How to Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes Even If You Have a Speeding Ticket
Last Updated on September 14, 2023
So you received a speeding ticket – but you still want to get cheap auto insurance. What’s the solution? Is it possible to get cheap auto insurance even when you have a speeding ticket? Today, we’re answering all your questions about finding cheap auto insurance quotes even when you have one or more speeding tickets.
Key Takeaways:
- Impact of Speeding Tickets on Insurance Rates: Your driving record, which includes speeding tickets, plays a significant role in determining your car insurance premium. While some insurance companies might raise your policy price after a single speeding ticket, others may forgive one or two offenses, especially if you have a safe driving history.
- Loss of Safe Driving Bonuses: Many insurance companies offer discounts to safe drivers. Receiving a speeding ticket can result in losing these good driving discounts, leading to an immediate increase in your insurance rates.
- Duration of Speeding Tickets on Your Record: Speeding tickets typically remain on your driving record for 12 to 36 months, but this duration varies by state. Even if the associated points from the ticket are removed, the ticket might still be visible to insurance companies for years.
- Tips for Securing Cheap Car Insurance with a Speeding Ticket: To get affordable car insurance after receiving a speeding ticket, it’s advised to compare quotes from multiple providers, maintain a clean record for at least three years, consider trading in your car for a safer model, and evaluate the need for comprehensive coverage or other optional policies.
How Do Speeding Tickets Affect Insurance Rates?
Your driving record is one of several things your insurance company looks at when determining your car insurance premium. Speeding tickets – and other infractions – are part of that record.
Insurance companies calculate policy prices in different ways. Sometimes, your insurance company will immediately raise your policy price after a single speeding ticket. In other situations, insurance companies might forgive one or two speeding tickets – especially if you have a long history of safe driving and this is your first offense.
Your insurance company might ignore a speeding ticket if you’re an experienced driver with no other offenses on your recent driving record. However, insurance companies are more likely to punish younger drivers with less driving experience. The table below shows the average insurance rate increases by insurer following a speeding ticket:
| Insurer | Average Premium | Average Premium After Speeding Ticket | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allstate | $1,868 | $2,239 | 20% |
| Farmers | $1,753 | $2,146 | 24% |
| GEICO | $1,109 | $1,449 | 31% |
| Nationwide | $1,598 | $1,900 | 19% |
| Progressive | $1,483 | $1,916 | 31% |
| State Farm | $1,400 | $1,807 | 27% |
| Source – Insure.com | |||
Of course, drivers of all ages who have multiple violations on their records are more likely to experience an increase after a speeding ticket. Your insurance company will almost certainly take note if you receive two speeding tickets in a short period of time, for example – even if you have a long and clean driving record.
You Could Lose Safe Driving Bonuses
Keep in mind that many insurance companies reward safe drivers by offering good driving discounts. You might receive a slight reduction in your premium for every year you go without a driving offense.
If you get a speeding ticket, then you might lose any safe driving premiums you’ve established over the years. This could cause your rates to rise immediately.
Below is a list of the good driver discounts offered by some of the top insurance companies in America:
| Insurer | Discounts |
|---|---|
| Allstate | Premier Discount – Save up to 22% without any violations of accidents for 3 years. Premier Plus Discount – Save up to 35% without any violations of accidents for 3 years. |
| American Family | Good Driver Discount – 5%-10% off premiums for drivers with no accidents, violations, or claims. |
| Esurance | Good Driver Discount – Save 30-40% off premiums if you’ve had your license for at least 3 years and have 0 or 1 penalty points on your record. |
| GEICO | Drivers with five years of accident free driving save 26% on their premiums. |
| Nationwide | Drivers with no accidents or major violations for 5 years save up to 10% on premiums. |
| MetLife | Super Driver Discount – Drivers with clean records save up to 12% on their premiums. MetRewards – Drivers with no claims or violations for 5 years can save up to 20% on their premiums. |
| Progressive | Drivers with no tickets or accidents in the past 3 years save an average of 31% on their policies. |
| State Farm | Drivers with no violations or at-fault accidents for 3 years receive a good driving discount. |
| Travelers | Drivers with no incidents for 3 years save 10% on their premiums. Drivers with no incidents for 5 years save 23% on their premiums. |
How Long Do Speeding Tickets Stay on Your Record?
Typically, a speeding ticket will remain on your driving record for 12 to 36 months. However, laws vary between states. In some cases, the speeding ticket will stay on your record even when the associated points were removed – so your insurance company might know about your ticket even when you apply for insurance years after the incident.
In general, you can expect a speeding ticket to stay on your driving record for 36 months – or three years. It’s rare for a speeding ticket to disappear after just one or two years.
View the table below to see how long speeding tickets stay on your record in your state:
| State | Length a Speeding Ticket Stays on Your Record |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 years |
| Alaska | 1 year |
| Arizona | 1 year |
| Arkansas | 3 years |
| California | 39 months |
| Colorado | 2 years |
| Connecticut | 3 years |
| Delaware | 2 years |
| Florida | 5 years |
| Georgia | 2 years |
| Hawaii | 10 years |
| Idaho | 3 years |
| Illinois | 4-5 years |
| Indiana | 2 years |
| Iowa | 6 years |
| Kansas | 3 years |
| Kentucky | 5 years (points removed after 2 years) |
| Louisiana | 5 years |
| Maine | 1 year |
| Maryland | 3 years (but only affects you for 2 years) |
| Massachusetts | 6 years |
| Michigan | 7 years (but only affects you for 2 years) |
| Minnesota | 5 years |
| Mississippi | 1 year |
| Missouri | 3 years |
| Montana | Forever |
| Nebraska | 5 years |
| Nevada | 1 year |
| New Hampshire | 3 years |
| New Jersey | 5 years |
| New Mexico | 1 year |
| New York | 18 months |
| North Carolina | 3 years |
| North Dakota | 3 years |
| Ohio | 2 years |
| Oklahoma | 5 years |
| Oregon | 2 years |
| Pennsylvania | 1 year |
| Rhode Island | 3 years |
| South Carolina | 2 years |
| South Dakota | 2 years |
| Tennessee | 1 year |
| Texas | 3 years |
| Utah | 3 years |
| Vermont | 3 years |
| Virginia | 5 years |
| Washington | 5 years |
| Washington, D.C. | 5 eyars |
| West Virginia | 5 years |
| Wisconsin | 1 year |
| Wyoming | 1 year |
How to Get Cheap Car Insurance with a Speeding Ticket
Ultimately, the best way to get cheap car insurance with a speeding ticket is to compare as many car insurance quotes as possible.
Not all insurance companies treat speeding tickets equally. Some insurance companies place you in the same category as high-risk drivers that cause serious accidents – even if you just have one speeding ticket. Other insurance companies ignore your first speeding ticket without any penalty.
Here’s another tip for getting cheap car insurance with a speeding ticket: wait a while. Typically, speeding tickets disappear from your record after 12 to 36 months. If you’ve received multiple speeding tickets in a short period of time, then car insurance might be prohibitively expensive in the near future.
In summary, here are some of the ways to save money when shopping for car insurance with a speeding ticket:
- Compare quotes from multiple insurance providers
- Go three years without getting a ticket or committing other traffic offenses
- Trade-in your car for a model with a better safety record or safety features
- Drop comprehensive coverage or other optional policies from your car insurance plan
Ultimately, your insurance company assesses a number of risk factors to provide you with an insurance plan. One of those risk factors is your driving history. If you have one or more speeding tickets on your driving history, then your insurance company will inevitably judge you to be a riskier driver than someone with no speeding tickets on their driving history, all things being equal.
