A Minnesota DWI charge greatly impacts your auto insurance rates. It may take your insurance company 6 – 12 months to check your record and set up your policy to cancel, but once they find a DWI offense on your record, the rates for auto insurance double.
DWI Charges & Auto Insurance
When your car insurance company becomes aware of your DWI arrest, they have to give you notice of cancellation, which will give you a short time to find another insurance company.
The degree (or level) of DWI makes no difference to the non-standard or high risk companies. DWIs have become so common that some carriers do not charge as much for just one DWI offense. However, most insurance companies charge significantly more for a careless or reckless driving conviction than for a DWI. So be careful if you have a DWI “reduced” to a careless or reckless conviction, because you might end up paying more for your insurance, and it’s still considered a major violation to a preferred company. These major violations impact your insurance rates for three to five years.
Other Factors
Five years after a major violation, you will be eligible for the preferred rates again. You may be eligible for the preferred rates in less than five years if you:
- Keep your insurance with high limits
- Have multiple policies with the same carrier
- Do not receive any other violations or get into any accidents
Your history of credit, traffic violations, accidents, and insurance can sometimes save you money with a non-standard carrier. But there are a few carriers in non-standard insurance that tailor their rates for DWIs.
