When you get into a car accident, how long does it take for your insurance to go up?

[Lucian]

I got in an accident on August 15th (my fault), and I haven't seen my rates go up yet. I was driving a friend's vehicle, and I crashed it. It was a single-car accident. Any ideas on how long it takes for insurance premiums to skyrocket? I need to plan ahead because I don't think I'll be able to afford the insurance on my own car if they go up by a lot. And I don't want to call my provider and ask him either.

Thanks.

[elleng]

1. Wait until your normal renewal time comes around.

[valerief]

3. Yep, that's when it happens. I had a small one when a big truck rolled

back into me and drove off. My insurance went up from $800+ to $1300+.

[TZ]

2. Yep as Elleng said, when you renew your policy

you will see it.

[mwooldri]

4. How much was the claim and who was the company and what prior accidents?

And what's wrong with calling your agent and asking him/her what would happen?

And whose insurance was it and in which state? Rules differ from state to state...

Some auto insurance companies these days are touting "accident forgiveness" i.e. if you have the one accident your rates may not actually go up.

In NC, if the claim is below a set amount (I think $1800 but I am not an insurance specialist *yet*) the insurance company will not put your rate up at all. If it goes above this, then yes you get your insurance points and you have to wait 3 years for them to drop off and come down.

I also might be wrong on this but dependent on the state it may be your friends' insurance that gets the hit - then they come after your insurance. So it might be your friends' insurance going up, not yours.

Do speak with your insurance agent about the accident. They're licensed to talk about it and more qualified than me.