Sarah Brodsky is a freelance writer with 15 years of experience covering personal finance and economics. She enjoys delving into the details of insurance, credit, loans, and the labor market. She’s written for publications including Bankrate, CNET, and Investopedia, and she’s created content for brands like Credit Karma, KeyBank, and Thrivent. When she’s not writing, you might find her learning languages or baking pizza. She has an AB in economics from the University of Chicago, and she lives in St. Louis, MO. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Katie Powers is an insurance writer at Insurify with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Massachusetts and expertise in personal finance and auto insurance topics. She strives to help consumers make better financial decisions. Prior to joining Insurify, she completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Emerson College. Her work has been published in St. Louis Magazine, the Boston Globe, and elsewhere. Connect with Katie on LinkedIn.
Austin has been with Insurify more than two years, first as an agent and more recently as assistant manager. He has a decade of experience in the insurance and financial services industry. Austin’s expertise in the property and casualty insurance space includes work with Answer Financial, where he was an assistant manager and insurance sales agent. A graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Austin lives in Alabama.
Konstantin has led data science and engineering projects across multiple domains: biology, travel and insurance. He loves finding data nuggets that help people.
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Many drivers occasionally commit a traffic offense, but repetitive or serious driving offenses can result in expensive car insurance premiums. In fact, nearly 51% of drivers have driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway, 28% have run a red light, and 23% have driven aggressively at least once in a 30-day period, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s 2021 Traffic Safety Culture Index.[1]
Traffic laws exist to protect drivers and pedestrians, so failure to comply can result in a ticket or other penalty. If you commit a significant traffic offense, you’ll typically receive points on your driving record that can increase your car insurance costs. You’ll also face legal or financial repercussions, depending on your offense.[2]
Quick Facts
On average, full-coverage insurance costs $295 per month for a driver with a clean record, $587 for someone with a DUI, and $422 for a driver with an at-fault accident.
If you have a bad record, comparing quotes from different insurance companies will help you find the best rates.
Taking a defensive driving course or looking for vehicle-based or policy discounts might decrease your insurance rates.
Best car insurance companies for drivers with bad records
Shopping for car insurance with a bad record can be challenging, but many top insurers provide policies to drivers with imperfect driving histories. Below, you’ll find average monthly quotes for liability and full-coverage insurance from some of the best insurance companies available.
These quotes reflect average costs for drivers with a violation on their record. Liability-only quotes range from $139 per month with USAA to $348 per month with CSAA.
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
GEICO offers affordable insurance to drivers who have an at-fault accident on their record. You can add accident forgiveness as part of your car insurance policy in most states for an extra fee if you qualify based on your driving history. With this add-on, you won’t face increased rates or lose good driver discounts for your first at-fault accident. GEICO rewards drivers with free accident forgiveness for maintaining a clean record for a certain period of time.
Even with a bad record, you may qualify for certain GEICO discounts by taking a defensive driving course, using seat belts, and having a car with built-in safety features. You might also qualify for a membership or employee discount if you belong to one of over 500 organizations that GEICO partners with. GEICO earned an above-average ranking in all regions except for the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Texas in the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Auto Insurance Study measuring customer satisfaction.
State Farm offers some of the lowest rates for drivers with a DUI or DWIon their record. If you’ve been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or driving while intoxicated, maintaining a clean record going forward should be your top priority for decreasing future premiums. State Farm can help you practice good driving habits and earn a potential discount with its Drive Safe & Save app. The app monitors your driving and alerts you to dangerous behaviors, including turning corners too fast and slamming on the brakes.
You may face driver’s license suspension because of a DUI or another serious offense. To reinstate your license, you first need to provide proof of financial responsibility to your local Department of Motor Vehicles with an SR-22 document. Your State Farm insurance agent should be able to help you with this SR-22 filing process. State Farm earned above-average rankings in J.D. Power customer satisfaction in all regions except California.
