What You'll Actually Pay for Travelers After a DUI

Travelers does not automatically cancel your policy the day your DUI conviction appears on your record. In most states, they allow you to finish your current policy term, then issue a non-renewal notice 30 to 60 days before your renewal date. This means you have coverage today, but you will not have it at renewal unless you take action. The non-renewal notice arrives by mail and states that Travelers will not offer you a new term. You are not being canceled mid-term in most cases — you are being told they will not continue covering you after your current expiration date. This distinction matters because a mid-term cancellation for non-payment or fraud appears worse on your insurance record than a non-renewal for underwriting reasons. If you are currently within 60 days of your renewal date when the DUI conviction posts, Travelers may still renew you one more term before non-renewing. Underwriting timelines vary by state and by how quickly your state reports convictions to insurers. The key point: you likely have weeks or months of remaining coverage, not days.

If Travelers does renew your policy after a DUI — more common in states where they have limited high-risk competition — expect your premium to increase between 80% and 140% at renewal. A driver paying $120 per month before the DUI will see their rate jump to $215 to $290 per month for the same coverage. The exact increase depends on your state's rating rules, your age, how long you have been a Travelers customer, and whether you have other violations on your record. Drivers under 25 or those with a prior at-fault accident may see increases above 140%. Drivers over 50 with otherwise clean records may land closer to the 80% floor. Travelers applies this surcharge for three to five years from the conviction date, depending on state law. In California, the surcharge drops off after three years. In most other states, it lasts five years. Your rate does not return to pre-DUI pricing after one year — the full surcharge period must pass before your base rate resets.

Non-standard auto insurance refers to coverage offered by carriers that specifically work with high-risk drivers — those with DUIs, violations, lapses, or suspensions on their record. The coverage itself is identical to standard insurance; what differs is the carrier's willingness to write drivers who have been declined or overpriced elsewhere. Non-standard carriers typically quote DUI drivers between $150 and $280 per month for state minimum liability coverage, depending on state, age, and vehicle. If your state requires SR-22 filing — a certificate your insurer files with the state proving you carry the required minimum coverage — expect to add $15 to $50 in filing fees to your premium. Not all insurance companies offer SR-22 filing; you will need a carrier that specializes in high-risk drivers. Carriers that commonly accept DUI drivers include Progressive, Dairyland, The General, Bristol West, National General, Acceptance Insurance, and SafeAuto. Each prices risk differently. A driver quoted $240 per month by one carrier may receive a $180 quote from another for identical coverage. Shopping multiple non-standard carriers is not optional — it directly changes what you pay.

If your Travelers policy expires and you go even one day without replacement coverage, that gap appears on your insurance record. Insurers pull a report called a Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange report that shows every day you were uninsured in the past five years. A coverage gap after a DUI signals to the next carrier that you are not just high-risk — you are non-compliant high-risk. Non-standard carriers add a lapse surcharge of 20% to 40% on top of the DUI surcharge if you have any gap longer than 30 days in the past year. A driver who would have paid $180 per month with continuous coverage will pay $215 to $250 per month if they let their Travelers policy expire before securing a replacement. That surcharge typically lasts 12 months. In states that require SR-22 filing, a coverage gap can trigger a second license suspension. Most states require continuous SR-22 coverage for two to three years after a DUI. If your insurer cancels your SR-22 filing because your policy lapsed, the state DMV receives an SR-26 notice within 24 hours and suspends your license again. You then pay reinstatement fees a second time and restart the SR-22 clock from zero.

1. Check your Travelers renewal date today. Log into your account or call your agent and confirm your current policy expiration date. If you are within 90 days of renewal, you are in the window where Travelers will make their decision. If you are farther out, you have time to prepare but should not wait. 2. Request non-standard quotes before Travelers non-renews you. Contact at least three non-standard carriers within the next 30 days. Tell them your DUI conviction date, your current coverage limits, and whether your state requires SR-22 filing. Get quotes in writing with effective dates that match or precede your Travelers expiration date. Do not wait for the non-renewal notice to arrive — by that point you have 30 to 60 days before your coverage ends, and securing a non-standard policy under time pressure limits your options. 3. If your state requires SR-22, confirm the carrier offers filing before you bind. Ask the carrier directly: "Do you file SR-22 in [your state], and is the filing fee included in this quote or added separately?" Not all non-standard carriers file SR-22 in all states. Binding a policy that does not include SR-22 when your license reinstatement requires it means you are paying for coverage that does not satisfy your legal obligation. 4. Set your new policy effective date to match your Travelers expiration date exactly. If your Travelers policy expires on June 15 at 12:01 AM, your replacement policy must begin on June 15 at 12:01 AM. A gap of even one day triggers the consequences described above. Coordinate this timing with your new carrier when you bind — do not assume they will automatically align the dates.