Reviewed by the Alias Insurance editorial team.
Yes, your car insurance rate goes up after an at-fault accident in Texas, and the increase is among the steepest in the country. One at-fault crash raises a Texas driver’s premium by roughly 30% to 71% on average, which often adds more than $1,000 a year. The accident then stays on your record and affects your rate for about three to five years before it ages off.
Texas uses an at-fault, or tort, system. The driver who causes a crash pays for the damage through their liability insurance. Because you caused the loss, your insurer sees you as higher risk and charges more at your next renewal. The first year carries the biggest increase, and the impact shrinks each year if you avoid new claims and tickets.
Here is what to expect right after an at-fault accident in Texas:
- Your rate rises at renewal, not immediately. The increase usually shows up when your policy renews, often every six months.
- The size depends on severity. A minor fender bender costs less than a crash with injuries or a large payout.
- It lasts three to five years. Minor accidents often clear in three years, while serious or injury crashes can affect rates for five years or longer.
- Accident forgiveness may help. If your policy includes it, your first at-fault accident may not raise your rate at all.
A crash is usually “chargeable” when property damage tops $1,000 or anyone is injured. Texas insurers review three to five years of your driving history at each renewal, so the accident keeps influencing your price until it falls outside that window.
Quick answer for voice search: After an at-fault accident in Texas, expect your car insurance to rise about 30% to 71%, often over $1,000 a year, for three to five years. Comparing quotes, accident forgiveness, and a clean record afterward can lower the cost.
If you are dealing with the aftermath of a crash, our guide to car insurance after an accident covers the next steps.
How Much Does Insurance Go Up After an At-Fault Accident in Texas?
Texas drivers face one of the highest accident penalties in the nation. National studies put the average increase after one at-fault accident near 57%, but Texas runs higher, around 71%, which works out to over $1,000 in added annual premium.
The table below shows how a single at-fault accident changes a Texas driver’s monthly cost, based on 2026 data.
Coverage type | Clean record (per month) | After at-fault accident (per month) |
Liability only | About $110 | About $146 |
Full coverage | About $187 | About $250 |
A second at-fault accident hits much harder. National data shows a second crash can raise rates by around 123%, pushing the average annual premium past $4,000. Drivers with two or more at-fault accidents in a short span often see the steepest jumps and the hardest time finding affordable coverage.
Your exact increase depends on three factors: the severity of the crash, your insurer, and your prior record. Two drivers in similar crashes can pay different amounts simply because they use different companies. That gap is why comparing quotes matters so much after an accident.
The table below shows how widely the penalty can vary by insurer, using national 2026 estimates for the same at-fault crash.
Insurer approach | Typical increase after one at-fault accident |
Lower-penalty carriers | As little as 6% |
Average carriers | 26% to 40% |
Higher-penalty carriers | Up to 71% or more in Texas |
The spread is the point. The same accident might add $15 a month with one company and well over $60 with another. You cannot know which carrier treats your crash gently without comparing several quotes. You can read more about what shapes your price in our overview of the factors that affect car insurance rates.
How Long Does an At-Fault Accident Affect Your Insurance in Texas?
An at-fault accident affects your Texas insurance for three to five years in most cases, but the exact window depends on the crash and the insurer. The table below breaks it down.
Accident type | How long it usually affects your rate |
Minor at-fault crash | About 3 years |
At-fault crash with injuries or large payout | 5 years or longer |
DUI-related accident | 7 to 10 years with some insurers |
Record in the CLUE database | Up to 7 years |
The first year after the crash carries the highest surcharge. Each year after that, the impact shrinks, and the accident eventually drops out of the review window. A clean stretch of 36 months can also qualify you for a safe-driver discount, which helps offset the earlier increase.
Texas keeps your driving history through TxDOT crash reports and TxDPS driver records, and insurers pull from these plus national claim databases. Police do not automatically send crash reports to insurers. A company usually requests the report only after someone files a claim or lawsuit.
What to Do Right After an At-Fault Accident in Texas
Your actions in the first days shape both your claim and your future rate. Follow these steps:
- Check for injuries and call 911 if needed. Safety comes first, and a police report helps document the crash.
- Exchange information. Get the other driver’s name, insurer, policy number, and contact details.
- Document the scene. Take photos of damage, positions, and road conditions.
- Report the crash to your insurer promptly. Most policies require timely notice, even when you are at fault.
- Avoid admitting fault at the scene. State the facts to police and your insurer, and let the investigation determine fault.
- Work carefully with the adjuster. Provide accurate information and keep records of every call.
Handling the adjuster well can affect your payout. Our guide on how to deal with an insurance adjuster after a car accident walks through that conversation.
Population density drives accident frequency. New York City packs millions of vehicles into tight streets, and more cars in close quarters means more collisions, more claims, and higher repair bills. Downstate drivers pay far more than upstate residents for this reason alone.
Theft adds another cost. New York ranks near the top of the country for vehicle theft, and insurers price that risk into premiums, especially in city ZIP codes. A stolen-vehicle claim is expensive, and frequent theft in an area lifts rates for every driver there. Our guide explains exactly how car theft affects insurance premiums and what you can do to reduce your risk.
Where you park your car at night can swing your premium by hundreds of dollars a month. A driver in a Brooklyn neighborhood with high theft and traffic pays a different price than the same driver in a quiet upstate town, even with an identical record and car.
What Does Your Texas Policy Pay After an At-Fault Crash?
Texas requires minimum liability coverage of 30/60/25:
- $30,000 bodily injury per person
- $60,000 bodily injury per accident
- $25,000 property damage
Liability pays for the other party’s injuries and property damage when you cause a crash. It does not repair your own car. To cover your own vehicle, you need full coverage, which adds collision protection plus coverage for theft, weather, fire, and vandalism.
