A DUI in Michigan can affect insurance for up to 10 years, depending on the insurance company's seniority on the driver's motor vehicle record. Most insurers look back on the last 3 to 5 years of a driver's motor vehicle registration when calculating premiums, but some look even further to detect major violations, such as DUI. They wait three to five years for you in most states. In some states, a DUI will fall after just three years like any other traffic violation.
In California, it will stay on your driving record for 10 years. A DUI will generally affect your driving record for three to five years in most states. In California, a DUI will stay on your driving record for 10 years. Depending on the number of traffic violations you have on your driving record, your DUI charges could stay on your insurance for five to ten years or longer.
State laws have a say in how long a DUI affects your insurance, and you may need to keep DUI insurance for more than a decade. The length of time a DUI stays on your driving record varies from state to state. In general, a DUI should leave their driving record after three to seven years, although you may need to wait even longer. The same can be said for your insurance history.
However, it can stay on your criminal record forever. A DUI can increase future punishment, and multiple charges on your record could end in jail, home monitoring, and mandatory counseling. Getting car insurance after a DUI conviction can be challenging, but it's not impossible and you may be able to find (relatively) good rates. Since each insurance company has its own lookback period for driving records, you'll need to check with your insurer to find out exactly how long your rates will be affected by a DUI.
However, in general, a DUI can increase your car insurance rates as long as the citation remains on your driving record. DUI charges make you a high-risk driver in the eyes of an insurance company, and high-risk drivers always pay higher rates for car insurance than safe drivers. Some states, such as New York and Michigan, explicitly allow insurance companies to exclude DUI from certain policies. Also, as the information below shows, how much your DUI insurance costs is only part of the cost of a DUI.
A DUI can stay on your record for decades, and you may find that your car insurance rates increase significantly. As tempting as it may be to keep quiet about your DUI conviction, you should contact your insurance company to find out what to do in the future. A DUI conviction will result in suspension of your driving privileges, fines and possibly jail time. For example, if you've never had accidents or speeding tickets, and your DUI is the only match on your record, your rate probably won't go up that much.
This is because car insurance companies view both DUI and DWI as risky behavior, which translates into higher prices. When you apply for this type of coverage, your insurance company will discover that you have a DUI conviction. For example, insurance companies in California can't legally offer you a good driver discount for 10 years after a DUI conviction. If your license is suspended after a DUI charge, you will need to apply for SR-22 insurance to reinstate your license and return to driving your vehicle.
