What is the Best Car Insurance in California for Drivers with a DUI?

What is the best car insurance for drivers with a DUI in California? Are there interesting facts about car insurance in California that you need to know? Why are these car insurance providers offering premiums to drivers with a DUI considered a delight?

When you are caught by the police or CCTV camera for driving under the influence of alcohol , you will be arrested and prosecuted according to California State law. 

If you are considered a first time offender of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or any other substance in California, it will be regarded as a misdemeanor and you will be punished with 3 to 5 years of probation,  a 6-month driver’s license suspension, $390.00 to $1000.00 in fines plus penalty assessments, DUI school, and installation of an ignition interlock device.

But before we discuss what the best car insurance in California for drivers with a DUI is, let’s first and foremost look at some fun facts about car insurance in California.

Amazing Facts about Car Insurance in California, United States

• California state law doesn’t permit car insurers to use car insurance factors like age, credit score or gender differences to determine a policyholder’s annual insurance premium.
• The auto insurance rates in California vary depending on where you live in the state. Drivers living and operating their business in Wrightwood won’t pay the same amount as those in San Francisco.
• The top and most popular auto insurance companies in California are GEICO, State Farm, Farmer Insurance, Progressive, Mercury, etc.
• The easiest way to get the best car insurance in Southern California is to shop around.
• There’s always an affordable car insurance alternative for lower-income drivers that desire to have coverage.
• Between 2003 – 2012 a total number of 10,327 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver in California, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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How Car Insurance Providers Are Handling Drivers in California with a DUI

Some of the reasons why car insurance providers like Mercury, Geico, and State Farm are considered the best car insurance companies in California for drivers with DUI are because they offer the most affordable car insurance rates, have high customer satisfaction reviews and are always ready to file the SR-22 if you violate any traffic rules that led to the suspension of your driver’s license.

Having a clean driving record in California is an advantage if you want to purchase a car insurance policy. The best car insurance in California for drivers with a DUI will likely cost you 75% to 250% more than an average driver with a clean record. 

The moment you are convicted in a California court of driving under the influence of alcohol or any hard substance, your car insurance premiums skyrockets by an average of 180%.

To get an affordable car insurance premium after being convicted of DUI in California, the first thing you need to do is to shop around and compare car insurance quotes to see if you can find a flexible rate and discount that your budget can easily accommodate.

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How does an insurance company learn about drivers with a DUI?

There are basically four unique and strategic ways a California-based auto insurance provider can get to know if a driver has been convicted with driving under the influence of a substance:

1. When a driver’s existing car insurance policy is ready for renewal or he’s applying for a new one, you can run a background check to know if they have been convicted of DUI in California or not.
2. Anytime a driver requests that an insurer should send the SR-22 certificate to the California DMV, it is an indicator that they have been convicted of DUI and their license suspended.
3. The driver self-reports the conviction to the insurer.
4. The arrest results from an accident and the driver or another party reports it to the insurance company and/or DMV.

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Can my car insurance cancel my policy after a DUI in California?

A lot of people have asked if their insurer can cancel their car insurance after a DUI? The answer is no. California law doesn’t permit a car insurance provider to cancel any auto insurance policy midterm, no matter what the violation is. A case of car insurance fraud is sorted out differently. 

So, an auto insurance company cannot immediately cancel a policy or raise the premium but they can decline to offer a renewal when the driver asks for it, increase their premium upon renewal at a “take it or leave it rate” or remove all available discounts that accrue to drivers with good driving records.

Car insurance for DUI offenders will always be high when renewing it or when applying a fresh one with a different carrier. How long does a DUI affect insurance premiums in California? It takes an average of ten (10) years before the premium goes down after a driver is convicted of DUI.

California car insurance rates by metro area

Below is the estimated average annual premium of auto insurance policies per household in the most populated metro areas of California.