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Posted on March 7, 2026 in DUI
While a DUI stays on your permanent criminal record unless you take action to seal it, most insurance companies look back three to five years when determining your premiums.
Some possible insurance consequences of being convicted of a DUI include being dropped by your car insurance company, losing your good driver discount or your policy’s accident forgiveness discount, paying higher insurance premiums, and/or having to resort to a non-standard high-risk insurance company.
Car insurance carriers in Arizona ordinarily will not cancel car insurance policies solely because a policyholder was stopped or arrested for a suspected DUI. However, if you are convicted of drunk driving, there is a strong possibility that you will see some negative effects on your car insurance.
Rosenstein Law Group represents people in Arizona who have been charged with DUI offenses. In this blog post, we discuss the insurance consequences following a DUI arrest or conviction.If you have been charged with a DUI, call our law office at (480) 248-7666 or contact us online.
Car insurance companies accept or reject policy applicants based on several factors, such as driving history, prior traffic violations, age, gender, and the perceived financial risk the driver poses. An insurance company will use information such as your prior driving record, accident history, and criminal record to decide if offering coverage is in the company’s best interest.
Many insurers may reject coverage if they see you as a high-risk driver for accidents, including a DUI conviction or multiple DUI convictions.
If you are like most drivers and have a clean driving record and are otherwise in good standing with your auto insurance company, but get arrested for driving under the influence, this is usually not enough to get you dropped from your insurance policy.
The consequences of a DUI arrest can vary based on the circumstances, Arizona’s insurance laws, and the severity of your actions. In most cases, a DUI conviction will result in either the cancellation of your car insurance policy or the non-renewal of your car insurance policy.
A DUI arrest or even a conviction does not always lead to the loss of your current car insurance coverage. If you have a single DUI conviction, you may see less of an increase in your insurance costs than a driver who has more than one DUI on their driving record.
In some very rare instances, a first offense DUI may result in your insurer showing some leniency toward you. You may be able to help with your car insurance company if you participate in a defensive driving course separate from any mandatory program ordered by the court as part of your DUI sentence.
In other cases, the insurance company may simply increase your insurance rate or your policy premium. It is also possible, if not likely, that you will no longer be able to qualify for a safe driver discount.
If your car insurance provider drops you as a client after being convicted of a DUI in Arizona, you will find that purchasing new insurance coverage comes at a higher premium than before.
For example, one long-term financial impact could be that it becomes harder to obtain car insurance after a DUI conviction. Auto insurance companies will view you as a high-risk client, especially if your DUI conviction involved reckless driving or a car accident.
You may need to search for coverage from a high-risk insurer. This is an insurance carrier that specializes in providing coverage for people who otherwise cannot get insurance due to their driving or criminal records. Unfortunately, the cost of this coverage is significantly higher. High-risk insurance companies generally have higher premiums than standard car insurance providers due to the overall risk of the pool of their policyholders.
Some DUI convictions in Arizona carry a sentence requiring a driver to carry SR-22 insurance for a certain period of time. An SR-22 certificate filed by your current provider confirms that you are meeting Arizona’s minimum liability coverage requirements. It must be submitted by an insurance company after a policyholder commits a serious traffic violation.
Obtaining an SR-22 financial responsibility certificate can be expensive and add hundreds, and even thousands of dollars to the cost of your auto insurance premiums. Many drivers who are convicted of DUIs are required to file SR-22 certificates for three to five years.
If you have been charged with DUI in Arizona and are concerned about the possible consequences, call Rosenstein Law Group at (480) 248-7666 to speak with an experienced Arizona DUI lawyer.
You can also use our online contact form to schedule a free consultation with us about your DUI case.