how much discount do i get on my insurance for defencive driver safety course

by Dr. Julius Little MD 6 min read

5% to 20%

Full Answer

How much is the insurance discount for a driving course?

Insurers often offer defensive driving discounts for drivers who have completed a course, particularly young and older drivers. While it varies by insurer, expect an insurance discount of 5 to 10% for completing a course.

What are the requirements to get a defensive driving discount?

While requirements and restrictions vary by car insurance company and state, the following standards generally apply: You must complete an approved defensive driving course with a passing grade to earn the discount. You can only take a defensive driving class for a discount once every several years.

How much is a 5% insurance discount for older drivers?

Most insurers offer a 5 percent discount in most states, but the amount can reach up to 10 percent with some. The classes are often sponsored by such groups as AARP, AAA and the Safety Council to encourage better motoring for both older and younger drivers.

How can defensive driving courses help you save money on insurance?

Some of the insurance companies even offer discounts between 5% and 10%. Groups such as AARP, AAA and the Safety Council offer defensive driving courses for both older and young drivers. Defensive driving courses also help drivers to remove DMV points from their driving record and thereby resulting in decreased insurance rates.

How much does a defensive driving course lower your insurance NJ?

between 5% and 10%Any auto insurance provider in New Jersey is required to offer a discount to any policy holder that completes a defensive driving course. The discount, which is usually between 5% and 10% lasts for three years and can be renewed for continuous savings.

Does defensive driving course lower insurance in California?

Most car insurance companies offer lower premiums to drivers who attend and complete a defensive driving course approved by the California DMV.

How much is defensive driving Texas?

$25The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) requires all defensive driving courses to cost at least $25. While most courses cost $25, some are more expensive due to in-person instruction, included meals and additional material.

Does a defensive driving course lower insurance Ontario?

So, does driving school lower insurance Ontario? Yes, it does. It goes without saying that attending driving classes can help you stay safe and pay attention to the road. By taking the time to go to driving school insurance rates become much more affordable for new drivers of all ages.

How much is defensive driving course in CA?

List of best cheap online defensive driving schools in CaliforniaProviderPriceContact informationTrafficSchool.com$7.95800-691-5014Cheap Easy Fast Traffic School$12.95800-554-4912Traffic101$14.95800-373-7313Safe2Drive$15.95800-763-12976 more rows•Apr 27, 2022

What is a mature driver discount?

Mature Driver Discount, Safe Driver Discount, and Defensive Driver Discount are common names used by different insurance companies to describe the senior auto insurance discount a person 50 years of age or older receives after they complete a Mature Driver Improvement Course.

Does defensive driving reduce ticket cost Texas?

Potentially Saves Money: Speeding tickets in Texas can cost a person around $150. If you take defensive driving for a speeding ticket, the court fees will cost you around $100 and defensive driving will cost around $25, saving you around $25.

How much is defensive driving online Texas?

Online Texas Defensive Driving Course | Only $25.00 | TEXAS Approved.

How long is online defensive driving course Texas?

6 hoursOur Texas online defensive driving course meets the state-required length of 6 hours. You may work through the course all in one day, or spread it out over a longer period of time.

How can I get a discount on car insurance in Ontario?

Here are some tips for shopping around:Check insurance comparison websites.Search for Ontario insurance companies that offer new customer discounts.Check with your company and see if they offer a loyalty discount to stay.Ask your insurance broker to see if he can find/offer you better rates.

Can insurance companies offer discounts?

Insurers provide a variety of discounts. Check for discounts such as these: Offers to let you pay the entire annual or six-month premium at once.

How can I save on car insurance in Canada?

10 Ways to Save on Auto Insurance in CanadaIncrease Your Claims Deductible Amount. ... Trim the Fat from Your Policy. ... Combine Insurance Policies. ... Good Driver Discounts. ... Ride the Bus. ... Think Before You Buy. ... Check Your Mileage. ... Safety Device Discounts.More items...

Is there an insurance discount for defensive driving courses?

Completing a defensive driving course can help you save on auto insurance if your insurer offers a defensive driver discount. The actual amount of...

Does driver's ed reduce insurance?

Insurers may offer a discount or lower rate for teen drivers who complete a driver's education course, but the savings may not be comparable to a d...

How do driver safety course insurance discounts work?

Defensive driving is often geared towards younger and older drivers who may have higher car insurance premiums, but a defensive driving discount ma...

Does insurance cover defensive driving?

Since defensiv e driving can make you safer on the road, many insurance companies will offer a discount for taking a defensive driving course. Each insurer's discount and terms are different, and state regulations can come into play, too. Before you sign up for a defensive driving course, you can do the following:

Does defensive driving help with insurance?

Completing a defensive driving course can help you save on auto insurance if your insurer offers a defensive driver discount. The actual amount of the discount will vary based on your insurer, age, state, and other factors.

Do you get a discount for defensive driving?

Defensive driving is often geared towards younger and older drivers who may have higher car insurance premiums, but a defensive driving discount may be offered to people of all ages. Some states require insurers to offer defensive driving discounts, while others do not. In many states, a four-hour course is enough to fulfill the requirement for a defensive driving certificate and discount.

How much is defensive driving discount?

Some companies do not offer discounts, while others may offer discounts of up to 20%. Most often, drivers can expect a discount of about 10%. Car insurance companies would always like you to be a safer driver. You should also want this for yourself. Consider taking a defensive driving course just to brush up on vital driving skills. It could save your life.

How often do you have to take defensive driving courses?

