Cheap Bad Driving Record Auto Insurance

Auto insurance is expensive for almost everyone, but auto insurance for people with bad driving records is especially pricey. Tickets, accidents, DUIs, or other infractions on your record mean insurance companies charge more.

Cheap car insurance for bad records usually comes with higher rates. Premiums are always going to be more expensive because there is more risk. A single ticket or accident can drive up your auto insurance rates, while multiple violations can place you firmly in the high-risk auto insurance category.

While there’s no such thing as auto insurance that doesn’t check your driving record, finding auto insurance with a bad record doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. What makes auto insurance high risk? Continue reading to learn how tickets and accidents affect your auto insurance rates.

If you’re ready to compare bad driving record auto insurance rates, enter your ZIP code into our FREE comparison tool above. Find and buy affordable bad driving record auto insurance by comparison shopping.

Auto Insurance for Bad Drivers: How do you know if you’re a high-risk driver?

Several factors are used to classify a high-risk driver, such as your driving record, age, ZIP code, and your coverage history.

What is a bad driving record?

Obviously, if you’re found at fault in a collision, your insurance rate will go up. But why does this happen with speeding tickets or minor accidents you didn’t cause? Some data suggest that every speeding ticket you receive substantially raises your risk of a future accident.

In the chart below, we’ve broken down the average annual premium with several major insurance companies based on different circumstances.

Enter your ZIP code below to compare auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Where can I get cheap insurance with a bad driving record?

Below, you’ll find a table that shows companies that offer cheap insurance for a bad driving record.

A single accident can raise your rates by $500 or more with most companies, so it’s important to drive carefully.

Any involvement in one or more collisions may suggest a tendency towards reckless driving, regardless of fault. If you’ve been hit in the past and/or have a habit of collecting tickets, auto insurance providers may deem you a riskier driver. And this can make finding affordable insurance a challenge.

How do you get high-risk insurance?

You can get high-risk insurance by asking your auto insurance company to help you enroll in SR-22 insurance. They will apply to your local Department of Motor Vehicles (or Bureau of Motor Vehicles).

Once you have SR-22 auto insurance, it will last for three years. When the three years have passed, the auto insurance company will determine whether you’re a risky driver or not. If they believe you are, you’ll have to reapply for SR-22 auto insurance.

How does age affect auto insurance risk?

Teen drivers are considered high risk for several reasons. The biggest reason is that inexperienced drivers are almost always going to make mistakes on the road, making them more likely to be in an accident or otherwise file a claim.

Read More: How to Teach Your Teen to Drive

Take a look at the chart below to see exactly how your age (and your marital status) can impact your insurance rate.

Teenagers tend to be more likely to make poor choices when driving and more likely to be distracted by cellphones or passengers. Not every teen will have these problems, but insurance companies look at the whole demographic, not the person.

On the other end of the spectrum, seniors may sometimes find themselves categorized as high risk as well. Who has the cheapest senior auto insurance? Shopping around makes a big difference once again. Some companies don’t ding you for your age but actually reward your many years of experience on the road.

How does ZIP code affect auto insurance risk?

If you live in a ZIP code where there are higher than average numbers of accidents or higher crime rates, you’ll be rated as a higher risk than people living in safer ZIP codes. Everything from the road conditions to vandalism rates in your ZIP code can and will impact whether you can get cheap auto insurance.

Will I be penalized for not having continuous auto insurance coverage?

If you have any gaps in your insurance coverage history, your provider will assume one of two things: either you’ve been driving uninsured, or you’ve had your coverage revoked from a former provider.

Even if you have a perfectly reasonable explanation for your coverage gap, such as moving from a city with working public transportation to a more suburban area where a vehicle is necessary, it still may be expensive or impossible for you to get an affordable insurance policy with a reliable company.

What is a bad driving record?

A bad driving record is typically defined as having multiple infractions, whether traffic tickets or accidents. Each state will have different ways of determining how tickets and accidents will impact your driver’s license. Take a look at the examples below.

• According to Maine’s Motorist Handbook, the state uses a demerit point system. Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle will earn you four points, for example, while driving without a license will earn you six points.
• Nebraska’s Department of Motor Vehicles says failure to yield to an emergency vehicle doesn’t even make the list of actions that will earn you points on your license. Driving without a license only earns you one point.
• In Pennsylvania, a violation concerning your license earns you three points. Failure to yield could earn you anywhere between two and three points, depending on the specific circumstances.

From an insurance point of view, the point system is not the only thing determining whether or not you’re considered high risk. A DUI will cost you dearly when it comes to your insurance premium, regardless of whether it earned you four points or eight points on your license.

Auto insurance for drivers with points may be standard or high risk, depending on how many points you have and the type of violation.

