A DUI in Nevada can significantly impact your car insurance. Your insurance company may classify you as a high-risk driver, which can lead to higher premiums or nonrenewal of your policy. You will also generally need to obtain an SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility before you can reinstate your driver’s license.
How Nevada DUIs Affect Car Insurance
- Higher Premiums: After a DUI, Nevada insurers may increase auto insurance premiums by 50% or more for anywhere from 3 to 10 years.
- High-Risk Classification: A DUI can cause insurers to consider you a higher-risk driver even if it is your first offense and you caused no accident.
- Possible Loss of Coverage: An insurer may cancel coverage following a DUI conviction or impose a substantial rate increase when your policy comes up for renewal.
SR-22 Requirements After a Nevada DUI
- SR-22 Coverage: As a condition of getting your driver’s license reinstated, you must obtain an SR-22 to show the Nevada DMV that you carry at least the state’s required minimum liability coverage.
- 3 Years of Continuous Coverage: If your insurance lapses before the three years are complete, you can lose credit for the time already completed, and the three-year period can restart.
- Owning a Car is Irrelevant: Drivers who do not own a vehicle must instead obtain a non-owner SR-22 policy.
This is all part of why we fight so hard to get DUI charges reduced or dismissed for our clients. We consider not only short term consequences, such as criminal fines and getting your license back, but also long term consequences, such as insurance rates and keeping your license.
In this article, our Las Vegas DUI attorneys will answer the following frequently asked questions about how drunk driving affects your auto insurance in Nevada:
- 1. How much is insurance after a DUI?
- 2. Does Nevada require an SR-22?
- 3. How long do I have to carry SR-22 insurance in Nevada?
- 4. What happens to my SR-22 if my insurance lapses?
- 5. How long does a DUI affect my insurance in Nevada?
- 6. Will my insurer drop me after a DUI?
- 7. Do I need an SR-22 if I do not have a car?
- 8. What other costs are associated with DUIs
- Top Auto Insurance Companies and Phone Numbers
- Additional Resources
1. How much is insurance after a DUI?
Nevada insurance providers increase auto insurance premiums by as much as 50% or more following a DUI. This is because you are considered high risk for car insurance companies to cover. It does not matter if it was only your first DUI, if your blood alcohol content (BAC) was relatively low, and if you caused no property damage.
You are advised to consult with an insurance agent with the Nevada Insurance Department for guidance on how to find fair “high risk” motor insurance rates. According to various websites that compare car insurance rates, State Farm currently offers the lowest post-DUI liability insurance rates.
2. Does Nevada require an SR-22?
Nevada law mandates that you obtain SR-22 insurance from an auto insurance company as a condition of reinstating your driver’s license following a DUI.1 (A temporary driver’s license suspension/revocation is a standard DUI penalty.2)
An SR-22 is simply a document showing “proof of financial responsibility.” It shows the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that you have at least the minimum coverage, which is:
- $25,000 – bodily injury or death of one person
- $50,000 – bodily injury or death of more than one person
- $20,000 – injury or damage to the property of others.3
Note that if you have a non-Nevada driver’s license, you will likely need SR-22 insurance to reinstate your license unless you live in one of the handful of states that do not require it, as the following map shows.
3. How long do I have to carry SR-22 insurance in Nevada?
Nevada law requires that you maintain SR-22 insurance for three (3) years as a condition of reinstating your license following a DUI.4 The three-year clock begins the day your license gets reinstated.
In our experience representing Nevada DUI defendants, the three-year SR-22 requirement can cause problems when drivers accidentally let their coverage lapse. Even a brief lapse can be costly because your insurer is required to notify the Nevada DMV, which may result in another license suspension and can cause the three-year SR-22 period to start over. For this reason, be sure to keep your policy current and confirm with your insurer before making any changes to your coverage during the three-year period.
