But if your policy is due for renewal soon, expect your insurance company to learn about your speeding ticket then. Whenever a car insurance policy is up for renewal, the insurer will request a copy of your

motor vehicle report (MVR)

to check for new violations—including speeding tickets.

When your insurance company learns about your speeding ticket, they’ll add a surcharge—a temporary rate increase—to your premiums. The average speeding ticket surcharge is 24.6%.

How long will a speeding ticket stay on my record?

A speeding ticket surcharge will stay on your policy for three to five years. The exact timeline depends on both state laws and the policies of your insurance provider. Some insurers will gradually reduce your surcharge if you stay accident- and violation-free after your speeding ticket.

Learn more:

How to get a clean driving record (and save on insurance)

Car insurance goes up by 15–45% after a speeding ticket

Once your insurer learns about your speeding ticket, you’ll likely see a surcharge on your renewal rate. In most cases, this rate increase is between 15 and 45% for a single speeding ticket, but your exact surcharge will depend on:

What state you live in: New Jersey insurers raise rates by an average of 45% after a speeding ticket; in Texas, the average surcharge is just over 16%.

Your driving record: For a first speeding ticket, your surcharge will typically be lower. But if you have a long record of traffic violations, expect to pay much higher rates after a new ticket.

How many miles over the speed limit you drove: A ticket for going 15 mph over the speed limit typically carries higher fines than a ticket for speeding by 5 mph. It’ll also have a bigger impact on your insurance.

Your insurance company’s policies: Every insurer has a different formula for car insurance premiums—and for surcharges.

The best way to deal with a speeding ticket surcharge is to go shopping for new quotes.

You can’t change your record, where you live, or how serious your speeding ticket was—but you can make the choice not to stay with an insurance provider that hikes up your rate by 25% or more after a speeding ticket.

If you’re not sure where to start, the

Jerry

app offers an easy way to explore your options after a speeding ticket. Once you get a renewal notice from your current insurer, head to the app and compare your new rate against

real auto insurance quotes

from insurance providers in your state.

Signup with Jerry takes about a minute.

Once we've got your information, we'll use it to find real quotes from insurers in your area.

Now that you have a speeding ticket, it’s a waiting game to see when your rates will go down again. To get ahead of the game, you can turn on automatic reshopping in the Jerry app. This tool will automatically send you new quotes the next time your policy is up for renewal and notify you any time a new insurer starts offering policies in your area with the potential for lower rates.

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Other ways to lower car insurance after a speeding ticket

1. Take a defensive driving course

Some insurance companies offer discounted rates to drivers who take a DMV-approved

defensive driving course

. These courses, which teach techniques for anticipating and avoiding accidents and traffic infractions, can reduce the number of

points on your driver’s license

and qualify you for discounts on your insurance coverage.

Insurance discounts vs. traffic school

In most cases, a defensive driving course must be voluntary in order to qualify you for an insurance discount. If you’ve been ordered to enroll in traffic school after a speeding violation, you may not be eligible for an insurance discount.

Insurance discounts vs. point reduction

Depending on your state’s point system, you may not be able to use a defensive driving course for both insurance discount and point reduction. Talk to an insurance agent before enrolling to determine if defensive driving is the best way to save.

Learn more:

How long do points stay on your record after a speeding ticket?

2. Take advantage of discounts

A speeding ticket can change your eligibility for discounts on your car insurance policy. When your policy renews, check to see if any good driver discounts have been removed from your insurance—and look for new discounts to replace them.

Good driver discounts typically range from about 10% to 30%—but you can earn comparable discounts on your auto insurance premiums by:

Bundling your car insurance policy with a homeowners policy

Maintaining at least a B average as a full-time high school or college student

Paying your annual premium in full rather than in monthly payments

If you’re not eligible for any new discounts with your current provider, check for discounts with other insurance companies.

Learn more:

The best car insurance discounts you could score today

3. Track your driving

Tracking your driving might not qualify you for instant discounts, but could lower your insurance rates over time in two ways:

If you use an insurance company’s telematics app, such as Progressive’s Snapshot or Allstate’s Drivewise, you could earn a safe driving discount the next time your policy is up for renewal.

If you track your driving using a tool that offers feedback and safe driving tips, you can establish a clean driving record and qualify for even bigger discounts.

Learn more:

Get your responsible driving score

How to keep a ticket off your driving record

You can’t always keep a speeding ticket off your driving record—but if you can, it’s the best way to maintain a

clean driving record

and avoid an insurance rate increase.

