Do you have to report speeding tickets to insurance?
You don’t have to report a ticket to your insurance company, but if you’re looking for a new insurance policy, you should report the ticket when you request the quote. If you don’t, your quote won’t be accurate. Your rate will increase when the company runs your driving record (motor vehicle report or MVR) and finds the ticket.
“[You are] not required to tell the company, but if you're asking for quotes, it's best to let the person know if you have one,” says Zack Pope, agency manager at David Pope Insurance in Missouri.
“Most agents will not run [an] MVR until [the] point of sale because if they do not sell the policy, it can cost the person running the quote $5-25 per person.”
If you’re not looking for a new insurance policy, you don’t have to tell your current insurer you got a speeding ticket.
And, if you can get the ticket removed from your record, whether by fighting it in court or going to traffic school, the insurer may never find out. So, there’s no reason to report it.
When will a speeding ticket show up on your insurance?
A speeding ticket will show up on your insurance at the first renewal after it appears on your driving record and your insurer discovers it. The ticket does not change your premiumThe payment required for an insurance policy to remain in force. Auto insurance premiums are quoted for either 6-month or annual policy periods. the day you receive it. Your insurer must review your MVR and apply its rating rules before changing your price, and can only adjust your rates at renewal time.
A speeding ticket will appear on your insurance policy:
- On renewal
- After the insurance company runs your driving record
It will not appear on your insurance policy:
- Until it shows up on your driving record
- In the middle of the policy term
- If you can keep it off your record
If your policy renews annually, your insurance company will likely check your record on renewal. If it renews every six months, the company may check your record every six months or annually.
“A speeding ticket will show up on a renewal term if the company runs an MVR report after the conviction is final. In the past, to save money, some companies chose not to run MVR reports on renewals…but that is less common now,” says Pope.
The timing can also depend on when the ticket is finalized and added to your record. If your insurer already checked your MVR before the ticket appeared, it might not see the violation until the next review.
Your insurance company will include the rate increase on your next renewal after the ticket is discovered.
When will insurance companies find out if I have a speeding ticket?
Insurance companies find out about a speeding ticket when they request your driving record, and the violation appears on it. For a new policy, the insurer checks your record during underwriting. So, if you haven’t disclosed it on your application, the quoted rate will likely go up once it finds out about the ticket.
The table below summarizes when a ticket might affect your insurance:
| What happens with the ticket | Will it affect your insurance rates? |
|---|---|
| Appears on your record before renewal | Yes, if the insurer runs your driving record. |
| Appears on your record mid-term | Not until renewal, rates can’t be adjusted mid-term |
| Dismissed in court | No, dismissed tickets do not affect your insurance. |
| Appears on your record when shopping for new insurance | Yes, the new insurer will pull your MVR immediately. |
It’s important to note that, when applying for an insurance policy, you’re required to provide complete and true information to the best of your ability. If you know about a speeding ticket that a driver in your household received and fail to disclose it, the insurance company may decide not to issue you a policy.
Lying on an insurance application is fraud, and it’s just not a good idea.
How do insurance companies find out about speeding tickets?
Insurance companies find speeding tickets through motor vehicle records obtained from the state DMV. They do this as part of the routine process of issuing a new policy and also regularly, usually at renewal.
“The report is given to the insurance company [by] background screening vendors. The vendors get the information from the state's DMV,” Pope says.
The insurance company won’t find out about your ticket:
- From the police
- Through traffic court
- From the DMV, unless they have requested your driving record
In other words, no one will contact your insurance company to inform it about the ticket. It will only be discovered when the insurer decides to run your driving record.
When should I shop for new insurance if I got a speeding ticket?
It’s best to wait to shop around until you know how much the ticket will increase your current rate. If you shop right away, the insurer will run your record, find the ticket, and you’ll start paying for it sooner.
You won’t know if you’re getting a better deal at the new insurance company unless you know what your current provider will charge you for the ticket. Once you know, you can compare that rate to other insurance companies to find the cheapest company.
And if it’s your first speeding ticket, or you can get the ticket removed from your record, it may not show up on your insurance at all. Some insurance companies offer first-ticket forgiveness, or you may be able to keep the ticket off your record by going to traffic school.
Frequently asked questions: Speeding tickets
How long does a speeding ticket stay on your record?
Most speeding tickets stay on your driving record for three years. If you were caught speeding at a very high rate over the limit, it may stay on longer. It is usually also on your insurance record for three years; however, this period starts on the renewal when the ticket was discovered, not when it was issued.
Does insurance always find out about a speeding ticket?
Generally, yes. The only way your insurer will not find out is if you can keep the ticket off your driving record.
Do out-of-state speeding tickets show up on insurance?
Yes, an out-of-state speeding ticket will show up on your insurance because most states share driving records through the Driver License Compact. Once your home state processes the out-of-state ticket, your insurance company will see it during your next renewal.
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