A speeding ticket can raise your insurance rates by an average of 23% in New Mexico. Shopping for new rates should be your first step after paying your fine.

Written by Sarah Gray

Edited by Jessica Barrett

Reviewed by Brice Regling

Updated on Apr 3, 2024

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How to deal with a speeding ticket in New Mexico
Calculate your New Mexico speeding ticket penalties
Your insurance will go up after a speeding ticket—here’s how to lower it
Cheapest car insurance companies after a speeding ticket in New Mexico
FAQs

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New Mexico

drivers choose whether to pay their fine or attend traffic court while they’re still pulled over. Minimum fines for speeding set by New Mexico traffic law typically range from $76 to over $500, plus you’ll see an average 23% increase in your

car insurance

premiums.

How to deal with a speeding ticket in New Mexico

Step 1: Check your traffic ticket to determine if you’re required to make a court appearance

When you’re being ticketed for speeding in New Mexico, the police officer will give you two options: pay the fine or go to court. If “Traffic Arraignment” or “Court Appearance” is checked on your traffic citation, you DO NOT have the option to pay your fine and skip court.

Step 2: Pay your fine or appear in court

If the “Penalty Assessment” box is checked on your ticket, you must pay the fine. If the “Court Appearance” or “Traffic Arraignment” box is checked, you must appear in court in person. Paying the fine or being found guilty in court will result in points added to your driving record and increased insurance premiums.

Step 3: Shop for car insurance before your next renewal

When your insurer learns of your speeding ticket, you’ll face rate increases averaging around 23%.

Learn more:

The best way to shop for car insurance in 2023

How to pay your ticket

If you choose to pay your fine, the options for doing so will be listed on your ticket. Most traffic ticket fines can be paid online using the

New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division’s (MVD) online payment portal

Once you’ve accessed the portal, follow these steps to pay your speeding ticket:

Gather information needed to make your payment: email address, date of birth, driver’s license number or mailing address, citation number, credit card information or checking account number.

Remember, if the “Traffic Arraignment” or “Court Appearance” boxes are checked on your ticket, you CANNOT pay the MVD for your citation.

Follow the prompts to enter your identification and ticket information.

Enter your payment information and submit payment.

In addition to online payment options, all New Mexico courts allow for payment by mail or in person at the address indicated on the citation. Some courts also allow for ticket payment with a credit card over the phone. All available options will be listed on your ticket.1

You have 30 days from the date of issuance to pay your fine if “Penalty Assessment” is marked on your citation. If you fail to make your payment on time or to attend court for tickets marked “Traffic Arraignment” or “Court Appearance,” you could have a bench warrant issued for your arrest, face additional fines, and/or face license suspension.

How to get your ticket dismissed

If you choose to appear in court, you’ll have the opportunity to plead your case for a dismissal. Effective arguments for getting your speeding ticket dismissed include:

Defective equipment or officer error: If you can prove the radar detector used to clock your speed was not working correctly or that the officer made an error, you may be able to get your ticket dismissed.

Defective vehicle equipment: If you can prove that your speedometer wasn’t working properly and that you were unaware of the fact, you may have grounds for ticket dismissal.

Ignorance of New Mexico’s speeding laws or the posted speed limit is not an effective defense. Whether you’re a New Mexico resident or not, don’t try to fight your speeding ticket by claiming ignorance.

But even if you know you were speeding, you may be able to receive a “guilty deferred” judgment, which will allow you to satisfy conditions established by the court—like attending driving school or maintaining a clean driving record for 90 days—to have your ticket dismissed.2

Drivers with a

clean driving record

will have a better chance of getting a ticket dismissed than those with previous traffic violations.

Learn more:

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

Calculate your New Mexico speeding ticket penalties

Though speeding is considered a misdemeanor under

New Mexico law

, you won’t face jail time unless you’re charged with reckless driving. Instead, when you get a speeding ticket in New Mexico, you can expect two main types of penalties3:

Fines and fees: New Mexico assigns fines ranging from $76 to $451 for speeding depending on the county you’re ticketed in and whether you’re in construction or safety zone.

Demerit points: You’ll have three to four points added to your New Mexico driving record, depending on how far over the limit you were traveling. Points for moving violations remain on a New Mexico driver’s license for 12 months following the ticketed offense.

If your speeding ticket is actually a careless driving or

reckless driving charge

, you’ll face much stiffer penalties, including high fines, potential jail time, license suspension, and six points added to your driving record.

The tables below offer a breakdown of the fee schedule and points system maintained by the

State of Mexico’s Taxation and Revenue Department

The New Mexico speeding fines schedule and points system

Speeding offense	Penalty outside Bernalillo County	Penalty in Bernalillo County	Additional penalties
Speeding 1-10 mph over the limit	$82	$76	3 demerit points
Speeding 11-15 mph over the limit	$87	$81	3 demerit points
Speeding 16-20 mph over the limit	$122	$116	3 demerit points, reckless driving charge, potential jail time, additional fines up to $1,000
Speeding 21-25 mph over the limit	$157	$151	4 demerit points, reckless driving charge, potential jail time, additional fines up to $1,000
Speeding 26-30 mph over the limit	$182	$176	4 demerit points, reckless driving charge, potential jail time, additional fines up to $1,000
Speeding 31-35	$207	$201	4 demerit points, reckless driving charge, potential jail time, additional fines up to $1,000
Speeding 36+ mph over the limit	$257	$251	4 demerit points, reckless driving charge, potential jail time, additional fines up to $1,000

Fines are doubled for speeding in construction zones and safety zones, such as school zones. Fines and penalties for drivers who hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) are much stricter and could result in loss of CDL qualifications.

