How Long Does an Accident Stay on Your Insurance?

Last Updated on October 18, 2026

By James Shaffer Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 18, 2026 How we fact-check

Car accidents are common on today’s busy, distracted roads. More drivers mean a better chance of a wreck, especially with the rise of distracted driving—texting, using apps, eating, or anything that takes your focus off the road.

Those accidents matter because they directly affect what you pay for coverage. Insurers look at many factors when pricing your policy, but one of the biggest is your driving history. If you’ve had prior accidents, the company expects a higher chance of future claims and may charge higher premiums to offset that risk.

Most car accidents affect your insurance rates for about 3–5 years, with serious crashes and DUIs often impacting premiums for longer.
Insurers weigh fault, accident type, and claim size when deciding how much (and how long) to surcharge you.
You can’t erase a legitimate accident, but you can raise deductibles, bundle policies, adjust coverage, and use safe-driver programs to soften the financial hit.
Shopping around after a crash is crucial—different insurers treat the same accident very differently, and switching can lower what you pay.

Table Of Contents

How Long Will an Accident Affect Your Premiums?
Different Degrees of Car Accidents
What Can You Do To Keep Your Car Insurance Rates Low?
Frequently Asked Questions About Accidents and Insurance
The Bottom Line: Time and Clean Driving Help Most
Sources

How Long Will an Accident Affect Your Premiums?

So, how long does an accident stay on your insurance and affect your auto insurance rates? For most drivers, the answer is around three to five years.

Many companies will look back five years at your driving history, which includes accidents and traffic violations. However, some companies only look back three years. Others may apply shorter surcharges for small claims and longer ones for serious violations.

Farmers, citing the Insurance Information Institute, says an at-fault accident that results in a paid claim could affect your premium for about three years. Some states use a longer window. Massachusetts’s Safe Driver Insurance Plan counts incidents over a six-year experience period.

There isn’t a hard and fast rule that applies to every insurer and every state, but here’s a good general guide:

Minor at-fault accidents: Often affect your premium for about 3 years.
More severe at-fault accidents: Can impact your rates for 3–5 years or longer.
Major violations (like DUIs): Can affect what you pay for much longer. In California, for example, a DUI conviction within the past 10 years rules you out of the state’s Good Driver Discount, even if the accident itself has “fallen off” your normal rating period.

There’s also a difference between what’s on your driving record and what’s in your insurance record:

Your driving record (MVR) is maintained by your state’s DMV and usually shows accidents and tickets for several years.
Your claims history is kept in insurance databases (like CLUE) and can follow you when you switch companies. LexisNexis says its C.L.U.E. Auto reports carry up to seven years of personal auto claims.

One accident might not increase your rates at all, especially if your insurance company offers accident forgiveness or if the claim was very small. But that depends heavily on the insurer, your state, and the rest of your profile (age, vehicle, prior history, etc.).

Multiple accidents, however, almost always increase your rates. Having several at-fault accidents in the last 3–5 years can raise your premiums sharply, sometimes pushing you into “high-risk” territory where fewer insurers are willing to cover you.

Insurify’s September 30, 2026 national averages were $187 per month for full coverage with a clean record and $250 with an at-fault accident – approximately 34% higher. Those are sample-rate averages, not quotes for any one company or driver.

Different Degrees of Car Accidents

Just how much your rates go up will greatly depend on the type of accident you had. Insurance companies assign tiers to accidents based on severity, fault, and overall type. Many use a points system to help set your rate. Massachusetts publishes one: under its Safe Driver Insurance Plan a minor at-fault accident counts 3 points and a major one 4, though insurers there don’t have to use that plan for at-fault accident surcharges.

For example, a DUI-based accident is one of the most severe types of incidents, and this will have a profound effect on your auto insurance. Even if you don’t get into an accident, if you get pulled over for a DUI, expect your auto insurance rates to skyrocket. In many states, a DUI can affect your insurability and rates for far longer than a normal fender-bender.

If you were at fault for the accident, that will usually be assigned a higher point value than a not-at-fault crash. Having even one at-fault accident on your record can cause your rates to increase because the insurance company will determine you to be at greater risk for further accidents in the future.

Not-at-fault accidents are typically assigned a lower tier than at-fault accidents. Depending on the company, not-at-fault accidents can still cause your rates to go up—especially if there are multiple incidents or large payouts. A lot will depend on the severity of the accident, state regulations, and other factors that the company uses.

There are also comprehensive claims that can happen (such as a tree branch falling on your car, hail damage, theft, or hitting an animal). These are usually considered lower-tier than collision accidents involving other vehicles. There is a greater chance of these types of claims not increasing your rates than accidents involving other cars, although frequent comprehensive claims can still add up.

Another factor that insurance companies use in determining your possible rate increase is the amount of money paid out on the claim:

If a tree branch fell on your hood and the company paid out a small amount (say, a few hundred dollars), they might not raise your rates at all.
If your car caught on fire, or you had a not-at-fault accident but your car was totaled, the company paid out much more money and will be more likely to raise your rates or keep the surcharge on your policy longer.

What Can You Do To Keep Your Car Insurance Rates Low?

If you’ve had an accident and your insurance company has raised your rates, is there anything you can do? Yes — even though you can’t erase the accident, you can often blunt the financial impact.

There is nothing you can do to remove a legitimate accident from your history; you’ll need to wait 3–5 years and maintain a clean driving record for that accident to stop affecting your rates. That said, you have several levers you can pull in the meantime.

1. Raise Your Deductibles

If you carry comprehensive coverage and collision coverage on any vehicle on your policy, raising those deductibles will lower your overall premium. Consider raising them to $1,000, or even $2,500, to help offset the cost of a higher premium.

