What Is Nonstandard Auto Insurance?

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Updated: June 20, 2026

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Key Takeaways
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Check whether your state requires an SR-22 before you buy. A policy from a company that doesn't file one leaves you unable to drive legally.

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High-risk policies cost $159 to $346 per month for drivers with a drunk driving conviction, versus $98 to $161 for a clean-record driver.

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Most placements clear after three to five years. Get new quotes the day a violation drops off your record to get back to regular prices.

What is Nonstandard Car Insurance?

Nonstandard auto insurance is a pricing tier. Insurance companies sort drivers into three risk groups: preferred, standard and nonstandard. If you've been placed in the nonstandard group, the company decided you're more likely to file a claim than the average driver. That decision is based on your driving record, credit or coverage history.

If you can't find coverage in the voluntary nonstandard market, every state has an assigned risk pool as a last resort. Pool rates cost higher than voluntary nonstandard market rates, and coverage is more restricted. Exhaust every voluntary option before turning to the state pool.

Who Ends Up in the Nonstandard Market?

Five triggers cause insurance companies to place drivers in the high-risk market. Each one affects how long you'll pay high-risk prices and what you need to do first.

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    Multiple At-Fault Accidents

    Three or more at-fault accidents in five years is the most common trigger. Most regular insurance companies won't renew your policy once you hit three, because at that point they consider you too likely to file another claim. Each accident stays on your driving history for the full five years. Wait until fewer than three appear on your record before shopping for a new policy.

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    DUI Conviction

    A drunk driving conviction raises full coverage costs to $159 to $346 per month, compared to $98 to $161 for a driver with no violations. It also creates an SR-22 requirement in most states that lasts three to five years.

    Never miss a payment on an SR-22 policy. If your policy goes even one day without coverage, your insurance company is legally required to send a cancellation notice, called an SR-26, directly to your state motor vehicle department. Your license is re-suspended immediately. In most states the required filing period starts over from the beginning, not from where you stopped. Set up automatic payments before you do anything else.

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    License Suspension or Revocation

    Regular insurance companies won't sell you a new policy until your suspension ends and any SR-22 requirement is finished. Keep insurance on any car you own during the suspension. Any stretch of time without coverage shows up on your insurance history and causes companies to charge you more when you shop later. If you have no car to insure, a non-owner SR-22 policy satisfies the state's legal requirement without requiring a vehicle.

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    Extended Coverage Lapse

    Any stretch of 30 days or more without car insurance shows up on your history and causes regular insurance companies to charge you more. A lapse of over 90 days will usually get you turned down by regular companies entirely. If it's 90 days or more, apply directly to high-risk specialists like The General and Dairyland, which accept recent lapses in most states.

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    Poor Credit

    Most states allow insurance companies to use your credit score when setting your rate. A driver with poor credit and a clean driving record can still end up in the high-risk pricing tier. 

    A credit score below 580 on the FICO scale is where poor credit starts to hit your insurance rate the hardest. At that level, bad credit can raise your monthly cost as much as a drunk driving conviction in some states, based on FICO pricing research. Raising your score above 580 is the fastest path back to regular pricing because you don't have to wait for a driving violation to drop off your record.

What Does Nonstandard Car Insurance Cover?

High-risk policies offer the same coverage types as regular insurance: payments to others if you cause an accident (liability), repairs to your own car after a crash (collision), theft and weather protection (comprehensive), medical bills after an accident (PIP) and coverage when the other driver has no insurance. What you lose are the extras: add-ons like accident forgiveness are rarely available, and the maximum your policy will pay if you cause an accident is capped lower than regular policies allow.

That lower cap becomes a problem if you cause a serious accident. A high-risk policy with a low payout limit could leave you personally responsible for costs above that limit. Buy the highest limits you can qualify for.

How to Get Nonstandard Auto Insurance

Your first step depends on your situation:

  • Drunk driving conviction or license suspension: Start at Step 1. Whether you need an SR-22 cuts your list of eligible insurance companies before anything else matters.
  • Coverage gap or poor credit only: Skip to Step 2. You don't need an SR-22, and that changes which companies are worth calling.
  • Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma or Pennsylvania: Your state doesn't use SR-22 forms. Skip Step 1 and check your state motor vehicle department's website for what's required instead.
  1. 1

    Find Out if You Need an SR-22

    Call your state motor vehicle department or court clerk's office before you get quotes. Confirm whether an SR-22 is required and how many years you must keep it active: three years in most states, but one year in Georgia, Kansas and North Dakota, and up to five years for repeat offenders in Ohio.  Your required years start counting the day your insurance company files the certificate with the state, not the date of your violation, in most states. 

    Not every insurance company files SR-22s. If you buy from a company that doesn't file, you have valid insurance but you're still not meeting the state's legal requirement. Ask every company you quote.

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    Pull Your Motor Vehicle Report Before Shopping

    Your Motor Vehicle Report, a document your state issues listing your driving history, costs $5 to $25 depending on your state. It shows exactly what insurance company reviewers see when they look up your record. Pull it before you apply so you can fix any errors before they raise your rate.

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    Match Your Carrier Type to Your Trigger

    Drunk driving conviction or serious violations: Start with high-risk specialists. The General, Dairyland and Gainsco file SR-22s and are best for drivers with serious violations. Their rates for drivers with drunk driving convictions can be lower than what a regular insurance company charges for the same coverage.

    Coverage lapse or credit only: Call a regular insurance company that covers high-risk drivers, like Progressive or State Farm. For drivers who don't need an SR-22, regular companies often charge less than specialists. Get at least two quotes either way. Two companies quoting the same driver for the same coverage can be several hundred dollars apart per year.

  4. 4

    Ask How Long You'll Stay in the Nonstandard Tier

    When you buy your policy, ask if they will automatically lower your rate when your violation drops off your driving history. Some companies lower your rate on their own at renewal, while others require you to call. Get the answer in writing so you know when to act.

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    Set a Reminder for When Your Record Clears

    Most insurance companies check the last three to five years of your driving history. Get new quotes the day a violation drops off your record to get back to regular insurance prices. Your current insurance company won't lower your rate on its own, so put that date on your calendar.

Nonstandard Auto Insurance: FAQs

What exactly is nonstandard auto insurance?

How do I get back to the standard market?

How much does nonstandard coverage cost?

Which companies offer nonstandard auto insurance?

Is nonstandard insurance available in all states?

Does being placed in the nonstandard market affect my credit?

MoneyGeek analyzed full coverage auto insurance rates for a 40-year-old male driver with a DUI record and good credit, using a 100/300/100 liability limit and a $1,000 deductible. Rate ranges reflect quotes from standard carriers that write high-risk policies and nonstandard market specialists across multiple states. Figures cited represent the low and high ends of the rate distribution at the time of data collection.

Rate data is reviewed and updated on a regular basis to reflect current insurer pricing. Nonstandard market rates are subject to change based on state regulatory filings and individual insurer underwriting decisions.

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, Licensed P&C Insurance Expert, MoneyGeek

Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident insurance expert. He has spent nearly a decade analyzing the market, first at LendingTree and now at MoneyGeek, where he produces original research on hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

He covers economics and insurance at MoneyGeek, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR, among other outlets.

Like all MoneyGeek analysts, he draws on independent cost and consumer experience data. No insurance company partnership influences his recommendations.

Mark holds a B.A. from Boston College and an M.A. in Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. He started his career in financial risk management at State Street and is also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

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