Best Car Insurance Companies for High-Risk Drivers (2025)
The General, State Farm, and USAA are a few of the best insurance companies for high-risk drivers.
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If you’re a driver with recent tickets, traffic violations, or at-fault accidents or are a new driver, insurers may consider you high-risk. This typically means you’ll pay higher car insurance rates since you may be more likely to file a claim. Some insurers might even deny you coverage.
Non-standard car insurance policies cater to high-risk drivers, giving you the coverage you need. Not all insurers offer non-standard coverage, while some specialize in it. Since rates can vary significantly between companies, it’s a good idea to compare car insurance quotes from multiple insurers that offer non-standard coverage.
Keep reading to discover the best high-risk insurers and how to reduce your risk over time.
Best car insurance for high-risk drivers
Auto coverage can be downright tricky for high-risk drivers. Some insurers might not sell non-standard policies in your state or could deny you coverage. Non-standard insurance is for drivers in your situation, although you’ll likely pay more than drivers with lower risk profiles.
While 14% of drivers in the U.S. didn’t have insurance in 2022, according to the Insurance Research Council, going without coverage isn’t an option in most states. In every state but New Hampshire, drivers must have at least a minimum amount of liability coverage. And if you lease or finance your vehicle, your leasing or lending company will require you to have full coverage.
Here are your best bets for high-risk insurance.
Best for very high-risk drivers: The General
Best for low rates: State Farm
Best for the military community: USAA
Our editorial team spent 350 hours developing the IQ (Insurify Quality) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.
We rate each company on a 1-to-5 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. We update ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
Third-party financial ratings: We use data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims
Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 28,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also considered third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the United States, as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer’s transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
Availability and reach: Insurify identified the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share to score availability and reach.
How to get car insurance if you’ve been denied coverage
If standard auto insurers deny you coverage, you might qualify for coverage with a high-risk insurance company. You can look at The General, Mercury, SafeAuto, and Alpha Insurance. Remember that non-standard auto policies typically come with a higher price tag and that not all companies offer coverage in every state.
While non-standard insurance can be a lifeline if you’re a greater risk to insure, it’s not your only option. Here are a few steps to try if an insurance company won’t offer you a policy:
Shop around and apply for coverage with another standard insurance company. You might look at State Farm and others to find one that will insure you.
Consider asking a family member to add you to their car insurance policy. It can help you get the protection you need but can drive up their premiums.
Get quotes from non-standard auto insurance companies. If standard insurers won’t cover you, compare non-standard prices and coverage options to find the most affordable car insurance.
Take steps to lower your risk. Improve your driving record to increase your odds of a company approving you for standard car insurance in the future.
What makes someone a high-risk driver?
High-risk drivers are generally more likely to file auto insurance claims. An insurance company might give you this label if you have a history of at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, or DUIs on your driving record. But insurers can label someone with a clean record as high-risk based on non-driving factors, like being a teen driver or having poor credit.
Driving factors
Having one or more driving-related incidents on your record can put you solidly in the high-risk driver category. These incidents include tickets (like speeding or running a red light), at-fault accidents, and certain driving-related convictions (such as DUIs or reckless driving). The more severe the violation, the riskier you appear to insurers.
The table below shows average full-coverage rates for drivers with different incidents on their records so you can see how driving history affects your cost.
Non-driving factors
It’s not just your driving record that can make you a greater risk to insurers. Companies also consider non-driving factors:
4 ways to lower your risk
Just because you’re high-risk now doesn’t mean you’ll be high-risk forever. The good news is you can lower your risk level — and your insurance premiums. Some actions might lower your risk right away, while others can take some time to have an effect.
Take an approved driving course
A defensive driving course or driver improvement course might be one of the quickest ways to slide into more affordable auto insurance. Some insurance companies offer discounts for taking a course like this, so you could see savings quickly.
It can also reduce the number of points on your license (if you live in a state that uses the point system), leading to cheaper premiums. Here’s why: Insurance companies use points to gauge how risky you are as a driver. For example, if you take an approved driver improvement course, New Jersey can take up to three points off your driving record,4 while Michigan lets you avoid points after a ticket by taking a course.5
Repair your credit
A good credit history can help you qualify for lower car insurance rates. Check your credit report regularly and correct any errors. Pay off any old debts you may have, and pay all your bills on time every month.
It can take time to improve your credit score, but the long-term effect can be better insurance rates and more coverage options.
Erase your traffic ticket
Depending on where you live, you might be able to get your traffic ticket erased from your record. This is called “expungement.” States have different rules about the types of offenses that you can expunge and how the process works, but it’s worth looking into, especially if you have an otherwise clean record.6
Check with your state’s department of motor vehicles to see if expungement is an option for you. It’s worth the hassle since it can help you qualify for better insurance rates.
Practice safe driving
Driving safely today won’t change how insurers view you tomorrow. But the more time you put between shopping for car insurance and your latest traffic violation, the better. Accidents, tickets, and DUI convictions can affect your car insurance rates for three to seven years.
Consistency is key. Focus on maintaining a clean driving record, and you could see reduced rates over time.
High-risk car insurance FAQs
If insurers view you as a high-risk driver, you may find this additional information helpful when searching for auto insurance coverage.
How long are you considered a high-risk driver?
How long insurers consider you a high-risk driver varies. It hinges on the risk factors involved. Traffic tickets and convictions could stay on your record for years. But non-driving factors, like age, location, and credit history, may get you out of the high-risk category sooner.
Who is an at-risk driver?
At-risk drivers typically have accidents, tickets, DUIs, or other traffic-related convictions on their driving records. Insurers can also view you as a greater risk if you’re a younger (or older) driver, live in an area with high vehicle theft or accident rates, have poor credit, or have had a lapse in insurance coverage.
What is the best insurance company for high-risk drivers?
One “best” insurance company for high-risk drivers doesn’t exist. The right fit for you depends on your circumstances. Some high-risk drivers might qualify for coverage with a standard insurer like State Farm, while others may need a high-risk auto insurance policy from a company like The General.
Does USAA cover high-risk drivers?
USAA can offer insurance coverage to specific high-risk drivers, but only some drivers qualify for USAA insurance. To be eligible, you must be an active-duty military member, veteran, their spouse or child, or a pre-commissioned officer. It’s worth looking into since your premiums could be cheaper with USAA than with a non-standard insurer.
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