Only choose a deductible you could realistically afford to pay out of pocket after a loss. A higher deductible is a great way to save money as long as it doesn’t create a financial crisis if you actually need to use your coverage.

2. Use Multi-Policy and Multi-Vehicle Discounts

If you have a different company for your homeowners or renters policy than you do for your auto insurance, consider using the same company to get a sizable multi-policy discount. Many companies also give extra discounts for motorcycle policies, boat policies, or even RV policies.

You can often stack these discounts with multi-vehicle discounts (insuring more than one car on the same policy) to chip away at the increase from your accident.

3. Prevent Future Accidents From Going on Your Record

If you currently have a clean driving record, check to see if your insurance company offers accident forgiveness. Depending on the company, it is earned with time and a clean record or bought as an add-on, and it keeps your rate from going up because of your first qualifying accident. It doesn’t remove the accident from your record. Some companies, like GEICO, offer both kinds. GEICO’s Claim Forgiveness is free for eligible drivers who have been accident-free for five years or more, can be bought in most states, and isn’t available in California, Connecticut or Massachusetts.

It’s also worth asking about safe-driver or telematics programs that track your driving habits via an app or plug-in device. If you drive safely, you can sometimes earn significant discounts that help offset an accident surcharge.

4. Drop Unneeded Coverage

It’s always smart to review your policy and drop unneeded coverage, especially on older vehicles. The common approach is to get rid of comprehensive and collision coverage on an older, lower-value vehicle because, oftentimes, the cost to repair the damage done eclipses the value of the car.

You can also simply get rid of one of these coverage types (such as collision coverage) if you’re worried about driving around with too little protection. Whatever you do, always make sure you meet your state’s minimum coverage requirements and that you’re comfortable with your risk.

5. Shop Around and Compare Quotes

Not all insurance companies treat accidents the same way. Some are very harsh on any claim, while others are more forgiving. Rate differences can be dramatic, especially after an at-fault accident.

That’s why it pays to compare quotes with several insurers instead of assuming your current company is still the best deal. Insurance marketplaces (like those reviewed in our Insurify article) can help you quickly see how different companies price your situation after a crash.

Frequently Asked Questions About Accidents and Insurance

How long does an accident stay on my car insurance?

For most drivers, a chargeable accident affects car insurance premiums for about 3–5 years. Farmers, citing the Insurance Information Institute, says an at-fault accident with a paid claim could affect your premium for about three years, and some insurers and states look back five years or longer. Serious violations (like DUIs) can affect your pricing even longer, depending on your state and company guidelines.

Is there a difference between my driving record and my insurance record?

Yes. Your driving record (kept by your state DMV) shows violations and reported accidents for several years. Your insurance record includes your claims history, which insurers access through databases like CLUE. Even if an accident no longer shows up as a surcharge on your policy, it may still appear on one or both records for a period of time.

Will my rates always go up after an accident?

Not always. Minor incidents, very small claims, or accidents covered by an accident-forgiveness program might not increase your premium. Some insurers also choose not to surcharge a first small at-fault accident if you have several years of clean driving. However, multiple accidents or costly claims almost always lead to higher rates.

Do accidents that aren’t my fault still affect my insurance?

They can. Not-at-fault accidents are usually treated less harshly than at-fault crashes, but they still show up on your claims history. Some companies ignore them, some partially factor them in, and some may raise your rates if there are multiple not-at-fault claims or large payouts. How they’re treated depends on the insurer and state rules.

If I switch insurance companies, will my accident go away?

No. When you shop for a new policy, the insurer typically pulls both your motor vehicle record and your claims history. Any recent accidents—whether they occurred with your current insurer or another company—will still appear. You usually need to wait until the 3–5 year rating period has passed before an accident stops affecting your pricing across most companies.

Can I get an accident removed from my record if it was reported incorrectly?

If an accident is listed with the wrong details—for example, marked as at-fault when you weren’t—you can dispute it. Start by contacting your insurance company and providing documentation (police report, claim file, or letter from the other insurer). If the error is in a claims database or on your DMV record, you can also dispute it with that organization. For a claims report such as C.L.U.E., federal law requires the company to investigate a dispute free of charge.

How much will my insurance go up after an accident?

The increase varies widely by insurer, state, and the details of the crash. A minor at-fault fender bender might raise your rates by a modest amount, while a serious at-fault accident with injuries or a totaled vehicle can cause your premium to double or more. Younger drivers and drivers with prior tickets or accidents usually see the largest increases.

What can I do to lower my premium after an accident?

While you can’t erase a valid accident, you can soften the financial impact. Common strategies include raising your comprehensive and collision deductibles to an affordable higher level, bundling auto with home or renters for a multi-policy discount, enrolling in safe-driver or telematics programs, dropping unnecessary coverage on older vehicles, and shopping around with multiple insurers to find a more favorable rate.

My advice is to pull your free C.L.U.E. report and your driving record before you shop after a crash, so you know exactly what each insurer will see. Then ask every company how long it will surcharge that accident, because the answers really do differ.

The Bottom Line: Time and Clean Driving Help Most

Even though one accident might cause your rates to increase, insurance companies usually use a leveled approach. You might see a modest increase after your first accident, with subsequent accidents causing more dramatic increases and longer surcharges.

If you’ve just had one accident, there are things you can change on your policy to help offset the increased cost until the accident falls off in roughly 3–5 years. Focus on:

Maintaining a clean driving record in the future
Taking advantage of discounts and safe-driver programs
Adjusting your coverage and deductibles wisely
Shopping around so you’re not overpaying

Over time, as the accident gets older and you avoid new tickets and claims, its impact on your car insurance will fade—and eventually, it will no longer affect your premium at all.

Sources

Checked October 18, 2026