4. What happens to my SR-22 if my insurance lapses?
If you let your auto insurance policy lapse before the three-year SR-22 period ends, then you lose all credit for the time you maintained the SR-22 insurance. In short, the SR-22 clock resets to zero. So once you obtain liability coverage again, you will need to maintain SR-22 for three years going forward.5
5. How long does a DUI affect my insurance in Nevada?
It depends on the car insurer. Some insurers consider only the prior three years of your driving record when determining premiums. Others go back as far as 10 years.
Insurers may also check your criminal record (which is different from your driving record). In Nevada, misdemeanor DUI convictions must remain on your criminal record for seven years before you can petition to seal it; meanwhile, felony DUIs can never be sealed from your criminal record.
6. Will my insurer drop me after a DUI?
In Nevada, an insurer cannot cancel your policy mid-term just for a DUI arrest, but it can cancel your policy mid-term if you are convicted of DUI.6 Though in our experience, insurers honor your policy but then condition renewal on a big rate increase.
7. Do I need an SR-22 if I do not have a car?
Yes. If you do not own a car, you will need a non-owner SR-22 policy to reinstate your Nevada driving privileges after a DUI.
In our experience, some DUI defendants assume they do not need an SR-22 because they no longer own or regularly drive a vehicle. However, the SR-22 requirement is tied to your driving privileges, not vehicle ownership. A non-owner policy can satisfy Nevada’s SR-22 requirement without insuring a particular car, allowing you to work toward reinstating and maintaining your driving privileges even when you do not own a vehicle.
8. What other costs are associated with DUIs?
If you get arrested for DUI in Nevada, be prepared to spend money on:
- impound fees, which can be $50 a day plus the initial towing fee
- license reinstatement fees, which amount to $120 plus a $35 victim impact fee
- an ignition interlock device, which costs about $150 to install and another $100 per month to maintain
- DUI criminal fines, which for misdemeanors can amount to $1,000 plus court costs
- DUI School, which is usually $100 to $200 for a first-time offense
This is in addition to an SR-22 and increased insurance premiums.
Top Auto Insurance Companies and Phone Numbers
| Insurance Company | Main Phone Number |
| State Farm | 800-STATE-FARM (800-782-8332) |
| GEICO | 800-861-8380 |
| Progressive | 800-PROGRESSIVE (800-776-4737) |
| Allstate | 1-877-810-2920 |
| USAA | 800-531-USAA (800-531-8722) |
| Liberty Mutual | 1-888-398-8924 |
| Farmers Insurance | 1-888-327-6335 |
| Nationwide | 1-877-669-6877 |
| American Family Insurance | 1-800-MYAMFAM (1-800-692-6326) |
| Travelers | 1-866-336-2077 |
Additional Resources
Our Las Vegas criminal defense lawyers suggest you refer to the following:
- How Much Do Car Insurance Rates Go Up After A DUI? – General discussion by Forbes.
- Cheapest car insurance after a DUI – Compilation of insurance choices by USA Today.
- What is the best car insurance in Nevada for drivers with a DUI? – State-specific options for getting liability insurance following a drunk driving case by wallethub.com.
- Increased Penalties for High Blood Alcohol Content – National Conference of State Legislatures.
- State Law: DUI Look-Back Periods – Overview by Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility.
- License Reinstatement – Instructions by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
- Alcohol Impaired Driving – General information by the Governors Highway Safety Association.
- Alcohol and Drugs – Discussion by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Legal References
- NRS 483.525. See Nevada State Dep’t of Motor Vehicles v. Turner (1973) 89 Nev. 514. See Nevada State Dep’t of Motor Vehicles v. Lawlor (1985) 101 Nev. 616.
- NRS 483.460.
- NRS 485.185.
- See note 1.
- See note 1.
- NRS 687B.320. See also Century Surety Co. v. Andrew (2018) 134 Nev. 819 (“We conclude that an insurer’s liability where it breaches its contractual duty to defend is not capped at the policy limits plus the insured’s defense costs, and instead, an insurer may be liable for any consequential damages caused by its breach. We further conclude that good-faith determinations are irrelevant for determining damages upon a breach of this duty.“).
