How Much Does Insurance Go Up After a DUI?
A first DUI roughly doubles your premium — about 88% on average, for five years. That's near $8,000 on an $1,800 policy, usually more than the fine and lawyer combined.
Quick answers
- Does a DUI double your insurance?
- Close to it — the published national average for a first offense is about 88%. Some drivers see less, some see more than double, and the carrier you land with matters more than the average.
- How long does a DUI affect car insurance?
- Usually about 5 years for rating purposes, though the conviction may stay on your driving record considerably longer. Re-shop annually as it ages.
- Can I be refused insurance after a DUI?
- An individual carrier can decline or non-renew you. You are not uninsurable — high-risk specialists and, as a last resort, your state's assigned-risk pool will write you.
How much does insurance go up after a DUI?
About 88% after a first-offense DUI — it roughly doubles your premium. On a $1,800 policy that is about $1,585 more a year, and a DUI typically stays in the rating window five years, so the insurance cost alone approaches $8,000. That is usually more than the fine, the lawyer and the licence reinstatement combined.
Key takeaways
- First-offense DUI averages +88% (studies range 80–93%).
- It stays in the rating window about 5 years — longer than a ticket or an accident.
- Most drivers will also need an SR-22 (or FR-44 in Florida and Virginia), which is a filing, not insurance.
- Non-renewal is common. Your current carrier may simply decline to continue — that is not the same as being uninsurable.
- High-risk specialists exist and price very differently. Shopping matters more here than in any other situation.
Work out your own number
Violation Cost Calculator
What a ticket, accident or DUI actually costs you — not just this year, but across the whole time it stays on your record.
New annual premium
$2,232
was $1,800 · range $2,142–$2,340
Extra per month
+$36
+$432/yr (+24%)
Total over 3 yrs
$1,296
the real price, not just year one
A Speeding, 1–15 mph over on a $1,800 policy typically costs about $36 more a month — around $1,296 before it drops off your record in 3 years. Shopping is the only lever that works immediately: surcharges are set per carrier, so the one that penalises you hardest is rarely the one with the best price afterwards.
Carriers don't punish this equally: the gap between the gentlest and harshest surcharge is about $198/yr on your policy. Comparing is how you land near $2,142/yr.
What these numbers are: national average premium increases from published rate-filing studies (reviewed 2026-06-30) — ValuePenguin — car insurance rates by driving record (2026), LendingTree — at-fault accident study (2026). They are not a quote and not CarSavr pricing. Your actual surcharge depends on your carrier, state, record and how long ago the incident happened.
The five-year cost, by premium
| Your premium | +88% | Extra per month | 5-year cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,200 | $2,256 | +$88 | $5,280 |
| $1,800 | $3,384 | +$132 | $7,920 |
| $2,400 | $4,512 | +$176 | $10,560 |
| $3,000 | $5,640 | +$220 | $13,200 |
This is premium only. It excludes the fine, legal fees, licence reinstatement, any ignition-interlock device and the SR-22 filing fee.
Why a DUI is priced differently from everything else
A speeding ticket is a rule violation. An at-fault accident is a loss. A DUI is treated as a character-of-risk event: it moves you out of the standard market entirely for a period, which is why the increase is roughly double an at-fault accident's and lasts years longer.
Practically, three things happen at once:
- Reclassification. You are rated as a high-risk driver, often for five years.
- An SR-22 or FR-44 filing requirement. This is a document your insurer files with the state proving you carry coverage. It is not a policy and it is not insurance — we cover the filing itself in the SR-22 guide.
- Possible non-renewal. Standard carriers may decline to renew. Non-standard and high-risk specialists will still write you, at a price.
FR-44 (Florida and Virginia) is the harsher cousin of SR-22 — it requires higher liability limits than the state minimum, so the filing itself raises your premium further.
State differences that matter
- Look-back periods differ. Some states count a DUI for 5 years for rating but 10 or more for a second-offense determination.
