How long does an accident stay on your record?

How long does an accident stay on your record? Most auto insurance companies will look at your accident history from the past three to five years when determining your rates. Most often, your auto insurance rates will only increase if you're at fault for an accident, but this is not always the case. If you have a clean driving record, consider opting into an accident forgiveness program to reduce the risk of a sharp increase in rates after an accident.

UPDATED: Feb 27, 2024Fact Checked

Free Auto Insurance Comparison

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Jimmy McMillan

Licensed Insurance Agent

Jimmy McMillan is an entrepreneur and the founder of HeartLifeInsurance.com, an independent life insurance brokerage. His company specializes in life insurance for people with heart problems. He knows personally how difficult it is to secure health and life insurance after a heart attack. Jimmy is a licensed insurance agent from coast to coast who has been featured on ValientCEO and the podcast...

Licensed Insurance Agent

Chris Abrams

Licensed Insurance Agent

Chris is the founder of Abrams Insurance Solutions and Marcan Insurance, which provide personal financial analysis and planning services for families and small businesses across the U.S. His companies represent nearly 100 of the top-rated insurance companies. Chris has been a licensed life and health insurance agent since 2009 and has active insurance licenses in all 50 U.S. states and D.C. Chr...

Licensed Insurance Agent

UPDATED: Feb 27, 2024

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider.

Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different insurance providers please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.

UPDATED: Feb 27, 2024

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider.

Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different insurance providers please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

Free Insurance Providers Comparison

Compare Insurance Providers Rates to Save Up to 75%

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption