SR-22 Insurance costs after a DUI
An SR-22 is not actual insurance but rather a “Certificate of Financial Responsibility.” They are most often required when an individual has a serious driving violation such as DUI/OWI, driving uninsured, causing a serious accident or having a large number of violations. If you are required to add this filing to your insurance policy, you need to contact your insurance company to have them file the form with your state. The average cost to file for an SR-22 is $25. After that, the SR-22 doesn’t cost you any extra money, however, the cause of needing an SR-22 will in most cases cause an increase in underlying insurance rates. The typical period of needing an SR-22 is 3 years but that varies by state. It’s important to note that any moving violations while under the SR-22 filing would almost certainly prolong the period for which it’s required.
The SR-22 filing will most likely cause insurance rates to increase. On one end of the spectrum is multiple smaller infractions like speeding tickets that can see an increase of around 30% while the other extreme would be a drunk-driving related accident which can be closer to 135% increase. Most major companies offer SR-22 policies to its drivers but there are still a few that don’t. If a driver is ordered to file an SR-22 and his/her company does not offer one, they will have to switch insurance companies. While not all companies that offer the filing designation provide it in all states, here’s a list of the most notable companies that do offer it in most.
- GEICO
- State Farm
- Esurance
- Nationwide
- USAA
- Farmers insurance
- AARP
- Allstate
- Progressive
- American Family Insurance
While the most common type of certificate of financial responsibility is the SR-22, there are variations used depending on the state as well as the severity of the incident for which the SR-22 is ordered. An SR-22a is an additional form that is used by a few states that is aimed at repeat violators of financial responsibility laws that requires that the policy this filing is attached to be a 6-month term that is pre-paid in full. Another variation is the FR-44 which is used by a couple other states. It is the same as the SR-22 except a more extreme version. This form requires the driver to have double or more the minimum liability coverage. The intent of the SR-22 and its variants are to ensure the driver has insurance at all times as they have proven to be a greater danger to those around them. Although most states have this type of form, not all do.
See the chart below for a full list of states and their respective forms.