Best Georgia SR-22 Insurance in 2024
What are the Georgia SR-22 requirements?
The state of Georgia requires drivers who have had their license revoked to have SR22 insurance. In fact, the SR-22 form is mandatory for drivers who have a major traffic violation. The certificate must be filed by the insurance company of the convicted driver to prove to the state that the driver meets the minimum insurance requirements. However, the insurer may consider the driver to be high-risk and may decline this type of insurance coverage.
Contrary to often being called SR22 insurance, SR-22 is not a type of insurance policy, but rather proof that the driver is carrying adequate liability insurance as required by the state i.e minimum liability coverage required by law. Georgia, like other states, uses SR-22 to ensure drivers comply with the Georgia DMV regulations.
If you don't own a vehicle, buying a non-owner SR-22 insurance policy could be a great option to prove the minimum liability insurance requirements.
Georgia is a little unique compared to other states because it has a second financial responsibility form called the SR22a certificate. SR-22a insurance is required for the same offenses as SR-22 insurance, but SR22a is for drivers who are repeat offenders of driving violations. It is also called Georgia Safety Responsibility Insurance Certificate.
Drivers can file SR-22 form through their insurer. In most cases, drivers are required to file SR-22 for three years. The actual time period, however, will depend on the seriousness of the offense committed. Additionally, habitual offenders can be asked to file an SR22a certificate for additional years. Once the requirement period passes, you can switch insurance plans given the condition that there haven’t been any extensions, lapse in coverage and you’ve completed all your requirements.
SR-22 car insurance is more expensive than the standard car insurance policy because of the high-risk nature of the offense. Major traffic violations (such as DUI / DWI / OVWI) can significantly increase insurance premiums. This is considered a serious offense. However, the average cost of car insurance depends on each insurance provider, so it's generally a good idea to compare a few carriers to find the cheapest SR-22 insurance.
If you’re required to carry SR-22 insurance and you stop paying the premium or the policy is cancelled, your insurer must inform the Georgia DMV. This could result in a license suspension again, forcing you to start the SR-22 filing period from the beginning.
Even if you are from a state that doesn’t require you to maintain SR-22 and have moved to Georgia recently, you are required to have SR-22 insurance.
Use our comparison tool to compare insurance quotes from multiple companies.
What are the SR-22 insurance limits in Georgia?
If you’re required to have SR-22 insurance in Georgia, you’ll be required to have at least the following coverage:
- $25,000 bodily injury per person
- $50,000 bodily injury per accident
- $25,000 property damage per accident
Failure to file an SR22 form in Georgia when you’re required to do so could result in losing your driving privileges.
Who needs an SR-22 or SR-22a in Georgia?
The Georgia DMV requires you to get SR-22 insurance if you’re determined as a high-risk driver. SR-22s are required after you’ve committed certain violations of the law. If you’re a repeat offender, you may be required to have an SR-22a with stricter requirements. You could need SR22 or SR22a insurance for the following reasons:
- Conviction for driving under the influence (DUI or DWI)
- Driving without car insurance
- Driving with a revoked or suspended license
- Having repeated traffic violations in a certain amount of time, including speeding tickets
- Numerous at-fault accidents
- A fatal at-fault accident or one that results in injuries
- Reckless driving or dangerous driving
- Assignment from a court order
- Failure to pay fines from tickets
- Refused consent to breathalyzer or blood alcohol test
Minor violations usually do not require SR-22 coverage.
How are Georgia SR-22 insurance rates calculated?
If you need SR-22 coverage in Georgia, your car insurance rates may increase significantly. When you’re required to have an SR22, you get placed into the category of a high-risk or non-standard driver. High-risk drivers tend to pay the highest car insurance rates, but the cost of car insurance varies by company and state. There are many other factors that go into the cost of SR-22 insurance such as your age, gender, ZIP code, credit score, vehicle type, marital status and so on.
One of the most common reasons drivers need SR-22 insurance in Georgia is because of a DUI conviction. On average, drivers with one DUI conviction in Georgia pay $1,923 per year for car insurance. That’s 43% more than car insurance for a driver with a clean driving record. However, the insurance cost you pay differs significantly based on the insurance provider you buy car insurance from. In the table below, you can find average rates for Georgia drivers who have one DUI conviction from some of the largest companies in the state.
| Company | Car insurance rate |
|---|---|
| Georgia Farm Bureau | $1,115 |
| USAA* | $1,277 |
| Auto-Owners | $1,477 |
| Geico | $1,843 |
| State Farm | $1,978 |
| Safeco | $2,276 |
| Allstate | $2,339 |
| Nationwide | $2,770 |
| Progressive | $2,864 |
*USAA is only available to active and former military members and their families.
These rates are based on a 35-year-old single adult with one driver and one vehicle on a policy. The car used was a 2015 Toyota Highlander LEs. Full coverage was used with 100/300/50 limits and a $500 collision and comprehensive deductible. The driver had 1 DUI on their record. The rates displayed should only be used for comparative purposes as individual rates for high-risk insurance in Georgia will differ. Rate data is provided by Quadrant Information Services.