If you’ve received a speeding ticket, Travelers offers one of your best options for affordable auto coverage. You might benefit from purchasing a Responsible Driver Plan from Travelers. These plans provide qualifying drivers with optional features like accident and minor violation forgiveness.
You can also receive discounts for signing up for the company’s telematics program (IntelliDrive), receiving a quote before your current auto policy ends, paying your premium up front, and making consistent on-time payments.
The cheapest car insurance company for you depends on several factors, including whether you have an at-fault accident, speeding ticket, or driving under the influence (DUI) conviction on your driving record.
Below, you’ll find several insurers that offer low rates, along with their average monthly premiums for three main types of driving violations. USAA, Erie, GEICO, and State Farm offer some of the lowest average quotes for drivers with bad records.
Insurance Company
Average Monthly Quote
Average Monthly Quote
Average Monthly Quote
USAA
$152
$211
$142
Erie
$153
$213
$143
GEICO
$179
$249
$168
State Farm
$179
$249
$168
Travelers
$187
$261
$176
Allstate
$209
$291
$196
Kemper
$217
$301
$203
American Family
$226
$314
$212
Progressive
$230
$320
$216
Nationwide
$238
$331
$223
Dairyland
$265
$368
$248
Liberty Mutual
$282
$393
$265
The Hartford
$295
$410
$276
Farmers
$311
$433
$291
Bristol West
$342
$476
$320
CSAA
$380
$529
$356
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
What is considered a bad driving record?
Specifics vary, but insurers generally view driving records as bad if they include major offenses or a pattern of repeated traffic violations. The severity of the infractions on your record also matters.
“Totaling a car is very different from knocking off a mirror,” says Ben Guttman, an insurance broker at North Central Insurance Agency. “Having a speeding ticket for 10 miles over the limit is very different from having a speeding ticket for 30 miles over the limit, where you’re bordering on reckless driving.”
These are the main types of offenses that appear on a driving record:
DUI or DWI: Driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated can lead to fines, license suspension, a prison sentence, and other consequences. You can receive a DUI conviction if you drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol. Even if you seem to be driving normally, you can receive a DUI conviction if the police pull you over and tests show that the concentration of drugs or alcohol in your body exceeds your state’s legal limit.[3]
At-fault accident: If your actions or negligence cause a crash, it appears on your record as an at-fault accident. Potential indications of fault include speeding, texting while driving, driving while intoxicated, failing to respect right of way, rear-ending another vehicle, and not keeping your car in working order. Multiple drivers can be responsible for the same accident if they each contributed to causing it.
Speeding ticket: This is the most common type of traffic violation. You can receive a speeding ticket if a police officer finds that you’re driving above the posted speed limit. You can also get a speeding ticket if you drive faster than an officer finds reasonable given the traffic or weather conditions on the road.[4]
How does a bad driving record affect car insurance?
A bad driving record typically increases the rates that car insurance companies will quote you because insurers that issue a policy to a driver with a bad record take on more risk. They face a higher chance of having to pay out claims for drivers with a bad record, so they charge more to compensate. If you have many serious offenses on your record, finding insurance can be difficult. Insurers may turn you down entirely due to your poor record because they don’t want to take on the risk.
Below, you’ll find average monthly quotes for liability-only and full-coverage car insurance by driving history. Drivers with a DUI or at-fault accident tend to pay the highest average rates. Full-coverage insurance for a driver with a clean record costs $295 a month on average, but $587 for a driver with a DUI.
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
How to get car insurance with a bad driving record
You should always shop around before purchasing or renewing a car insurance policy, but it’s especially crucial to get several quotes when you have a bad driving record.[5]
“Every carrier has a different risk tolerance,” Guttman says. Some insurers may be more willing to work with you than others, depending on what their risk pool looks like. By comparing quotes, you can get a full picture of your options and find out which policies are the most affordable.
Follow the steps below to compare quotes through Insurify.
Enter your ZIP code to get started.
Next, enter information about your car’s make and model, as well as specifics for how and when you use your vehicle, whether you’re financing your car, and whether you need to insure a second vehicle.
