The Best Car Insurance Companies for High-Risk Drivers
- Cheapest company for "bad" drivers: American Family
- Use The Zebra to get insurance quotes for high-risk drivers from GEICO, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual and Allstate (+100 other companies)
Car insurance for high-risk drivers
High-risk drivers often face higher premiums and fewer choices — but affordable car insurance coverage is still within reach. If you’ve had multiple traffic violations, a DUI, or a serious accident, insurers may consider you riskier to insure, which can drive up your rates. You’re not alone — and being a high-risk driver doesn’t mean paying the highest rate.
We recommend starting your search with USAA, State Farm, and American Family Insurance — three providers with solid options for high-risk drivers.
American Family: Pros and Cons
👍 Offers several lines of insurance and can bundle coverage
👍 Good overall ratings from The Zebra's customer satisfaction survey
👍 Small rate increases for driving infractions
❌ Currently, only in 19 states
State Farm: Pros and Cons
👍 Comparatively minor rate increases after infractions
👍 Local agents nationally available
👍Ranked 3rd in The Zebra's Customer Satisfaction Survey for car insurance
❌ More expensive home insurance rates
USAA: Pros and Cons
👍 Typically, the cheapest car insurance company across the board
👍 Top customer satisfaction scores
👍 A wide range of coverage options and benefits
❌ Must meet eligibility requirements (military member or immediate relative)
Driving factors
- At-fault accidents
- Speeding tickets
- Reckless driving charges
- Street racing charges
- DUIs/DUIs
Non-driving factors
- Your financial history
- Where you live and drive
- Your age and experience
- The type of car you drive
First, insurers typically look at the number of violations or citations you've received. Each infraction typically results in a rate hike, but the type of violation and quantity push you further into high-risk territory.
Check out the table below to see average rates from top companies for each of these violations.
Updating data...
| Company | Avg. 6 Mo. Premium | Avg. Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Allstate | $2,426 | $404 |
| Nationwide | $2,018 | $336 |
| Farmers | $1,794 | $299 |
| Progressive | $1,746 | $291 |
| State Farm | $1,536 | $256 |
| GEICO | $1,448 | $241 |
| USAA | $1,229 | $205 |
| American Family | $1,159 | $193 |
Source: The Zebra
Agent insight: When am I no longer considered a high-risk driver?
"Unfortunately, the only real way to shake off a "high-risk" distinction is with time. To an insurance company, customers are no longer considered high risk after remaining infraction-free for some years. The more serious the violation, the more years insurance companies want to see pass: 3-5 years with no accidents and 7-10 years with no license suspensions or revocations will mean you are no longer high-risk."
Nicholas Fernandez — Senior manager of agency at The Zebra
Are You a High Risk Driver?
Understanding how being classified as high-risk affects you and new industry trends around risk assessment
Best companies for high-risk drivers
As a high-risk driver, you have two options for car insurance:
- Stick with a standard insurance company and pay higher rates for better coverage and service
- Try a non-standard carrier that caters to high-risk customers but may have poorer reviews.
Let's explore both paths.
For the major standard car insurance companies, USAA, State Farm and American Family Insurance tend to be more forgiving for drivers with accidents or violations. While rates still go up after an incident, their increases are often lower than what you’d see with other insurers. Each offers solid coverage and could be a good fit for high-risk drivers with other drivers in your household.
Source: The Zebra
Some large and well-known car insurance companies offer non-standard policies alongside preferred and standard tiers. Most non-standard carriers have a smaller geographical footprint, so they may not be available in every state.
Our top picks for insurance companies that accept non-standard drivers are GEICO, Progressive, and Kemper, which have garnered the highest review scores.
Updating data...
| Company | Avg. Monthly Premium | Avg. 6 Mo. Premium |
|---|---|---|
| GEICO | $159 | $954 |
| Progressive | $181 | $1,086 |
| Infinity | $233 | $1,397 |
| Safe Auto | $270 | $1,618 |
| Hallmark | $312 | $1,872 |
| Foremost | $324 | $1,943 |
| Bristol West | $370 | $2,220 |
| Dairyland | $429 | $2,576 |
Source: The Zebra
The Zebra has also reviewed four other non-standard auto insurance companies for you to check out: Assurance America, Falcon, The General, and Direct Auto are worth exploring if you're a high risk driver. Our reviews discuss customer satisfaction, coverage options, discounts, and more. However, information on average premiums for these companies is limited, which makes it hard to calculate a fair rating.
Our agents are ready to help you get insured — no matter how complicated.
Finding car insurance when you've been denied coverage
If you’ve been denied auto insurance, you’re not alone. Some companies — even non-standard insurers — may refuse coverage if your driving record includes serious violations or multiple incidents.
In these cases, assigned risk insurance may be your only option. It’s a last-resort program for drivers with poor records who can’t get coverage elsewhere.[1]
To qualify, you’ll need to show that you’ve applied for insurance several times and been denied due to your record. An insurance agent can then file a report with your state, which may approve you for the assigned risk pool.
Your best bet for saving money is to shop around, compare quotes, and find companies that work with high-risk drivers.
Source: The Zebra
How to save money on high-risk auto insurance
This solution won’t help if you already have the ticket on your record, but it’s something to keep in mind. Some states even allow you to take a defensive driving course in lieu of having points added to your record. Consider our partner, iDriveSafely, for an online defensive driving course. Available in nearly every state, the skills you learn in this course may help you become a safer driver, thus avoiding traffic violations and accidents. Learn more about iDriveSafely's defensive driving courses.
This is the most effective way to save money on auto insurance. Not all insurance companies will rate or charge you for your violations equally. There is a lot of variation between companies and the only way to know you're getting the best rate possible is to compare auto insurance quotes near the end of each policy period.
These claims can dramatically increase your premium. So, even if it seems cheaper in the short term to file a claim, you could ultimately end up paying much more in the long run. See our guide discussing when and when not to file an insurance claim (featuring our free claims calculator tool!) for more information.
High-risk car insurance FAQs
Get personalized insurance rates in less than 5 minutes.
Insider knowledge, trusted guidance.
Assigned Risk. Legal Information Institute
Anonymized User Survey. The Zebra
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About The Zebra
The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.
- The Zebra’s insurance content is written and reviewed for accuracy by licensed insurance agents.
- The Zebra’s insurance editorial content is not subject to review or alteration by insurance companies or partners.
- The Zebra’s editorial team operates independently of the company’s partnerships and commercialization interests, publishing unbiased information for consumer benefit.
- The auto insurance rates published on The Zebra’s pages are based on a comprehensive analysis of car insurance pricing data, evaluating more than 83 million insurance rates from across the United States.