Last updated: October 12, 2026
Cheapest insurance after a DUI is a moving target, because the major comparison sites don’t agree on who wins. In 2026 MoneyGeek puts State Farm first, Forbes Advisor puts Progressive first, ValuePenguin lists NJM as the lowest number and Insurify lists Auto-Owners. Each answer is correct for its own test profile. None is correct for you until you run your own quotes.
This article shows the disagreement in numbers, explains where it comes from and then gives a quoting method for finding the cheapest insurance after a DUI in any state. We attribute every figure to a source and a date, and we don’t copy any site tables. For the size of the increase itself, see our pillar guide on how much insurance goes up after a DUI.
Cheapest Insurance After a DUI: Five Sources, Five Different Answers
Here is who each source ranked cheapest for a national driver with one DUI. Prices are monthly full coverage unless stated.
| Source | Date | Unit | Cheapest insurers named |
|---|---|---|---|
| MoneyGeek | May 20, 2026 | Monthly, full coverage | State Farm $192, Travelers $236, National General $249, Progressive $251, UAIC $289 |
| Forbes Advisor | August 6, 2026 | Monthly, full coverage | Progressive $238, Travelers $267, State Farm $286, Shelter $290, USAA $294 (military members only) |
| ValuePenguin | September 25, 2026 | Monthly, full coverage | NJM $223, USAA $248, Erie $256, Progressive $268 (Nationwide $326 a month more than Progressive) |
| Insurify | September 27, 2026 | Monthly, full coverage | Auto-Owners $115, Country Financial $123, USAA $146, State Farm $147 |
| Insurance.com | November 17, 2025 | Annual | Progressive $2,707, Travelers $2,999, State Farm $3,184, Nationwide $3,627 |
Only one name repeats across most lists: Travelers shows up in the top group at MoneyGeek, Forbes, Insurance.com and CarInsurance.com. Progressive appears in four of the five lists. Beyond that, the winners change with the source.
Why the Rankings Disagree
Start with the test profile. MoneyGeek quotes a 40-year-old male with a 2012 Toyota Camry, 100/300/100 limits and a $1,000 deductible. Insurance.com uses a 40-year-old with a Honda Accord and $500 deductibles. ValuePenguin says it used 977,837 quotes from 58 companies but doesn’t state the age. Change the driver, the car or the deductible and the order changes.
Next comes the price basis. Some sources publish monthly rates and others publish six-month or annual premiums. A few pages mix units, so read the label before you compare. Then look at the date. ValuePenguin shows Progressive at $207 on a June 2026 page and $268 on a September 2026 page. That’s a 30% move in three months on one site.
Finally, look at internal consistency. The Zebra publishes a 93% national increase after a DUI on one page (August 17, 2026) and 65% on another (March 30, 2026), with no profile stated on either. NerdWallet still shows a DUI page from February 2022, which we don’t cite as current. Therefore, treat any single ranking as one data point, not a verdict. The same disagreement between sources appears in SR-22 pricing, which we break down in cheapest SR22 insurance companies across five 2026 rankings.
Average Cost vs Cheapest Insurance After a DUI: What Each Source Reports
| Source | Date | Average after a DUI | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| ValuePenguin | September 25, 2026 | $391 a month, full coverage | Not stated |
| MoneyGeek | May 20, 2026 | $347 a month, 40-year-old male | About 36% |
| Forbes Advisor | August 6, 2026 | $354 a month | 78% |
| Insurify | September 27, 2026 | $269 a month | 44% |
| NerdWallet | September 1, 2026 | $4,433 a year for a 35-year-old, against $2,344 clean | Not stated |
| CarInsurance.com | August 3, 2026 | Not stated | 35% to more than 300%, depending on state and insurer |
The national average therefore runs from $269 to $391 a month, and the increase from 36% to 88% or more. A spread that wide says something. The price depends on your state first, your insurer second and your record third. We put five states side by side in our article on DUI insurance cost by state.
One Statistic That Shows the Problem: State Farm
State Farm is the clearest example. ValuePenguin (June 30, 2026) showed State Farm at $469 a month after a DUI, a 144% increase. CarInsurance.com (August 3, 2026) showed +73%. Insurance.com (November 2025) showed +61%. The Zebra (August 17, 2026) showed about +50%. MoneyGeek (May 20, 2026) ranked State Farm cheapest of all at $192.
| Source | Date | State Farm after a DUI |
|---|---|---|
| ValuePenguin | June 30, 2026 | $469 a month, up 144% |
| CarInsurance.com | August 3, 2026 | Up 73% |
| Insurance.com | November 2025 | Up 61% |
| The Zebra | August 17, 2026 | Up about 50% |
| MoneyGeek | May 20, 2026 | Ranked cheapest of all at $192 a month |
The same company looks like the most expensive or the cheapest depending on the page. That doesn’t mean any source is lying. It means insurers rate by state, age, credit and record, and a national number hides all of that. A safe sentence is: ValuePenguin showed +144% in June 2026, and other sources showed +61% to +73%.