How to remove speeding tickets from your New Mexico driving record

Unless a New Mexico traffic court assigned a “guilty deferred” sentence to your speeding ticket, there is no way to remove it or the points associated with it from your record. Note that points only remain on your license for 12 months and improving your safe driving habits during and after that period can help you avoid future infractions.

Earn safe driving perks

Driving safely is the best way to avoid traffic violations and accidents and the increased car insurance costs that go with them.

To help build your safe driving skills, use a telematics tool like

Jerry’s

DriveShield to track habits like speeding and phone use and earn perks when you avoid them.

Drivers who track their driving in the Jerry app earn an average safe driving discount of 12% from their auto insurance provider.

Your insurance will go up after a speeding ticket—here’s how to lower it

Once you’ve paid the fines and fees associated with your New Mexico speeding ticket, you’ll need to start preparing for your next financial hit—increased insurance rates.

Step 1. Check your renewal date

Providers can’t increase your rate during a policy term—they have to wait until it’s time to renew your policy. That’s when they’ll run your

motor vehicle report (MVR)

, learn about your speeding ticket, and surcharge your premium.

Step 2: Wait for your renewal notice

Before your policy renews, you’ll receive notice from your current provider informing you of your new rate. You then have the option to pay that increased rate or shop for a provider that can offer you lower premiums.

Step 3: Compare rates from other providers

If you choose to search for new coverage (and you should!),

compare quotes

from at least three or more providers to see what other carriers have to offer.

You already know New Mexico insurance rates increase by about 23% after a speeding ticket, but that’s just an average. Not all providers

calculate rates the same way

—and while one provider may increase rates by 40% because of a speeding ticket, another may only hike your premium by 20%.

A simple way to quickly compare quotes from dozens of top New Mexico providers is to use the

Jerry

app.

You’ll be able to build a profile that allows you to search for rates based on real quotes from a variety of providers based on your current record.

You can also take advantage of Jerry’s helpful automatic reshopping feature to ensure you don’t miss the chance to get lower rates as the points on your record expire. You’ll also receive notifications if a new provider moves to your area that may offer lower rates than your current car insurance company.

Cheapest car insurance companies after a speeding ticket in New Mexico

Here’s how major insurance companies tend to handle rate renewals after a speeding ticket:

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%

Remember

Every car insurance company calculates rates differently and that includes how they deal with traffic offenses. Your rate may increase by less or more than shown in this table based on the length of time you’ve been with your provider, your existing record, and whether or not you plead guilty to your ticket.

Where'd we get these numbers?
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.

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FAQs

What happens if you get a speeding ticket in New Mexico?

If you’re convicted of speeding in New Mexico, you’ll face fines from $76 to over $500, plus you’ll have three to four points added to your record.

How do I get a speeding ticket dismissed in New Mexico?

To get a speeding ticket dismissed in New Mexico, you must either be found not guilty in court or receive a “guilty deferred” sentence. A “guilty deferred” sentence allows you to satisfy court-mandated requirements, such as traffic school, to get your ticket dismissed.

How many points is a speeding ticket in New Mexico?

Drivers are assigned three to four points on their New Mexico driving record for speeding depending on how fast they’re traveling.

How do I pay a speeding ticket in New Mexico?

All available options for paying your New Mexico speeding ticket will be listed on the citation itself. Most drivers will have the option to pay online, some have the option to pay by phone, and all can pay by mail or in person.

How long does a speeding ticket stay on your record in New Mexico?

Points associated with a speeding ticket remain on your record for 12 months following the violation.

How do I remove points from my license in NM?

New Mexico does not have a process for removing points from your license. However, once on the license, points only remain for 12 months.

Can you take defensive driving for speeding in New Mexico?

If you receive a “guilty deferred” sentence from the court and permission to complete a defensive driving course to satisfy that sentence, then it can be used to get a speeding ticket dismissed.

What happens if you miss court for a traffic ticket in New Mexico?

If you miss your court date for a New Mexico traffic ticket, the court will issue a bench warrant for your arrest. You will also face additional fines and fees, and your license may be suspended.

Is it worth appealing a speeding ticket in New Mexico?

Maybe. If you have a legitimate reason to believe you shouldn’t be cited for speeding, you should enter a not guilty plea and take your case to court. That said, fighting a case on your own is tough, so you may wind up spending just as much in lawyer’s fees as you would for the fine.

Unless your speeding ticket also includes a more serious violation, like reckless driving or DUI/DWI, it might make more financial sense to skip court and pay the fine.