Does One Accident Raise My Rate?

Short answer: an at-fault accident usually affects your rate; a not-at-fault one is treated differently. How much, and for how long, is set by each carrier's own filed rating plan — which is why the answer varies so widely.

At fault vs. not at fault

Carriers distinguish between accidents you caused and accidents that happened to you. Comprehensive claims — theft, weather, glass — sit differently again. Don't assume every claim carries the same weight.

How long it lasts

Commonly a period of years, with the effect fading as the incident ages rather than dropping off abruptly. An accident three years old typically weighs less than one from last year.

The thing worth doing

Shop at your next renewal. Because every insurer weighs an accident differently under its own plan, the company that was cheapest for you before isn't necessarily cheapest after. The spread between carriers can be widest exactly when your record has changed — so comparison is more valuable after a claim, not less.

Before you file at all

For minor solo damage, do the arithmetic first: repair cost minus deductible is what a claim would actually pay. If that's small, weigh it against a possible rating effect before filing.

What doesn't help

Not reporting an accident to your insurer to avoid a rate change. Reporting and claiming are different acts, and late reporting causes bigger problems than early reporting.

Renewal coming up after a claim? Let us re-shop it.

Why the next renewal is the moment to shop

Carriers weigh an accident differently from one another, under rating plans each files separately. That means the company that was cheapest for you before may not be cheapest after — and the gap between companies is often widest exactly when your record has just changed. Comparing after a claim is more valuable than comparing in a quiet year, which is the opposite of what most people do.