Car Insurance Cost After an At-Fault Accident
An at-fault accident raises your full-coverage premium about 44 percent on average per published aggregator benchmarks. For a clean-record 35-year-old whose pre-accident premium was $2,400 per year, year 1 after an at-fault totals roughly $3,450; year 2 roughly $3,100; year 3 roughly $2,700; and the surcharge ages off by year 4 in 3-year-lookback states. Total 3-year cost impact is approximately $2,500 to $3,800 above the baseline. This page is the money math; for what to DO after an accident see after-accident, and for the specific liability-pay-who-what see at-fault accident.
Year-by-year math (clean-record $2,400 baseline)
| Year | Typical surcharge | Annual premium | Delta vs baseline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | +44% (front-loaded) | ~$3,450 | +$1,050 |
| Year 2 | +30% | ~$3,100 | +$700 |
| Year 3 | +13% | ~$2,700 | +$300 |
| Year 4+ (3-yr lookback states) | 0 | ~$2,400 | $0 |
Carrier lookback windows
- Progressive: 3 years for most at-fault incidents; 5 years for serious or injury accidents.
- Allstate: 5-year standard lookback.
- State Farm: 3 years for minor accidents; up to 5 years for serious.
- GEICO: 5 to 7 years severity-dependent.
- California: state insurance code 1861.025 caps most at-fault surcharges at 3 years.
Does switching carriers mid-surcharge save money?
Sometimes. The current carrier's surcharge is their underwriting view, not a universal rate. A competitor can price the same event more leniently, especially if your other rating factors (credit, prior insurance tenure, discounts) favor the new carrier. CLUE loss history travels with you, so the new carrier sees the accident and can surcharge it, but it typically applies a fresh clock. Expect quotes to vary by 15 to 40 percent across carriers for the same at-fault profile.
Accident forgiveness can zero the surcharge
If you had accident forgiveness on the policy at the time of the loss, your current carrier does not apply the surcharge. The accident still appears on CLUE for future carriers.
Related reading
- At-fault accident (who pays what)
- After an accident (steps)
- How long does an accident stay
- Best with accident forgiveness
- Cost after a DUI
Sources
- MoneyGeek: at-fault accident surcharge benchmarks 2026.
- CarInsurance.com: average rate increase after accident by carrier.
- Carrier filings (Progressive, Allstate, State Farm, GEICO) via state DOIs.
- California Insurance Code Section 1861.025.