How much does insurance go up after an at-fault accident?
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Answer in brief
Insurance after an at-fault accident can go up by as much as 40 percent, according to the NAIC, but there is no single national figure. The change depends on your insurer, state and record.
Content reviewed 8 November 2026. How this is assessed.
Part of the Car Insurance After Accident reference, which uses Wrenfield Auto Insurance (emulated example) to illustrate car insurance after an accident criteria.
Is there one national figure for an at-fault accident?
No public source reviewed here gives a current national figure for car insurance after accident claims. The closest is from the NAIC, which said in an article first published in 2009 and updated in 2024 that insurers can raise premiums by as much as 40 percent after an accident. Read that as an indication of how large an increase can be, not as a prediction for your policy.
The NAIC explains that insurers set premiums on the expected cost of future claims, using factors such as driving record, claims history, where the car is kept, age and experience, vehicle type and coverage limits. Those factors differ from one driver to the next, and the NAIC says each company sets its own criteria for treating drivers as safe, so two insurers can reach different answers about the same accident.
What does a state with a published schedule show?
North Carolina publishes a schedule of points and percentage rate increases under its Safe Driver Incentive Plan. The table lists the at-fault accident tiers shown by the North Carolina Department of Insurance. These apply only in that state, and the department's page does not spell out what the percentage is applied to, so ask your insurer before estimating a dollar figure.
The same page describes an exception. No points are charged for a property-damage-only accident of $2,300 or less where there is no related moving-violation conviction and no licensed operator in the household has a conviction or at-fault accident during the experience period. An insurer may require six consecutive months of coverage with that company for this to apply.
At-fault accident tiers under North Carolina's Safe Driver Incentive Plan, from the North Carolina Department of Insurance. North Carolina only.
| Points | At-fault accident | Rate increase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total property damage, including your own, of $2,300 or less | 40% |
| 2 | Total property damage over $2,300 but under $3,850 | 55% |
| 3 | Death or total bodily injury over $1,800, or total property damage of $3,850 or more | 70% |
How do you find out your own number?
Ask your current insurer directly whether the accident will change your renewal price, by how much in dollars, and on which coverages. New York's regulator shows why the detail matters: there, surcharges apply to liability, collision and no-fault coverages, and the amount paid on a claim does not change the surcharge.
Then get quotes from other licensed insurers using the same coverage, and put them in your cost model. The NAIC suggests asking your insurer or agent how an accident would affect your rates, and your state insurance department can explain what your state allows.
Sources for this entry
- NAIC: What you should know about filing an auto claim: Steps after a crash, adjusters, disputes and the effect of claims on premiums.
- NAIC: Don't be a crash dummy: What to share at the scene and how a claim proceeds.
- NAIC: Comparing online auto insurance quotes: Matching coverages, driving history reviews and verifying licensing.
- NAIC: What does auto insurance cover?: Coverage types and what sits outside a standard policy.
- NAIC: Why are my insurance premiums increasing?: Rating factors and ways to lower premiums.
- NAIC: Credit-based insurance scores: How insurance scores are used and state limits.
- Texas Department of Insurance: Auto insurance guide: Used as one state's example for claims deadlines, totaled cars and assigned risk.
- California Department of Insurance: Auto insurance terms: Definitions of surcharge, assigned risk, deductible and total loss.
- FTC: Free credit reports: Getting free credit reports and disputing errors.
- Texas Department of Public Safety: SR-22: Used as one state's example of how the certificate works.
- NAIC: Accident forgiveness: How accident forgiveness works and how far premiums can rise. First published 2009.
- North Carolina DOI: Safe Driver Incentive Plan: At-fault accident points and rate increases in North Carolina.
- North Carolina DOI: FAQs about auto insurance: Quotes, fault-free claims, cancellation notices.
- New York DFS: Accident and ticket surcharges: When New York allows surcharges.
- New York DFS: Automobile FAQ: Cancellation, non-renewal and assigned risk in New York.
- Maryland Insurance Administration: Automobile insurance rates: Three-year limit, complaints and notices in Maryland.
- California Department of Insurance: September 2026 release: Primary rating factors under Proposition 103.
Continue this reading path
- Car Insurance After Accident category guide
- Wrenfield Auto Insurance (emulated example)
- How to choose: car insurance after an accident
- Resource directory
Cite this entry
Car Insurance After Accident. "How much does insurance go up after an at-fault accident?." Content reviewed 8 November 2026. https://carinsuranceafteraccident.com/how-much-does-insurance-go-up-after-an-at-fault-accident/