Three Routes to the Cheapest Insurance After a DUI: Standard, Non-Standard, Assigned Risk
To find the cheapest insurance after a DUI, ask for quotes in three groups. Standard insurers are the household names above. Non-standard insurers specialize in high-risk drivers, and Insurify says they typically remain available when a major insurer declines renewal. The third group is the state plan for drivers nobody else will cover.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners consumer guide tells you to contact your state insurance department and ask whether your state has an insurance program for high-risk drivers. Several states describe theirs: California runs the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan, and its Department of Insurance says every licensed insurer must accept plan assignments and charge the same premium. New York runs the NYAIP, and Illinois, Florida and Georgia describe similar backstops. Use the plan last, because rates are generally higher than in the voluntary market.
If you also need the certificate, read what SR22 insurance is and check the state rules, for example in California or Texas.
Will Your Current Insurer Renew You?
Sources disagree here too. CarInsurance.com (May 22, 2026) says most standard insurers will cancel a policy after a DUI conviction, and its August page says some refuse to renew while others keep you at a much higher premium. MoneyGeek says some insurers may cancel mid-term or decline renewal.
California is a notable exception in the official material. The California Department of Insurance consumer guide says cancellation or non-renewal is allowed for only three reasons: fraud or material misrepresentation, non-payment of premium, or a substantial increase in the hazard insured against. We read that in the guide, not in the statute, so confirm with the Department if your renewal notice cites a DUI. For repeat offenders, see car insurance after a second DUI.
How to Find the Cheapest Insurance After a DUI in Your State
State matters more than brand. Virginia favors Farm Bureau, which is cheapest at both ValuePenguin ($155 a month) and MoneyGeek ($77). Texas favors State Farm, which is cheapest at ValuePenguin ($142) and MoneyGeek ($144), while The Zebra ranks GEICO first. Mercury and GEICO lead across sources in California. Meanwhile, the winner in Ohio and Florida changes with the source.
Use that pattern to build your quote list. Take the two or three names that lead in your state, add a non-standard insurer and add one regional insurer. Then run all of them on the same profile: same limits, same deductible, same drivers, same day. Save each quote as a PDF so you can compare like with like.
Also ask each insurer three direct questions. Does it renew after a DUI? How long does it count the conviction against you? Does it file the SR-22 or FR-44 if your state requires one, and at what fee? Our guide to how long a DUI affects insurance rates explains the look-back windows behind the second question.
What Moves the Price After You Buy
The price you pay in year one isn’t the price in year three. Most sources place the effect at three to five years, and insurers may check a longer history in some states. Shopping again at each renewal is the main lever, because insurers treat the same record differently. Read how to lower your SR22 insurance premium for the discount and timing steps that apply once you’re covered.
Look-Back Windows: How Long Insurers Count a DUI
The cheapest insurance after a DUI today can turn expensive if the insurer counts the conviction for longer than you expect. The sources give different windows. ValuePenguin says a DUI typically raises rates for three to five years. Insurify says three to ten years or even longer. CarInsurance.com says insurers typically search seven to ten years of history, and the NAIC consumer guide points to the last three to five years of driving record.
State pages add detail. MoneyGeek says a Virginia DUI stays on the record for 11 years while insurers apply elevated premiums for three to five. The Zebra gives a ten-year look-back for California, five years for a second DUI in Florida and ten years for later ones. For Texas it says there’s no maximum DWI look-back period. These are record-keeping windows, not the same as the period an insurer surcharges, so ask each insurer for its own number.
California Rates a DUI Under Specific Rules
California sets the rating rules by regulation. Under 10 CCR section 2632.5, convictions under Vehicle Code sections 23140, 23152 or 23153 are treated as the highest surchargeable violation. Insurers must verify your driving record at least every 36 months and can’t rate a renewal on a record older than 36 months. That’s a verification limit, not a statement that a DUI drops off after three years, so don’t read it that way. We found no California Department of Insurance page that states a three-year DUI look-back.
The practical point is that California quotes differ widely by insurer. ValuePenguin (September 25, 2026) lists Mercury at $351 and GEICO at $361 a month, while The Zebra (March 30, 2026) shows State Farm at $7,286 a year and CSAA at $7,340, against Mercury at $2,369. If you live there, our guide on car insurance after a DUI in California covers the DMV steps and the cost range.
Liability-Only Quotes Can Mislead You
Some numbers that look like the cheapest insurance after a DUI simply buy less. Insurify quotes liability-only prices for Texas at $155 a month (median, September 27, 2026) and $270 for full coverage in California (August 2, 2026), and it lists liability-only leaders such as State Farm at $46 in Texas. Those figures aren’t comparable to full-coverage rankings. If a lender holds your car loan, full coverage is required, and only full-coverage numbers are relevant.
Insurify also estimates that the SR-22 filing itself adds about 11% in Texas. In other words, the conviction drives the price, not the form. So don’t choose an insurer only because it advertises a low filing fee.
Cheapest Insurance After a DUI: A Four-Step Plan
First, pick your state and look up its lead insurers in at least two sources. Second, add a non-standard insurer and check whether your state has an assigned risk plan. Third, get all quotes on one profile in one day. Fourth, put the renewal date in your calendar and quote again 45 days before it. That last step is where most of the savings come from, because the conviction ages every year and the ranking shifts with it.
The team at High Risk Auto Guide isn’t a licensed insurance agency. The information in this article is educational and based on official, verified sources as of the date noted. Confirm the details that apply to your specific case with your state’s DMV/BMV or with your own insurance company.
