There are a lot of violations that can increase the cost of car insurance but the last thing you will want on your driving record will be a DUI conviction. Besides the court cost fines DUI and SR22 insurance premiums are expensive and you will be required to carry a sr22 insurance policy for up to 3 years. Because it’s a danger to you and other driver’s drinking and driving is a major violation. There’s no doubt it will effect the cost of your insurance premiums. In many cases your insurance carrier may not want to insure you at all. Unfortunately no insurance company offers forgiveness for this type of violation.

Going on up.

If your insurance carrier decide’s to keep your business, your insurance premiums will be go up. The rates don’t go up immediately they increase after the conviction is final at renewal. If your lucky your insurance might not order a motor vehicle report at renewal and you will not see an increase. However because you now are convicted the DMV requires you to carry a sr22 certificate. When you  ask your insurance company for the sr22  it will alert them to your DUI. If you have more than 1 vehicle you could purchase a separate policy with the sr22 thru another company. Or consider a Named Non Owner Policy which is half the rate of a owner operator policy.

How long will the increased rates last?

The increase in rate’s will vary depending on which state your in. Most states require at least 3 years after the conviction date before rates will go down. In California the DUI will be chargeable for 3 years but stays on your record for 10 years disqualifying you from a 20% good driver discount.

DUI And SR22 Insurance Requirements

As you now are a convicted DUI driver DMV will require a sr22 filing from your insurance company. If your current company does not do them you will need to find a company that does. The sr22 will obligate the insuring company to notify DMV if the policy cancels or lapses. When DMV receives the cancel notice they will suspend your drivers license until a new sr22 is filed. DMV will require the filing be on record with them for a three year time period. If you move out of state you will still be required to have a sr22 on file to get a license in your new state.

What if my current insurance company cancels?

Your car insurance company can cancel your policy for a drinking and driving conviction. They can, but an actual cancellation happening mid term is rare. Most insurance carriers will insure you until the renewal date. Thirty days before the renewal they will decide if they want to keep your policy or not. If your current company does cancel you may want to look for a insurance broker or independent agent who has access to multiple high risk companies. 

Links to all 50 states DMV