A serious at-fault crash can cost more than the minimum limits. If damages exceed your coverage, you may owe the difference out of pocket, and the injured party can sue you for the remainder. Our article on what happens when a car accident claim exceeds insurance limits explains that risk and why higher limits often protect you better in an at-fault state.
How to Lower Your Insurance After an At-Fault Accident in Texas
A higher rate is not permanent, and you have several ways to bring it down:
- Compare quotes from several insurers. Each company weighs an accident differently. One carrier may raise your rate 6% while another raises it 35% for the same crash, so shopping can save hundreds.
- Ask about accident forgiveness. Some insurers waive the first at-fault increase if you qualify. Confirm whether your policy includes it.
- Take a defensive driving course. Texas drivers can often reduce points and earn a discount by completing an approved course.
- Raise your deductible. A higher deductible lowers your premium if you can cover the larger out-of-pocket cost after a claim.
- Keep a clean record going forward. Avoiding new tickets and crashes is the fastest path back to lower rates, and 36 clean months can earn a safe-driver discount.
- Review your coverage. On an older car, dropping to liability only may save money, though it leaves your vehicle unprotected.
Because an accident and a ticket both raise rates, keep in mind that a speeding ticket can add a similar surcharge on top of an accident, so avoiding new violations protects your rate further.
City Matters in Texas
Texas insurers rate by ZIP code, so where you live affects how much an accident raises your rate. Drivers in large metros like Houston, Dallas, and Austin often pay more than drivers in lower-traffic areas. Our Houston car insurance guide shows how local pricing works.
Will My Rate Go Up If the Accident Was Not My Fault?
Possibly. Texas has no law that stops insurers from raising rates after a not-at-fault accident, though the increase is usually smaller than for an at-fault crash. A minor crash that was clearly not your fault may not appear on your record at all. If your insurer raises your rate after a crash someone else caused, comparing quotes can help you find a company that treats it differently.
A Real-World Example
Picture a Texas driver with a clean record paying $187 a month for full coverage. They cause a moderate crash with about $8,000 in damage and no injuries.
- At the next renewal, their rate rises to roughly $250 a month, a 26% increase.
- Over the first year, that adds about $750 to their cost.
- Across three years, the accident keeps affecting the rate, though the surcharge shrinks each renewal.
- By year three or four, with no new claims, the accident ages off and the rate returns toward the clean-record level.
The driver compares quotes, finds a company with a smaller accident penalty, and signs up for a defensive driving course, trimming part of the increase. The lesson: the first quote after a crash is rarely the cheapest one available.
How Accident Forgiveness Works in Texas
Accident forgiveness is an optional feature, not a state rule. When a policy includes it, your insurer agrees not to raise your rate for your first at-fault accident. The details vary by company:
- Some insurers offer it free after several years with no accidents.
- Others sell it as an add-on you pay for in advance.
- Many require a clean record for three to five years before you qualify.
Forgiveness usually applies to one accident per policy or per driver, and it does not erase the crash from your record. The accident still shows up if you switch companies, and a new insurer may price it normally. So forgiveness helps most when you stay with the same carrier. Ask your insurer whether your policy already includes it, since drivers often carry the feature without knowing.
When an At-Fault Accident Leads to an SR-22
A standard at-fault accident does not require an SR-22. The filing comes into play only when the crash pairs with a serious problem, such as driving without insurance at the time, a DWI, or a license suspension tied to the accident. If you caused a crash while uninsured, Texas can suspend your license and require an SR-22 before reinstating it.
If that applies to you, the cost climbs further, since the violation behind the SR-22 raises your premium on top of the accident surcharge. Drivers in that situation can review our guide on car insurance with a suspended license to understand the next steps. For most drivers, though, a single at-fault accident means a higher rate, not an SR-22.
Frequently Asked Questions
A single at-fault accident in Texas raises rates by about 30% to 71% on average, often more than $1,000 a year. The exact increase depends on the crash severity, your insurer, and your prior record. A second at-fault accident can raise rates much more.
An at-fault accident affects your Texas insurance for about three to five years. Minor crashes often clear in three years, while injury crashes or large payouts can affect rates for five years or longer. DUI-related crashes can last seven years or more.
It can. Texas has no law preventing insurers from raising rates after a not-at-fault accident, though the increase is usually smaller. A minor crash that was not your fault may not appear on your record. Comparing insurers can help if your rate rises unfairly.
Sometimes. Accident forgiveness, if your policy includes it, can waive the first at-fault increase. Comparing quotes, completing a defensive driving course, and keeping a clean record afterward also reduce the long-term cost.
A single accident rarely leads to non-renewal, but multiple at-fault crashes or serious violations can. If an insurer raises your rate sharply or declines to renew, comparing quotes from other companies usually finds more affordable coverage.
For small damage near or below your deductible, paying out of pocket can avoid a rate increase and a claim on your record. For larger damage or any injury, filing a claim is usually the safer choice. Weigh the repair cost against the likely premium increase.
The Bottom Line
New York car insurance costs more than most states because of forces stacked on top of each other: a no-fault system with high mandatory PIP, widespread fraud, dense traffic, theft, medical inflation, and harsh weather. You cannot control state law, but you can compare quotes, strengthen your credit, and claim every discount to soften the impact. Laws and rates change, and 2026 reform proposals may shift the picture, so always confirm current requirements with the New York Department of Financial Services and a licensed insurer before you buy. When you want to compare free quotes from top providers in one place and find coverage that fits your budget, Alias Insurance makes it simple to see your options side by side.
Disclaimer: This article shares general information for educational purposes and does not provide legal, financial, or insurance advice. Insurance laws and rates vary by state and change over time. Confirm current requirements and pricing with the New York Department of Financial Services and a licensed insurance provider before making decisions.