Can you get cheap insurance with a bad driving record? What is the best auto insurance for bad drivers? What is the best insurance company for high-risk drivers? Let’s take a look at some of your options.

Read more: High Risk Drivers

How much is auto insurance for a high-risk driver?

Even for drivers with bad records, insurance costs can vary significantly from company to company. You may be able to get insurance from a standard company, but if your record means you need non-standard insurance, you can expect it to be even more expensive.

If your driving record is such that none of the insurance companies in your state will cover you, you may be required to get your insurance through a state plan, typically referred to as a state-assigned risk pool.

For example, Montana’s state plan is MTAIP. High-risk auto insurance in Florida is called FAJUA. While the acronyms are different, they are the same basic thing. You can find your state’s plan information on the Auto Insurance Plan Service Office (AIPSO) website.

These plans are not cheap insurance, nor are they necessarily the best high-risk auto insurance. They are the last resort for those that can’t get coverage anywhere else.

How much does high-risk auto insurance cost? The best way to determine how much you’ll pay for insurance is to get quotes from multiple companies. Let’s start with some sample rates.

Enter your ZIP code below to compare auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

What is the cheapest auto insurance for bad drivers?

The most efficient way to eliminate those annoying spikes in your premium is to search and compare many different auto insurance providers. So what is the cheapest insurance for high-risk drivers? The most affordable auto insurance for high-risk drivers depends on the record and the person.

Believe it or not, there are auto insurance companies willing and able to swallow an increased risk by providing coverage for a high-risk motorist.

These providers operate in a non-standard market, meaning that they cater to customers who have multiple points on their record, young drivers, and customers with poor credit. You could save several hundred dollars a month, potentially getting these deals from either big insurance companies or a local provider.

Of course, there is a difference between the cheapest and the best auto insurance for bad drivers. Remember that even if you’re high-risk, you still want a company with a solid reputation.

Is there auto insurance for people with tickets and bad driving records?

Drivers with fantastic records (and blemish-free credit scores, depending on where you live) tend to get the best cheap auto insurance. But many drivers aren’t as lucky, often facing costly auto insurance for bad credit rates.

However, some understand insurance companies out there, to the point that some even specialize in creating affordable policies for riskier drivers.

If you recently received a premium hike due to your credit score, a collision, or a ticket, you may need to start shopping around for a better policy.

A few minor blemishes on your record won’t get you an elevated premium with all insurance companies.

Each company is different, which means that some companies will significantly increase your premium for an accident or a ticket while others will have small increases for the same infraction.

It is possible to remove tickets, DUIs, and other infractions from your record in some instances, which can help keep your rates low.

Some companies will even allow you to take a safe driving course to remove a ticket from your record or allow you to waive the first ticket or accident if you’ve added that coverage to your policy.

Getting multiple quotes is an excellent way to find cheap auto insurance after an accident or with tickets on your record.

Can discounts help lower my bad driving record auto insurance rates?

Even with a bad record, you can reduce your auto insurance with discounts. Here’s a list of common discounts that decrease your average annual rates by hundreds per year.

• Good Credit Discount
• Passive Restraint Discount
• Multiple Vehicle Discount
• Anti-Theft Device Discount
• Driving Training Discount
• Good Student Discount
• Defensive Driver Discount
• Low Mileage Discount
• Organization Discount
• Professional Organization
• Seat Belt Use Discount

A good credit discount has the biggest impact on your auto insurance rates. Let’s examine auto insurance rates based on credit history to see how it affects your average monthly rates.

Look at how cheap auto insurance can be when you have good credit. It’s nearly half the amount of other consumers with fair and poor credit histories.

Therefore, other discounts combined with good credit discounts could save you hundreds on auto insurance even as a high-risk driver.

Enter your ZIP code below to compare auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Can you lose your insurance for having tickets and accidents?

Yes, it’s possible to lose your insurance because of a bad record. Your policy generally cannot be canceled in the middle of a contracted period, but your insurance company has the right to refuse to renew your policy.

The law allows insurance companies to drop your policy, otherwise known as a non-renewal, for any reason except those that are protected by law.

This means that they can’t cancel your policy because of your age or gender, but they can cancel your policy because you filed too many claims.

There are ways to avoid filing too many claims, like paying for accident damage out of pocket, but tickets, DUIs, and other issues can build up on your record with surprising speed if you aren’t careful.

Driving the speed limit and avoiding accidents is the best way to prevent your policy from being non-renewed.

How far back does your driving record go?

Moving violations and accidents don’t stay on your record forever, which means you won’t be held accountable today for that speeding ticket you got 10 years ago.

For most states, your driving record lasts for three years. Some states have longer records, and some states require you to contact them to remove older violations from your record, so you will need to check your local laws to determine exactly how long a ticket or accident will stay on your record.

How does the insurance company know I am a high-risk driver?

There are a few ways your insurance company can find out about your driving record.

