Data study · filed with regulators
What a Ticket or At-Fault Accident Actually Costs
Updated
We pulled the driving-record surcharge tables carriers file with state regulators. The same event — one at-fault accident — is priced wildly differently: +15% at State Farm (VA), +30% at Allstate (TN), and +112% at Mercury (NV). Every figure below is the carrier's own filed bodily-injury factor versus a clean record, transcribed from its SERFF filing.
One at-fault accident — the filed surcharge, by carrier
Each bar is that carrier's own filed bodily-injury factor for a single at-fault accident, shown as the increase over a clean record.
Every incident, every carrier (SERFF-cited)
| Carrier / State | Incident | Filed factor | vs. clean | SERFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allstate — TN | Clean record | 1.00× | 0% | ALSX-G127036188 |
| Allstate — TN | One minor/speeding violation | 1.16× | +16% | ALSX-G127036188 |
| Allstate — TN | One recent at-fault accident | 1.30× | +30% | ALSX-G127036188 |
| Allstate — TN | One major violation | 1.51× | +51% | ALSX-G127036188 |
| State Farm — VA | Clean record | 1.00× | 0% | SFMA-134688491 |
| State Farm — VA | One minor violation (first year) | 1.00× | 0% | SFMA-134688491 |
| State Farm — VA | One chargeable at-fault accident | 1.15× | +15% | SFMA-134688491 |
| Mercury — NV | Not-at-fault / clean (0 points) | 1.00× | 0% | MERY-133976815 |
| Mercury — NV | One minor moving violation (2 pts) | 1.63× | +63% | MERY-133976815 |
| Mercury — NV | One at-fault accident (3 pts) | 2.12× | +112% | MERY-133976815 |
| Mercury — NV | DUI over .08 BAC (4 pts) | 2.24× | +124% | MERY-133976815 |
| Progressive — AZ | 0 points (clean) | 1.00× | 0% | PRGS-134736377 |
| Progressive — AZ | 1 point | 1.20× | +20% | PRGS-134736377 |
| Progressive — AZ | 2 points | 1.26× | +26% | PRGS-134736377 |
| Progressive — AZ | 3 points | 1.34× | +34% | PRGS-134736377 |
| Progressive — AZ | 4 points | 1.52× | +52% | PRGS-134736377 |
| Progressive — AZ | 6 points | 1.80× | +80% | PRGS-134736377 |
All figures are bodily-injury factors relative to a clean record (1.00×). Progressive files by driving-record points rather than incident type, so it's shown as a points curve.
What this means for your rate
- A DUI or major violation is the real killer. One major violation is +51% at Allstate (TN); a DUI is +124% at Mercury (NV).
- Who you're with matters as much as what you did. The exact same at-fault accident is worth a ~15% bump at one carrier and more than double the rate at another.
- Speeding tickets aren't always a surcharge. A single minor violation adds 16% at Allstate and 63% at Mercury — but zero at State Farm (VA) in year one.
- Surcharges fade. Most plans decay the charge over three years, so shopping after an incident ages off can save real money.
Cite this data
Free to cite and reference with attribution. Every row is a public SERFF filing you can independently verify.
Suggested citation:
FastAutoQuote, “What a Ticket or At-Fault Accident Costs,” an analysis of filed SERFF driving-record surcharge factors. https://fastautoquote.org/what-a-ticket-or-accident-costs
Machine-readable data: /api/v1/accident-surcharge.json · Media & data inquiries: press@fastautoquote.org
Related studies: How much credit affects your rate · How insurers price driver age · Filed rate changes (2022–2026).
