month, according to Insurify data. Here’s what you need to know about clean driving records, how to clear your driving record, who has the best car insurance rates for clean drivers, and more.

What is a clean driving record?

Though each state may define a clean driving record a bit differently, a clean driving record is generally free of infractions like speeding, at-fault accidents, failing to use proper signals, driving under the influence (DUI), or distracted driving.

“Having at-fault accidents, moving violations, or excessive claims will not be in your best interest,” says Tony Russell, an independent insurance agent in Eugene, Oregon. These infractions can remain on your driving record for three to five years or longer, depending on the offense and the state where the violation occurred.

How to check your driving record

If you don’t know exactly what your driving record contains — or the timeline of past infractions — you can check your history. Follow this process to easily check your driving record:

1. Visit your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website.

2. Provide your personal information in the required fields.

3. Pay any requested fees.

4. Follow the instructions to request an official copy through the mail or in person if your driving record is unavailable online.

How does a clean driving record affect the cost of insurance?

Drivers with clean records tend to pay much lower rates than drivers with infractions like accidents, speeding, and DUIs on their driving records.^[1] For example, your insurer may increase your premium by a certain percentage after you file a claim for an accident you caused.^[2]

The following table illustrates the difference between average monthly car insurance rates for drivers with clean records and those with driving infractions. On average, drivers with clean records pay about 29% less for car insurance than those with a speeding ticket. And drivers found guilty of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs pay about 66% more than drivers with a clean record.

Cost benefits of having a clean record

If you have a clean record, you’re more likely to earn several cost benefits related to your deductible, premium, and good driver discounts.

• Lower deductible: You may earn a vanishing or diminishing deductible when you have a clean record. Some insurers will consider your risk of getting into an accident to be low and reduce your deductible by a set amount or percentage each policy period you don’t have a violation or accident. For example, Progressive will subtract $50 from your policy’s collision or comprehensive deductible at renewal for each six-month policy period you are accident- and violation-free.

• Good driver discounts: You can save on your monthly premiums and earn good driver discounts, such as accident forgiveness. With accident forgiveness, some companies, like GEICO, won’t increase your rates due to your first at-fault accident if you’ve been accident-free for a certain amount of time. “If your rate goes up with your current carrier, but you still have accident forgiveness, be very careful about jumping to another insurance company where you may lose it,” says Russell. “Some accidents raise your rate 30%.”

• Lower premiums: Having a clean driving record will save you a significant amount each year through lower premiums.

Cheapest car insurance companies for drivers with clean records

Drivers with clean records earn some of the lowest rates for liability and full-coverage auto insurance from many different auto insurance companies. As you’ll see in the table below, rates for drivers with clean records vary by insurer and coverage type. 

If you purchase a full-coverage car insurance policy, you’ll pay more than you would for liability-only coverage. The average monthly quotes for liability insurance start as low as $106 with USAA, $107 with Erie, and $125 with both GEICO and State Farm. The cheapest average monthly full-coverage quotes include $132 with Erie, $152 with USAA, and $172 with Travelers.

Cheapest states for car insurance with clean records

Car insurance premiums vary by state due to location-based factors, like weather, the likelihood of crime, and state minimum vehicle insurance requirements.^[3] Drivers in urban areas also tend to pay higher rates than those in rural and suburban areas because traffic congestion and population density increase driving risks.

For example, the data in the chart below shows how drivers in New York, with its large urban centers and populous suburbs, pay about seven times more for liability-only coverage than drivers in North Carolina, which has much smaller cities. 

How to clear your driving record

If you have infractions on your driving record you’d like to clear, you can take specific actions to try to have points removed, including:

• Take a defensive driving course. Some states won’t give you points on your record for certain traffic charges if you take a defensive driving course. Some municipality websites can even advise you on eligibility requirements and how to apply for a defensive driving course.

• Dispute errors. To ensure you’re not being charged higher-than-necessary car insurance premiums, check your driving record and dispute any errors with the nearest Department of Motor Vehicles. Notify your insurance company if a resolution occurs in your favor.

• Ask a judge to clear your record. If you completed a defensive driving course, traffic school, or a driver’s education class after you paid for a ticket, appeal to a judge to show leniency and remove points from your traffic record. Showing up in court shows evidence of your attendance, and you can pledge not to commit future infractions.

• Avoid additional violations. Sometimes, you’ll have to wait for time to expire before the violations are removed from your driving record, which can take three to five years. Avoid further violations during this time to avoid prolonging the amount of time you have infractions on your record.

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