Last updated: October 12, 2026
There’s no single answer to “how much does insurance go up after a DUI.” Anyone giving you one flat number is rounding off a lot of variation to sound authoritative. Two recent national studies land in different places. LendingTree’s May 2026 analysis puts the average increase at 74.5%, from $2,130 to $3,716 a year. Bankrate’s data, updated June 30, 2026, puts it closer to 88%, or roughly $183 more a month for full coverage. Both are legitimate. Both are also averages that don’t describe what happens to your policy specifically.
Why two studies don’t agree
The gap between 74.5% and 88% isn’t a mistake. It’s methodology. Different studies sample different mixes of states, insurers, and coverage levels, such as liability-only versus full coverage. A DUI surcharge isn’t calculated the same way twice. What both studies agree on matters more than the headline number. The increase is large, it’s immediate, and it varies more by where you live and who insures you than by anything else.
How Much Does Insurance Go Up After a DUI in Your State
Bankrate’s June 2026 data shows North Carolina drivers facing a 303% jump ($592 a month). Oklahoma, Nevada, and Washington drivers see increases in the 50-53% range. LendingTree’s separate May 2026 study puts North Carolina at 284.1%, with Mississippi at just 17.4%. The two studies disagree on the exact percentage for the same states. That’s the point. State regulation of how insurers price DUI risk varies enough that your state matters more than the conviction itself.
California sits in the expensive tier in both studies (136% to 181% depending on the source). If you’re reading this from California, the state-specific breakdown is in SR22 Insurance California.
How Much Does Insurance Go Up After a DUI? It Depends on the Insurer
This is the number that should change how you shop, not the national average. Bankrate’s June 2026 data found Progressive raising rates just 29% after a DUI. State Farm raised the same driver’s rate 144% for equivalent coverage. That’s a 5x difference between two mainstream carriers insuring the same risk. If you stay with your current insurer out of loyalty or inertia after a DUI, you could pay triple what a different carrier would charge for the identical policy.
How much does insurance go up after a DUI? What other studies found
Two studies are not the whole picture. Several other sources publish their own averages, and they cluster in a wide band.
| Source | Average increase | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ValuePenguin | 88%, or $183 a month for full coverage (2026) | 11 states see rates more than double. North Carolina is at +303% and Michigan at $670 a month. |
| NerdWallet | 93%, about $126 a month more after one DUI | An older analysis of 2021 rates found 96%, or roughly $1,522 more a year, with a spread from $508 to $4,165 depending on location. |
| CarInsurance.com | 35% to over 300%, depending on state and insurer | North Carolina 330%, Hawaii 241%, Connecticut 208%, California 190% |
| Insurify | About 44% to 67% for a single DUI | Its numbers sit below the others, which shows how much the sampling method moves the result. |
Notice what stays consistent. North Carolina tops every ranking, and the increases in the high tier are several times those in states such as Mississippi or New York. The exact percentage moves with the study. The shape of the ranking does not.
What age and prior record add
Your age changes the surcharge before any insurer prices you. ValuePenguin finds a 21-year-old with a DUI pays about 40% more than an older driver with the same conviction. It also finds three DUIs cost about 55% more than one. Insurify puts multiple DUIs at about $468 a month, against $269 for a single one.
That pattern is why a first DUI on a clean record lands lower in these ranges, and why a DUI stacked on prior points lands higher. A clean record does not erase the surcharge. It softens it.
How non-standard insurers price a DUI
Standard carriers do not price every DUI the same way, and non-standard carriers sit in a different band altogether. Insurify puts The General at about $290 a month and Direct Auto at about $241 after a DUI. Those insurers accept higher-risk drivers more readily. Standard carriers such as Country Financial and Auto-Owners average about $115 to $123 a month where they will write you at all.
Insurify also isolates the cost of the filing effect. A driver with a DUI and an SR-22 averages about $268 a month for full coverage and $140 for liability only, against $187 and $98 for a clean record. Use those numbers to sanity-check any quote. If yours sits far above them, shop again before you accept it. Price is only half the decision, so our guide to the best high risk auto insurance companies adds acceptance and AM Best financial strength to the comparison.
What actually sets your number
Four things determine where you land inside these ranges. None of them is “the national average”:
- Your insurer’s DUI pricing model. Some carriers treat a DUI as a moderate surcharge. Others treat it as a near-disqualifying event and price accordingly, or decline to renew you at all. See Car Insurance After a Second DUI if this isn’t your first.
- Your state’s minimum-liability requirements and SR-22 rules. A state that requires higher minimums or an SR-22 filing adds a structural cost on top of the surcharge itself. See SR22 Filing Explained for what that filing costs versus what’s just the premium.
- Whether an SR-22 is required. Not every DUI triggers one, but most do. The filing fee itself is small ($15-$50 in most states). The real cost is that an SR-22 flags you as high-risk to every insurer that sees the request, not just the one you’re with. If you don’t own a car, non-owner SR22 insurance can satisfy the filing.
- Your driving record before the DUI. A clean record for the prior five years softens the hit somewhat. A DUI stacked on existing points or a prior at-fault accident pushes you toward the top of these ranges. It can even push you toward a non-standard carrier entirely.
How long does this last?
The short version: longer than most people expect, but not forever. The clock also doesn’t reset the way you’d assume. How Long Does a DUI Affect Insurance Rates breaks down three separate timelines: your driving record, your insurer’s look-back window, and your SR-22 requirement. They don’t end on the same date, and conflating them is how people get surprised by a renewal quote.
What to actually do with this number
So how much does insurance go up after a DUI for you? Don’t anchor to 74% or 88% and assume that’s your bill. Get quotes from at least three to five carriers, including one non-standard insurer that specializes in high-risk drivers. The standard-market gap between Progressive and State Farm shows the spread is real. Cheapest Insurance After a DUI walks through how to shop across standard, non-standard, and assigned-risk options without wasting quotes on carriers that will decline you outright.
If the number you get back still feels unaffordable, that’s usually a signal to check whether you’re required to carry more than your state’s minimum coverage. It’s not a reason to skip carrying an SR-22 or let the policy lapse. A lapse can restart the SR-22 clock and can trigger a license suspension on top of the rate you’re already paying. That’s a worse position than a high premium.
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.