• They can access your records through the DMV.
• They can access your claims history through their records.
• You can tell them.

If you receive a ticket or other driving infraction, that information is stored on your driving record with the state. Some states will allow you to take a driving safety course to remove a ticket from your record, but typically this is only allowed once every few years.

If you’re in an accident and a claim is filed through the insurance company, they’ll have a record of that, and it may impact your rates in the future.

Also, remember that you’ll be asked about your driving record when signing up for a new policy with an insurance company. If you managed to avoid having an accident listed in your claims history, but you mention it to your new insurance company, they’ll take it into account when figuring your rates.

Enter your ZIP code below to compare auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Can I hide my bad driving record from my insurance company?

If you pay for damages in an accident out of pocket, this could keep an accident off your record. This doesn’t mean you should lie to your insurance company. However, lying about your driving history is a form of insurance fraud.

Insurance fraud isn’t just limited to fraudulent activity on the part of brokers and insurance agents.

Customers are held accountable for insurance fraud, too, and it isn’t limited to huge things like faking a claim. Lying about your driving history counts as insurance fraud, so don’t take that chance.

You’re better off shopping around to find the best auto insurance for a bad driving history while still being honest with your insurance company.

Insurance is expensive, but what happens when you drive without it?

Driving without insurance is both illegal and incredibly dangerous. Most states require you to have minimum auto insurance requirements for liability in place, which means driving without insurance breaks the law.

Worse than that, if you’re at fault for an accident, you could be held liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses. Remember, not every accident is a simple fender bender, there are thousands of deadly crashes across the country every year.

You could hit an expensive, new Lexus on the highway, sending the driver and multiple passengers to the hospital.

If this happens and you don’t have insurance, you’re responsible for all of the car repairs and all of the medical bills, leaving you in a position where the courts can take your property and garnish your wages to force you to pay for damages.

If you truly cannot afford even a basic liability policy, it may be in your best interest to limit yourself to public transportation until your driving record has improved.

Do I need an SR-22?

An SR-22 (or, in some states, an FR-44) is a document kept on file with your state that proves your insurance meets the minimum coverage levels required by law. This is also sometimes known as a Certificate of Financial Responsibility. SR-22 insurance isn’t a specific kind of policy, simply a form that some people need to file in their state. (For more information, read our “Cheap FR-44 Insurance“).

An SR-22 is typically only necessary for people with certain driving violations. DUIs, accidents caused while driving without insurance, and reckless driving infractions are all examples of what might make your state require you to file an SR-22.

The best way to determine if an SR-22 is required in your state is to check your state DMV website. For example, New Hampshire does not require an SR-22 for drivers at this time.

Enter your ZIP code below to compare auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Does your credit history impact your rates?

Although your credit score and your driving record seem unrelated, credit scores can tell your prospective auto insurance provider a lot about you. Studies have determined that motorists with lower credit scores file more claims. Because of this data, auto insurance providers often charge higher rates for drivers with lower credit scores.

The table below shows a list of companies and their average annual premiums based on credit history.

From the information above, you can see that your credit history can change your rates by several thousand dollars a year. This means that cleaning up your credit is an excellent way to lower your insurance rates.

Although both impact your insurance rates, your driving history and your credit history are two separate factors. A driver can have excellent credit and poor driving history or vice versa.

Some states prohibit the use of credit scores in determining your insurance rates. Check your local laws if you have any concerns.

How can I lower my high-risk insurance rates?

Even with a bad driving record, there are ways of lowering your auto insurance costs. Some of these steps include:

• Getting a quote for cheaper coverage
• Choosing a vehicle that is cheap to insure
• Increasing deductibles
• Limiting your policy to liability only.
• Reducing your annual mileage
• Taking advantage of safe driving apps offered by your insurance company

There are many ways you can bring down your insurance costs, so don’t feel resigned to having a high premium.

What is accident forgiveness?

With most companies, accident forgiveness is an option you pay for, much like you would add comprehensive or collision insurance to your policy for an additional fee. This additional premium might seem unnecessary, but if it prevents your premium from increasing, it could be well worth it.

Keep in mind that accident forgiveness only applies to your first accident in a given period. They won’t forgive multiple accidents, so it is important to be cautious behind the wheel.

Additionally, every company approaches accident forgiveness differently. Some don’t offer it at all, while others offer it as a paid benefit. Some of the companies that offer it may have caveats built into the policy regarding second or third accidents, so make sure you understand the coverage before you sign up.

What if you have too many accidents? We’re often asked, “Will State Farm cancel a policy after three accidents?” Too many claims in a short time will alert State Farm that you are a high-risk driver. Therefore, your auto insurance policy may not be renewed.