Enter information about yourself, including your name, birthdate, driver’s license status, and education level.
Check your eligibility for discounts by answering a few questions about your living situation and employment status.
Enter information about your current auto coverage, if applicable.
Share information about the violations on your record. It’s important to answer honestly to ensure accurate quotes.
Enter the address where you park your car.
Provide your email and phone number to save your profile. Then, select your coverage level and see available deals.
How to reduce car insurance costs with a bad record
You’ll typically face higher car insurance costs if you have a bad record, but you can take some steps to get the best rate possible for your situation.
Bundle car and home insurance. Some insurers may look more favorably on your record if you have multiple policies with them. So you should consider insurers that can also provide homeowners coverage.
Take a defensive driving course. Depending on your state, you may be able to get points removed from your record if you go to driving school and pass a defensive driving course. Plus, brushing up on your defensive driving skills might help you drive more safely in the future.
Wait for offenses to leave your record. If a past ticket is due for removal from your record soon, you may be better off waiting until your record is clean before shopping for a new policy.
Talk to a broker or agent. If you have a complex driving history, you may want to talk to a professional who can help you explore your options and speak to an underwriting department on your behalf. Be completely honest with them about your record so they have accurate information to work with.
Learn more about buying insurance with a bad driving record below.
What are the best insurance companies for drivers with bad records?
Some of the best insurance companies for drivers with bad records are GEICO, State Farm, and Travelers. These insurers offer some of the lowest rates for drivers with traffic violations.
Do all insurance companies check your driving record?
Yes, all car insurance companies check your driving record when you apply because they need to know how risky it is to provide coverage for you.
Why is car insurance more expensive with a bad record?
Car insurance costs more for drivers with bad records because insurers charge higher premiums to higher-risk drivers. Auto insurance providers charge higher premiums to offset the risk of that driver’s behavior leading to claims.
How long will your record be bad after an accident, speeding ticket, or DUI?
How long offenses stay on your record varies by state. Accidents and speeding tickets typically remain on your record for up to five years. A DUI is a more serious violation, and it could stay on your record for 10 to 15 years or for your entire life, depending on where you live.
What should you do if an insurer denies coverage because of a bad record?
If an insurer denies coverage, you should check with other insurers to see if any of them will sell you a policy. If you can’t find insurance on the private market, your state might have an exchange that will cover you. This option will likely be very expensive.
Methodology
Data scientists at Insurify analyzed more than 40 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partner providers across the United States to compile the car insurance quotes, statistics, and data visualizations displayed on this page. The car insurance data includes coverage analysis and details on drivers' vehicles, driving records, and demographic information. Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Service's database of auto insurance rates. With these insights, Insurify is able to offer drivers insight into how companies price their car insurance premiums.
Sarah Brodsky is a freelance writer with 15 years of experience covering personal finance and economics. She enjoys delving into the details of insurance, credit, loans, and the labor market. She’s written for publications including Bankrate, CNET, and Investopedia, and she’s created content for brands like Credit Karma, KeyBank, and Thrivent. When she’s not writing, you might find her learning languages or baking pizza. She has an AB in economics from the University of Chicago, and she lives in St. Louis, MO. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Katie Powers is an insurance writer at Insurify with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Massachusetts and expertise in personal finance and auto insurance topics. She strives to help consumers make better financial decisions. Prior to joining Insurify, she completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Emerson College. Her work has been published in St. Louis Magazine, the Boston Globe, and elsewhere. Connect with Katie on LinkedIn.
Austin has been with Insurify more than two years, first as an agent and more recently as assistant manager. He has a decade of experience in the insurance and financial services industry. Austin’s expertise in the property and casualty insurance space includes work with Answer Financial, where he was an assistant manager and insurance sales agent. A graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Austin lives in Alabama.
Konstantin has led data science and engineering projects across multiple domains: biology, travel and insurance. He loves finding data nuggets that help people.
