Best Cheap Car Insurance for a Bad Driving Record

Best cheap car insurance after a speeding ticket: State Farm

State Farm has the cheapest car insurance for most drivers with a speeding ticket on their record. The company’s average rate for drivers after a ticket is $156 a month. This is $63 less than the national average of $219 a month.

USAA is actually a little cheaper than State Farm for these drivers, with an average rate of $153 a month for full coverage . However, only members of the military and their families can get car insurance from USAA.

Cheapest auto insurance with a speeding ticket

Company		Monthly rate	LendingTree score
	State Farm	$156
	American Family	$173
	Travelers	$181
	Progressive	$213
	Geico	$233
	Nationwide	$244
	Allstate	$295
	Farmers	$338
	USAA*	$153

Check out American Family and Travelers as well if you have a speeding ticket on your driving record. Both companies have average rates that are well below the national average of $219 a month.

Another reason to consider American Family is that it offers more car insurance discounts than State Farm, Travelers and USAA. If you can get a few of them, American Family could be the cheapest company for you after a speeding ticket.

Cheapest car insurance after an accident: State Farm

At $163 a month, State Farm also has the cheapest auto insurance quotes for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records.

Once again, USAA, Travelers and American Family are the next-cheapest companies. Although Travelers has the second-best rates for most drivers after an accident — at an average of $195 a month — American Family scores better with customers.

American Family’s overall satisfaction rating from J.D. Power matches the industry average, while Travelers’ is quite a bit below. USAA and State Farm score even higher with customers than American Family.

Car insurance rates with an at-fault accident

The average cost of car insurance after an accident is $263 a month. That’s $86 a month, or nearly 50%, more than what a typical driver with a clean record pays.

An accident usually only makes your car insurance go up if you cause it, but there are exceptions. Some insurance companies will raise your rate just because you filed a claim for an accident — even if you didn’t cause it. They also may charge you more if the claim is an expensive one or if you filed any other claims recently.

Cheapest car insurance with a DUI: Progressive

Progressive is the cheapest car insurance company for drivers with a driving under the influence (DUI) conviction, with an average rate of $208 a month.

Travelers and American Family have the next-cheapest DUI car insurance for most drivers, with both companies coming in well below the national average of $329 a month.

DUI car insurance rates

American Family offers the most discounts of these three companies, which means it may have the cheapest rate if you qualify for some of them.

With American Family, you can get the most common car insurance discounts for things like insuring multiple vehicles and bundling auto and home insurance policies. Other discounts are for getting a quote before you buy, signing up for autopay, paying for your full policy period up front and enrolling in online billing. The company has some unique discounts, too, such as for customers whose parents have American Family insurance and for young drivers who volunteer for non-profits.

Progressive, Travelers and other insurance companies also offer some of these same discounts, so spending the time to shop around could pay off for you in the end.

How a bad driving record affects your car insurance

A bad driving record almost always means paying more for car insurance, at least for a while. It can also make it hard for you to get insurance at all.

You’ll usually pay higher car insurance rates for three to five years with a bad driving record. The exact amount of time differs by state and company. In some states, severe incidents like a DUI impact your rates for longer than a ticket or accident do.

An especially bad driving record can make it difficult for you to get car insurance at all. Some companies won’t insure you after a severe incident or if you have too many incidents of any kind.

Car insurance for a really bad driving record

If you have a particularly bad driving record, you might be considered high risk and unable to get a standard car insurance policy. Instead, you may need to buy what’s called nonstandard or assigned-risk car insurance. And if you’re reinstating your driver’s license, you may also need an SR-22 certificate.

What is nonstandard insurance?

Nonstandard car insurance is for drivers with especially bad driving records. Several companies specialize in it, and they may be your only choice if you have too many speeding tickets, a DUI or a reckless driving conviction.

Bristol West, Dairyland and The General are some of the best-known companies for nonstandard car insurance.

What is assigned-risk insurance?

Assigned-risk car insurance is for drivers who have been rejected by standard and nonstandard companies. Most states offer assigned-risk insurance, but it usually costs a lot and provides minimal coverage.

Assigned-risk car insurance isn’t meant to be a long-term solution. Instead, these policies keep you insured when you don’t have other options. If you avoid tickets and accidents, you should eventually qualify for standard insurance again.

What is SR-22 insurance and how does it work?

You may need SR-22 car insurance to reinstate your drivers license after an offense like a DUI. An SR-22 is a form that proves you have enough car insurance to drive legally in your state.

In most states, your insurance company files the SR-22 certificate for you when you buy your policy. Most car insurance companies insure drivers with an SR-22 requirement, but some don’t. It’s good to be honest about your SR-22 requirement when you request quotes.

How to get cheaper car insurance for a bad driving record

Shopping around is not the only way to get cheaper car insurance for a bad driving record. You can also take a defensive driving class, use a safe-driving app, look for other discounts or even get a different car.

Defensive driving classes

Taking a defensive driving course can often keep a non-major violation off your driving record. This can then protect you from an insurance rate increase.

The policies on this differ by state. The choices usually include live and online courses.

Safe driving apps

Many insurance companies will give you a discount for using their safe driving app and driving safely. These apps usually monitor your driving for unsafe activities like speeding, hard braking and distracted driving.

You typically get a discount just for signing up. If you avoid unsafe driving, you get more discounts when you renew. The savings can be huge. For example, State Farm offers a discount of up to 30% for using its Drive Safe & Save app.

Look for other discounts

The car insurance discounts you can get for using a safe driving app or taking a defensive driving course are just two of the money-saving options available to drivers with a bad record.

Some companies will give you discounts for vehicle systems and features, like air bags, daytime running lights, anti-lock brakes or anti-theft devices. Others may offer you a discount based on your job or for being a member of certain associations or organizations.

Getting a quote before you buy your policy, enrolling in autopay or online billing, and fully paying for your policy up front may also get you discounts with many companies.

Get a different car

Changing cars can sometimes help you get a lower insurance rate. High-performance cars and luxury vehicles often cost more to insure than standard models. Older cars with low resale values usually need less insurance than a newer model.

Switching to an older, run-of-the-mill car might not sound like fun. But the amount you save on car insurance may be worth it for a bad driving record. Get an insurance quote for the car you plan to buy before you switch to make sure you’ll save.