- SR-22 duration varies, commonly 3 years, sometimes longer.
- FR-44 states require elevated limits, not just a filing.
- A few states restrict how long a carrier may surcharge a single conviction.
Use your state's Department of Motor Vehicles for licence and filing requirements and its Department of Insurance for what carriers may charge. Do not rely on a comparison site for either.
Worked example
Priya pays $1,800 and receives a first-offense DUI.
- Her carrier non-renews her.
- A high-risk specialist quotes $3,550; another quotes $4,900 for identical coverage.
- She takes the $3,550 policy: +$146/month, +$1,750/year.
- Over the 5-year window, choosing the cheaper quote saves her roughly $6,750 versus the expensive one.
That spread — $1,350 a year between two quotes for the same driver — is the whole argument for shopping after a DUI. The surcharge is not negotiable. Which carrier applies it is.
What to do right now
- Ask whether you need an SR-22 or FR-44 before you buy anything. Buying a policy that cannot file is wasted money.
- Get at least three quotes, including high-risk specialists. The spread after a DUI is the widest in the market.
- Do not let coverage lapse. A lapse on top of a DUI compounds — and in most states it restarts your filing clock.
- Consider dropping collision on an older vehicle while you are paying a doubled premium. Run the numbers first.
- Re-shop every single year. A DUI's surcharge decays as it ages; staying put means paying year-one pricing in year four.
- Diarise the drop-off date. At five years, re-shop immediately.
Should you shop, or wait it out?
Shop, immediately and then annually. This is the one situation where loyalty is actively expensive: your existing carrier has the least incentive to re-price you and may not want you at all. There is no "wait it out" option — five years is too long to overpay.
Methodology and sources
The surcharge percentages on this page are national averages from published rate-filing studies — not CarSavr quotes, not modelled estimates, and not a personalised price. They describe what the average driver's premium did, which is a useful benchmark and a poor prediction of any individual policy.
- ValuePenguin — car insurance rates by driving record (2026)
- LendingTree — at-fault accident study (2026)
- Insure.com — how much insurance goes up after a traffic violation
- The Zebra — traffic ticket impact on insurance costs
Published studies disagree by a few points because they model different drivers — a 30-year-old and a 40-year-old with different vehicles and credit profiles will not see the same surcharge. Where studies differ we show the spread rather than picking the most dramatic number.
Last reviewed 2026-06-30.
Related CarSavr resources
- SR-22 insurance after a DUI — the filing itself, step by step
- SR-22 and FR-44 filing guide — and why Florida and Virginia are harsher
- How much insurance goes up after an at-fault accident
- How to lower your car insurance premium
- Compare auto insurance
FAQs
Does a DUI double your insurance? Close to it — the published national average for a first offense is about 88%. Some drivers see less, some see more than double, and the carrier you land with matters more than the average.
How long does a DUI affect car insurance? Usually about 5 years for rating purposes, though the conviction may stay on your driving record considerably longer. Re-shop annually as it ages.
Can I be refused insurance after a DUI? An individual carrier can decline or non-renew you. You are not uninsurable — high-risk specialists and, as a last resort, your state's assigned-risk pool will write you.
Is SR-22 insurance a type of insurance? No. An SR-22 is a certificate your insurer files with the state proving you carry the required coverage. You buy a normal policy; the filing is attached to it.
Will my rate drop before the 5 years are up? Usually gradually, as the conviction ages — but only if you ask or shop. Carriers do not reduce your premium unprompted.
Sources & methodology
Fact-checked by Abigail MurrayThis guide cites the sources above. Our recommendations follow a documented, conflict-checked review process — how we review auto insurance and our editorial standards.
"How Much Does Insurance Go Up After a DUI?." CarSavr, October 22, 2026, https://carsavr.com/guides/how-much-does-insurance-go-up-after-a-dui.See if you're overpaying
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