Though you’ll likely have to pay more for car insurance as a driver who is required to get SR-22, you can work to get your premiums back to normal. Many insurance companies reduce rates for drivers who pay their premium on time and show the intent and willingness to clean their slate.
If you’re required to get SR-22 insurance, don’t settle for the first insurer you find. Instead, compare quotes by multiple insurers.
How to get SR-22 insurance in Georgia?
If you’re required to get SR-22 or SR22a insurance in Georgia, you must contact your insurer who will provide you with the form. You’re not able to complete an SR22 or SR22a on your own. Your insurance carrier will file it with the Georgia Department of Driver Services on your behalf. The driver will have to pay a processing fee. The charge can be included in the premium.
If, however, your insurance carrier does not provide SR-22 insurance, you may have to shop for a new SR-22 insurance policy from an insurer offering SR-22. Even if your insurance company offers SR-22 insurance, you may want to shop around to see if you can find a better price from a different company.
Use the table at the top of this page to find all the car insurance companies that offer SR-22 insurance in Georgia with a minimum of 25 reviews. If you want to see which companies customers say are the best car insurance companies for SR22 insurance in Georgia, sort the table by highest rated. You can sort through companies and find the ones you want to get quotes from. To get quotes, click on the orange “Click for quote” button next to the company, call the number available, or visit the company’s website.
If you want to read customer reviews of the company, click the company name in the table and you will be directed to the company’s profile page containing information about the company and reviews.
Are there any SR-22 fees in Georgia?
Filing an SR-22 certificate in Georgia won’t cost you much. In most cases, to file an SR-22 you’ll have to pay a nominal fee (between $20-$40). Drivers who are found guilty of a serious offense may be required to pay a higher filing fee. Once the insurer files SR-22 with the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS), the responsibility to pay premium regularly falls on you.
There are other fees associated with reinstating your license. Reinstatement fees vary based on what offense you committed. If it’s your first DUI offense in five years or first offense of no proof of insurance, the fee to reinstate your license is $200 by mail or $210 in person at the DDS.
How are car insurance rates calculated?
When searching and comparing car insurance quotes, it can be frustrating trying to understand how your insurance rates are calculated. While there is no exact formula that each car insurance company uses when providing you with a quote, there are many factors that do contribute to the price you pay for your insurance. Among the factors that car insurers consider are:
- Your driving record
- How much you drive
- Location
- Age
- Marital status
- Gender
- Your car’s make, model and year
- Your credit history (in some states)
- Amount of car insurance coverage (required coverage and optional add-ons, such as collision and comprehensive)
One of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to insurance rates is that the history of drivers in your area also contributes to how much you pay. For instance, even if you go two years without an accident, if there were a lot of accidents near you recently, your rates might still go up. Why is that the case?
Insurance companies disperse risk across all policyholders so that when it comes time to pay a claim, they have enough money to pay out. But imagine a scenario where they only raised rates for drivers with an accident. For drivers who had an expensive claim, drivers simply wouldn't be able to afford the raised rates that are based on how much their insurer had to pay after an accident. So instead, insurance companies slightly increase rates across the board to offset the costs, though of course, the at-fault driver may see a larger increase.
How much car insurance do I need?
You certainly don’t want to be underinsured or uninsured while staring at a claim after a car accident or other damage to your car. But at the same time, there’s no sense in paying for more coverage than you need, right? So it begs the question: How much car insurance coverage do you actually need?
The answer, as frustrating as it may be, is it depends. For example, someone insuring a brand-new, leased car is likely required to purchase collision and comprehensive coverage, but for someone driving an older car that doesn’t have much value, it may not make sense to purchase optional coverage. Plus, states have different car insurance requirements. There are 12 no-fault states that require their drivers to purchase personal injury protection (PIP).
So when it comes to determining what car insurance coverage and limits you should purchase, it’s important to do your research. Talk with an insurance agent or your insurance company to determine what makes the most sense for your situation.
How to save money on your car insurance?
At the end of the day, we’d all like to have the best coverage at a cheap, affordable price. While you never want to sacrifice quality to save a couple of dollars, there are some different ways you can lower your car insurance premium.
Here are six ways you may be able to lower your car insurance rates:
- Bundle your car insurance with other policies
- Consider raising your deductibles
- Pay your car insurance policy in full
- Try usage-based car insurance
- Monitor price changes to your policy
- Shop for better insurance rates
How do we rank car insurance companies?
Wondering how Clearsurance determines scores for insurance companies? Our algorithm analyzes a range of inputs from our community of unbiased insurance customers, including:
- Cost
- Customer Service
- Overall Experience
- Claim service
- Purchasing experience
- Likelihood to recommend
Car Insurance Guide
Whether you’re buying your insurance directly or going through an agent, understanding the different car insurance coverage options is a must. Do you know what is covered by comprehensive coverage? Are you familiar with uninsured motorist coverage? Do you know how a deductible works?
We want to make sure you’re equipped with proper knowledge of car insurance, so check out our practical guide to understanding car insurance. Looking for more educational information about car insurance? Check out our blog for more information and topics related to car insurance.