Enter your ZIP code below to compare auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Frequently Asked Questions: Bad Driver Auto Insurance

We hope the information presented above answered any questions you may have about getting insurance with a bad driving history. You can also find answers to several frequently asked questions below:

#1 – Is auto insurance that doesn’t check your driving record available?

Almost all providers will check your driving history. However, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Providers like SafeAuto, Titan Auto Insurance, and The General focus on providing auto insurance to drivers with less than perfect driving history.

Remember that if you are trying to get commercial insurance with a bad driving history, the stakes are higher. Commercial insurance is usually needed for your job, and not only will the insurance company check, but so will your employer. Keeping a clean record is vital if you drive for a living.

#2 – How can you check your driving history?

In this case, the internet is your best option. You can typically find your driving record online using your state’s DMV website (or the equivalent of many states having a DPS or a BMV or other acronym instead of DMV). Remember, official state sites will end in .gov, so don’t be fooled by phishing sites.

Keep in mind that it isn’t free to check your driving history. Most states charge a fee to access your records online, so be prepared to enter your credit card information before you get to see your record.

#3 – How can you clean up your driving record?

The easiest way to clean up your driving history is to do a little research on how your state works. Some states will allow you to expunge specific instances from your driving record. Others often have automatic time limits, which means your infraction will fall off your record after a certain number of years.

Below are some of the ways you might be able to clean up your record:

• If your state allows you to remove items by request, make sure you meet their criteria and fill out the DMV form. The odds are good there will be a fee associated with this, so make sure you know how much you’ll be paying before you go.
• If you haven’t already done so, taking a safe driver course may help you remove a ticket from your record. Check with your local DMV to see if this is an option for you.
• If your situation is dire, it might be worth your time to contact an attorney to find out exactly what can be done to fix your driving history.

Of course, the best option is to avoid tickets and accidents in the future as well. Some people will opt to use public transit or other travel options for a period of time to avoid further damaging their records.

#4 – How long are you considered a high-risk driver?

If you’re considered a high-risk driver due to your age, you will have to wait until you are out of your teens and early 20s. You can take advantage of good student discounts to help reduce your costs during this time.

If you’re considered high-risk, all you need to do is fix your driving record to reduce your premiums. Sometimes all you can do is wait until infractions fall off your record over time, but you can take steps to improve your record like those mentioned in the previous question to speed up the process.

#5 – How do you find out what discounts an auto insurance company offers?

Almost every insurance company has a page on their website dedicated to their available discounts, so you can always search online to find your discounts.

If you’re having trouble navigating the website, contact the customer service department and ask them to help you find out if there are any additional discounts available to you at this time.

You can also use online quoting tools like the one below to get quotes that include discount options.

#6 – Why is it harder to get insurance with a bad driving record?

Insurance is a tricky business. If insurance companies spend too much money paying out claims, they cannot afford to stay in business. The lower they can keep their expenditures, the more money they can bring in for their investors.

Because of the increased likelihood that they will be in an accident, high-risk drivers stand to cost an insurance company much more than they spend on their premiums. This is why it is so much harder for high-risk drivers to get auto insurance.

Sometimes a bad driving history is because of negligence on the part of the driver. If your driving record has gotten bad recently when it has always been pristine in the past, you may want to consider if something else may be causing the issue.

If this is a sudden change, arrange for a check-up with your doctor and your optometrist to make sure there is nothing medically wrong that might be causing you to drive poorly.

#7 – My driving record is fine. Do I need to worry about insurance for bad drivers?

If your driving history is fine, you don’t need to worry about high-risk insurance right now.

However, it is straightforward to go from having a clean record to having multiple points on your license. A single DUI (sometimes referred to as DWI) is enough to push you into a high-risk category, so don’t even think about drinking and driving.

You can also end up with multiple tickets or accidents in a short time. If you run a red light and hit another driver, both the accident and the ticket for running the red light may appear on your record. You could go from a clean record to two infractions in a single day.

#8 – What is the best auto insurance for bad drivers?

The best insurance for bad driving records overall is Bristol West. However, Bristol West is not as big as Geico, State Farm, and Progressive, but they appear to be the best auto insurance drivers with a bad driving record.

Also, try out Titan auto insurance to see if you can get a deal for high-risk auto insurance. Geico high-risk insurance may compete with them due to its low auto insurance rates across the nation.

As you can see if you have a bad driving record, cheap insurance can be found but you’ll need to shop around.

#9 – How long does an automobile accident stay on your record for insurance?

A car accident can stay on your driving record for three to five years.

#10 – How can I lower my auto insurance with State Farm?

You can lower State auto insurance by qualifying for auto insurance discounts or take off other coverage options like comprehensive and collision coverage.

If you’re a high-risk driver, hope is not lost. Enter your ZIP code in our FREE tool below to get quotes for bad driving record auto insurance. Compare cheap bad driving record auto insurance quotes before you buy.