How long does a DUI affect insurance in California?

This question is about Car Insurance in California

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@WalletHub 09/29/20 This answer was first published on 09/29/20. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

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A DUI affects insurance in California for 10 years. During that period, drivers convicted of DUI cannot qualify for the 20% good driver discount offered by every insurance company in the state. Regardless of how your insurance company calculates premiums after DUI, they cannot legally offer you the discount until 10 years after the date of arrest.

On average, a DUI raises insurance rates in California by about 165%. Although the initial increase is dramatic, most insurance companies will start to lower rates after 3-5 years. At that point, your insurer will no longer take the DUI into consideration when calculating your premium, but you still won’t qualify for the good driver discount. After 10 years, a DUI in California will fall off of your driving record completely.

Every insurance company has its own way of calculating premiums after a DUI, so if you suddenly can’t afford your rate, you should start shopping around for a cheaper policy. In California, the cheapest car insurance companies after a DUI are Mercury, Infinity and Geico. These insurers will also provide drivers with an SR-22, which is an insurance verification form that California requires from drivers convicted of DUI.

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People also ask

How long does DUI affect insurance rates?

A DUI affects insurance rates for 3-10 years, depending on the driver’s state and insurance company. Most insurance companies look back 3-5 years for infractions on a driving record, but some look back as far as seven years. And even if a DUI doesn’t cause a driver’s rates to skyrocket long-term, it can have a lingering effect on costs. For example, insurance companies in California legally can’t offer you a good driver discount for 10 years after a DUI conviction.… read full answer

During the period in which it directly affects premiums, a DUI conviction causes insurance rates to rise by about 80% on average, although each insurer and state is different. If you practice good habits in the years following a DUI, however, you’ll eventually see your rates fall back down.

Since every insurance company has its own lookback period for driving records, you’ll need to check with your insurer to know exactly how long your rates will be affected by a DUI. But keep in mind that even after your costs go down, a DUI will likely appear on your driving record for much longer, depending on your state. While some states like Maryland and Hawaii only require it to remain for five years, others such as Texas and Oregon keep it on your record for life.

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What is the best car insurance in California for drivers with a DUI?

Some of the best car insurance companies for California drivers with a DUI are Mercury, Geico, and State Farm. These companies offer rates that are more affordable than average, have high customer satisfaction ratings, and will file an SR-22 if you need it.

Still, post-DUI car insurance won’t be cheap for California drivers. Even the best car insurance in California for drivers with a DUI will cost 75% to 250% more than the average for drivers with a clean record. Premiums increase by an average of about 180% after a DUI conviction in California.… read full answer

As a result, it’s all the more important to compare quotes in search of a reasonable rate after getting a DUI in California. That’s true across the country, but California state laws don’t allow insurance companies to use factors like age, gender, or credit history to set your premium. That only increases the impact of your driving record.

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