Fight the ticket: If you can prove that you weren’t speeding and your ticket was wrongly assigned due to radar, speedometer, or law enforcement error, you may be able to get it dismissed by the court.

Opt for mitigation: If you can’t prove you weren’t speeding but aren’t able to pay your fine, you can plead guilty and negotiate with the court for a lesser fine, more time to pay it, or the option to take a driver improvement court instead. This is called mitigation, but it must be requested in writing in some jurisdictions.

Request a deferral: Some states, like Washington, allow drivers to keep moving and non-moving violations off their record for a year at a time. If you can’t afford your fine (or a premium increase) right now, look into deferral in your state.

Take a defensive driving course: Some states, like New York, allow drivers to take a defensive driving course to keep points off their driving record. Check your state’s laws to see if it’s an option.

The cheapest car insurance companies for drivers with tickets

Every car insurance company calculates surcharges differently after a traffic ticket. Here’s what we found when we looked at the data for drivers with speeding tickets:

Insurance company	Average rate increase after a speeding ticket
Allstate	15%
USAA	17%
American Family	22%
Nationwide	26%
State Farm	26%
Farmers	31%
Auto-Owners	36%
Travelers	37%
GEICO	38%
Progressive	43%

Insurance premiums are personal

Remember—average rates don’t always guarantee a low (or high!) premium. When you shop for quotes with Jerry, you’ll get a clearer picture of what impacts your insurance rates and which provider is the best fit for you.

Keep in mind: The table above shows average rate increases for a standard speeding ticket. Severe speeding violations—driving 20 mph or more over the speed limit or a reckless driving charge—will typically result in much higher premiums due to the higher risk associated with these infractions.

Learn more:

Cheap car insurance for high-risk drivers (2023)

Average insurance increase after a ticket by state

Car insurance rates don’t rise by the same amount after a ticket in every state. Find your state below to estimate the size of the surcharge you can expect—and for tips on how to pay or fight a ticket.

State	Average rate increase after a speeding ticket
Alabama	30%
Alaska	24%
Arizona	33%
Arkansas	39%
California	41%
Colorado	26%
Connecticut	20%
Delaware	29%
District of Columbia	24%
Florida	28%
Georgia	29%
Hawaii	44%
Idaho	22%
Illinois	33%
Indiana	38%
Iowa	24%
Kansas	22%
Kentucky	33%
Louisiana	39%
Maine	25%
Maryland	29%
Massachusetts	27%
Michigan	40%
Minnesota	29%
Mississippi	27%
Missouri	21%
Montana	24%
Nebraska	28%
Nevada	26%
New Hampshire	27%
New Jersey	45%
New Mexico	23%
New York	20%
North Carolina	41%
North Dakota	20%
Ohio	30%
Oklahoma	25%
Oregon	30%
Pennsylvania	17%
Rhode Island	32%
South Carolina	23%
South Dakota	27%
Tennessee	30%
Texas	16%
Utah	24%
Vermont	22%
Virginia	31%
Washington	33%
West Virginia	26%
Wisconsin	39%
Wyoming	29%

Where’d we get these numbers?
To find the best providers after a speeding ticket and the average rate increase in every state, Jerry’s editorial team researched the average rate increase after a speeding ticket for these 10 insurance companies using expert sources from Forbes, NerdWallet, ValuePenguin, WalletHub, Liberty Mutual, The Zebra, and CarInsurance.com. Our data shows the average of the data shared by these sources.

FAQs

When will a speeding ticket show up on insurance?

A speeding ticket will show up on your insurance the next time your policy renews. Until then, you’ll keep paying the same rate. Check your policy details to see how far away your next renewal date is.

How long do speeding tickets affect insurance?

On average, a speeding ticket will stay on your driving record for three to five years, though some states keep severe speeding tickets on your record for 10+ years. As long as you stay accident- and violation-free, you could be eligible for good driver discounts as soon as three years after a ticket.

How much do speeding tickets raise your car insurance?

A single speeding ticket will raise your auto insurance rates by an average of 24.6%. If you have multiple tickets or live in a state with higher average increases, you could see an increase of 45% or more.

Does a first-time speeding ticket affect insurance?

Yes. Unless you have violation forgiveness from an insurer like Farmers, Travelers, or Erie, a first-time speeding ticket will cause your car insurance costs to go up.

Do parking tickets affect car insurance?

A parking ticket is a non-moving violation, so it typically won’t be added to your driving history and won’t affect your auto insurance. Unless your vehicle registration can’t be renewed due to nonpayment of a parking ticket, consider these infractions separate from your insurance.