How Much Does Insurance Go Up After an At-Fault Accident?

How much does insurance go up after an at-fault accident?

About 45% after an at-fault accident with $2,000 or more in property damage — roughly $810 a year on a $1,800 policy, held for about three years, so near $2,400 in total. Under $2,000 in damage the average is closer to 28%, which is exactly why some small claims are cheaper to pay out of pocket.

Key takeaways

• At-fault with $2,000+ damage averages +45% (studies range 41–60%).
• Under $2,000, the average is about +28% — often less than the three-year surcharge, so claiming can cost more than the repair.
• It stays in the rating window about 3 years.
• Not-at-fault is different. In most states a genuine not-at-fault claim should not surcharge you — if it did, challenge it.
• Accident forgiveness only helps if you had it before the crash.

Work out your own number

Should you even file the claim?

This is the decision most pages skip. Compare the repair cost against your deductible plus three years of surcharge.

With a $1,000 deductible and a $1,800 premium, a $2,200 repair nets you $1,200 from the insurer and costs you $1,512 in surcharge. Filing lost you money. That maths flips fast once injuries are involved — never self-settle a crash with any injury, however minor it looks.

Why at-fault is punished harder than a ticket

A ticket says you broke a rule. An at-fault claim says you cost the carrier money, and it is the single strongest predictor in auto underwriting that you will do so again. That is why the surcharge is roughly double a speeding ticket's.

The severity bands that matter:

1. Under $2,000 property damage — the "minor" band, ~28%.
2. $2,000+ property damage — ~45%.
3. Any bodily injury — the top band, and the most likely to trigger non-renewal rather than a surcharge.

State differences that matter

• No-fault states (and states with PIP) change who pays for injuries, but not whether you are surcharged for causing the crash.
• Several states prohibit surcharging for not-at-fault claims. If a claim where you were not at fault raised your premium, that is worth a call to your Department of Insurance.
• Comparative-negligence rules vary, and a partial-fault finding can still put you in the at-fault band.

Your state Department of Insurance is the authority on what your carrier may and may not surcharge.

Worked example

Dan pays $1,800 and rear-ends someone — $4,100 in damage, no injuries, $500 deductible.

• The claim pays out $3,600.
• Renewal goes to roughly $2,610 (+45%), i.e. +$68/month.
• Three-year surcharge: ~$2,430.
• Net position: he received $3,600 and will pay $2,430 — filing was correct, but it consumed two-thirds of the payout.

Dan shops at renewal. One carrier surcharges at-fault claims at 30% rather than 45%, putting him at $2,340 — recovering ~$810 over the window.

What to do right now

1. Never self-settle anything with an injury. The three-year surcharge is cheap next to a liability claim you funded yourself.
2. Price the claim against the surcharge before filing a small property-damage-only repair.
3. Check whether you already had accident forgiveness. Buying it now will not retroactively cover this crash.
4. Shop at renewal — at-fault surcharge schedules vary more between carriers than almost any other rating factor.
5. Raise your deductible if you are now paying a surcharged premium; it partly offsets the increase. Run the break-even first.

Should you shop, or wait it out?

Shop — at 45%, almost always. An at-fault surcharge is where carrier spread is widest, and a driver with one at-fault claim is still a perfectly attractive risk to plenty of insurers. Wait only if your carrier applied forgiveness and your renewal is flat.

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

• Not-at-fault accident: what should and should not change
• Accident forgiveness explained
• How much insurance goes up after a speeding ticket
• Deductible break-even calculator — offset a surcharged premium
• How to lower your car insurance premium
• Compare auto insurance

FAQs

How long does an at-fault accident affect my insurance? About 3 years in most rating windows. Set a reminder to re-shop when it ages out — no carrier volunteers a decrease.

Will my rate go up if the accident was not my fault? It should not, and in several states it may not. If a not-at-fault claim raised your premium, ask the carrier for its reasoning in writing and contact your Department of Insurance.

Is it cheaper to pay for the damage myself? Sometimes. For property-damage-only repairs near your deductible, three years of surcharge can exceed the payout. Never do this where anyone was injured.

Can my insurer drop me after one at-fault accident? Non-renewal is more common after injury claims or multiple incidents than after a single property-damage claim, but it is possible. You are not uninsurable either way — you are re-priced.