If you are convicted of intoxicated driving (a type of driving under the influence / DUI offense) then your rates are likely to go up a decent amount. Certain infractions may cause an insurance carrier to turn you or the policyholder down for insurance coverage or to pay high-risk premiums.

Intoxicated driving is considered a serious offense by insurance companies and thus makes you more of a risk to them which then cause your rates to rise. A person that drives while intoxicated is more likely to have an accident then a person that is not. Statistics also show that those that drink and drive have more serious accidents since their driving abilities are impaired.

State insurance laws as well as insurance companies' guidelines and rating systems differ so there is no general amount that one's insurance rates go up due to a DUI or similar offense. You would need to speak to your insurance carrier to find out about their specific rating system and how a conviction of intoxicated driving will affect your insurance premiums.

For example, according to the IL Secretary of State, a DUI can subject you to high-risk auto insurance rates for three years. The IL SOS DUI Fact Book notes that high risk insurance for a person convicted of a DUI averages an additional (over their normal car insurance costs) $1500 per year.

In Colorado their Department of Transportation notes that your auto insurance (if it’s not canceled) could go up 30 % on average if you have a DUI on your MVR. With a DUI conviction insurance rates tend to increase quite a bit and you will likely now be classified as a high risk driver.

In many states if you have been convicted of drunk driving or a like offense then your license will be suspended for a certain period of time and then when you go to reinstate your driver's license you will have to get an insurer to file a SR-22, certificate of financial responsibility, on your behalf.

With a major offense like this on your record and the needing to file a SR-22 you may not be able to find insurance with a standard insurance carrier. A standard insurer will generally provide better rates for those with clean driving records and may not offer competitive rates for those with DUI and other serious related violations or bad driving records.

Non-standard carriers on the other hand typically specialize in the higher risk drivers, meaning those with serious offense such as a DUI on their driving record or have many offenses on their driving record, and may be the better insurance providers to obtain quotes from.

The best way to find the cheapest rates after you have been convicted of a DUI is to shop around. Comparison shop here with our partners and affiliates.

Be sure to ask for any discounts that are available to you. This can be for safety features on your car, anti-theft devices, driver improvement or traffic courses, etc. Discounts differ from one insurance company to another so ask what ones are available to see if you can lower your rates by applying the most discounts to your policy.