How much does car insurance go up after an accident?

An at-fault accident usually raises your car insurance at your next renewal, and the surcharge typically lasts about three years. How much depends on your insurer and your state. In North Carolina, where the state sets surcharges, a single minor at-fault accident adds 40% and a more serious one adds 55% to 70%. Not-at-fault accidents generally shouldn't raise your rate.

By the Fast Insurance Group editorial teamPublished by Marcus L. Barber, former licensed Maryland property and casualty producer (2010–2012)Reviewed by Marcus L. Barber on October 17, 2026Updated October 17, 2026

This guide is general education, not advice for your situation. We're an independent publisher, not an insurer or agent, and we may earn a commission from partner links. How we make money.

At fault vs. not at fault

Fault is the biggest factor. Insurers raise rates for accidents you caused because, statistically, drivers with an at-fault accident are more likely to have another one. Accidents where you weren't to blame, like being rear-ended at a light, are treated very differently, and in many states the law bars a surcharge for them.

Fault for insurance purposes isn't always the same as a police report. California, for example, defines "principally at fault" as being at least 51% responsible for an accident that caused injury or more than $1,000 of property damage. Its rules presume you weren't principally at fault if you were lawfully parked, were rear-ended without a related ticket, or were hit by a hit-and-run driver and reported it within a reasonable time.

How much rates go up

Most insurers set their own surcharges, so there's no single answer, and no neutral source publishes a national average. North Carolina is an exception: the state's Safe Driver Incentive Plan sets the surcharge for every insurer, which gives a useful sense of scale.

Points from accidents and traffic convictions add up, and so do surcharges: 4 points is 90%, and 12 points is 340%. North Carolina also lets a minor accident (property damage of $2,300 or less, no related conviction and a clean household record for the past three years) carry no points.

How long an accident counts

Insurers apply accident surcharges at renewal, and most look back about three years. North Carolina's plan uses a three-year experience period for most accidents and convictions; from July 1, 2025, some more serious convictions count for five years. New York's regulator says surcharges there generally look back about three years. Once an accident ages out of the look-back period, the surcharge should drop off at your next renewal.

State rules that protect you

• California: if the accident wasn't your fault, the insurance department says your company doesn't charge you more. If you're at least 51% at fault, your premium can rise at renewal.
• Virginia: insurers can't add points or raise premiums for an accident unless you, a household member or a regular driver of the car caused it in whole or in part. You have 60 days from the notice to appeal in writing to the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance. Insurers also can't refuse to renew you for two or fewer accidents in three years that you didn't cause.
• North Carolina: points apply only to at-fault accidents.
• Texas: insurers can't refuse to renew solely because of a claim where you can't reasonably be considered at fault, unless you had two or more such claims in 12 months. Weather, animal and flying-gravel claims are protected too.

Other states have their own rules. Your state insurance department can tell you what applies to you.

Accident forgiveness

Accident forgiveness is a promise from your insurer not to count an accident when it calculates your premium. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance explains the catches:

• Some programs forgive only one accident; others forgive more.
• Eligibility depends on the insurer, and is usually based on how long you've been a customer and a clean record for every driver on the policy.
• The accident still appears on your driving record. If you switch insurers, the new company may use it.

Some insurers include it automatically after a few claim-free years; others sell it as an add-on. Ask what it costs and exactly what it forgives.

Where your claims history lives

Insurers check a database called CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange), run by LexisNexis. Washington's insurance commissioner says a CLUE report generally holds up to seven years of auto and property claims. You can get your report free under the Fair Credit Reporting Act by calling LexisNexis at 866-312-8076, and dispute errors at 888-497-0011. If an accident is listed as at fault when it wasn't, fix it before you shop.

What to do if your rate goes up

1. Ask why. Request the reason for the increase in writing, and which accident or claim it's based on.
2. Challenge a wrong fault decision. Send the police report, photos and the other driver's insurer's liability decision. In Virginia you have a formal 60-day appeal right.
3. Check your CLUE report for errors.
4. Shop around. Insurers weigh accidents differently, so the same record can cost very different amounts. See how to compare quotes.
5. Review your coverage and deductibles. Our guide on why car insurance goes up lists other ways to bring the price down.