Insurance companies want to make sure you’re refreshing your safe driving skill set regularly. Most insurers require that you retake a course every two years. Taking a course on a consistent bi-yearly basis is the only way to keep your defensive driving course discount active.

How many hours of defensive driving does an Allstate driver have to take?

Allstate offers a discount to drivers who are 55 years old or older. Drivers must complete six or more hours of defensive driving courses. They must have no violations or at-fault claims. Allstate’s discount is up to 10 percent.

How much does Gabi save on car insurance?

On average Gabi customers save $961 per year on their car insurance. It’s a number we’ve verified. For the amount of effort required, always request a free quote. Do it now with Gabi. Not only will you likely save a bunch here without any reduction in coverage, but the company should also be able to give you an idea of what insurance companies will help you with a discount in the event you complete defensive driving.

Do you get a discount for defensive driving?

Insurers do not traditionally offer a discount if you’ve taken defensive driving to dismiss a traffic ticket. This also includes courses that are taken as part of a court order. Based on your state of residence, discounts may only be available or excluded based on age groups. In rare instances you may find that defensive driving insurance discounts aren’t available in your state or with your insurance company at all. It’s best to find out if you’ll be able to earn this discount before you make plans to take a defensive driving course. Gabi is the easiest way to do this in our opinion.

Does Gabi offer discounts on defensive driving?

Discounts on auto insurance for defensive driving are not automatic. You’ll need to check your eligibility before enrolling. Again, we emphasize that because you’re attempting to save money it might be time to shop around with a free quote from Gabi to see what else is out there. The company can also tell you who may honor a defensive driving course discount.

Do you need to take defensive driving to get a premium discount?

Most insurance companies have specific requirements for earning a premium discount by completing defensive driving. Some may have age requirements. We often see that teen or senior drivers. Your insurer will also typically require that you complete a qualifying defensive driving course. Prerequisites may include a minimum number of hours, a document of course completion, and state certification. Most will honor both classroom and online defensive driving courses as long as the course is approved by local jurisdictions.

How to get defensive driving discounts?

Contact your auto insurance provider to discuss the availability of defensive driving discounts in your state. Also, visit our Defensive Driving section to learn about the courses available in your state.

What do you need to take defensive driving to get a discount?

You must complete an approved defensive driving course with a passing grade to earn the discount.

Why do insurance companies offer discounts to young drivers?

Most car insurance companies offer discounts to young drivers who complete driver's education programs, because those drivers are statistically less likely to engage in risky driving behaviors and get into car accidents.

Why do people get discounts on car insurance?

Car insurance discounts are often provided to drivers who take active steps to improve their driving skills and safe driving behaviors, because safer driving means fewer claims. Young drivers can often save money by completing an approved driver training (or driver's education) course, while older drivers are often offered a discount ...

How old do you have to be to get a driver's discount?

Driver training discount requirements vary by car insurance company and state. Generally, in order to qualify you will need to: Be under 21 years old. Complete a qualifying driver's education course. This may include a minimum number of course hours and supervised driving hours. Show documentation of course completion.

How old do you have to be to get a discount on a car insurance policy?

In many cases, this discount is only offered to senior drivers (usually classified as over 55 years old).

Can you get a discount on car insurance if you have completed defensive driving?

If you have completed a defensive driving course, you might be eligible for a car insurance discount. Depending on your auto insurance provider, you might even receive a discounted rate on the course itself. Be sure to ask your car insurance agent about the possibility.

How much is defensive driving class discount?

Many insurance companies provide discounts to drivers who take defensive driving classes, and the discounts typically range from 5% to 20% off your car insurance premium. The courses usually take four to eight hours throughout an afternoon or weekend, and they cover safety information, ...

What is defensive driving discount?

Remember that a defensive driving discount is only one of many discount and savings opportunities available to insurance shoppers. If you want to reduce your rates, comparing quotes for the lowest price on auto insurance may be just as effective.

What age can you get defensive driver training?

The groups most commonly eligible for defensive driver training discounts are drivers under age 25 and above age 60. People in these age groups are the most at-risk for accidents, and they have the highest insurance rates. However, some states, like New York, require insurers to offer rate discounts to drivers of all ages for taking safe-driving ...

How long does the Allstate driver training discount last?

Typically, your discount will last for three to five years, after which you can take the class again to refresh your skills and requalify for the discount.

What insurances offer defensive driving classes?

Popular choices for defensive driving classes are offered by the AARP, AAA, American Safety Council and National Safety Council.

Why do you need defensive driving classes?

In many states, driving courses are also used as either optional or mandatory parts of sentences after traffic violations . This is sometimes also called "traffic school" or "remedial driving courses.".

What is a defensive driver class?

A defensive driver training class (sometimes abbreviated to DDC) is usually taught in a classroom setting or online using text, audio and video materials.

What insurances offer defensive driving discounts?

Defensive driving discounts are available from nearly every major insurer, and many minor ones as well. Allstate and The Hartford have discounts around 10%; Geico and Liberty Mutual save their qualifying policyholders around 5%. While completing a defensive driving course (online or in-person) is the first step to earning a discount, some carriers require other conditions to be met before savings can begin.

How long is a defensive driving course?

Depending on where you live, a defensive driving course can be from 4-8 hours in length.

How old do you have to be to get a Geico discount?

In most states, GEICO only offers defensive driving discounts to policyholders who are at least 50 years old.

How to start a discount journey?

The easiest way to start your discount journey is to talk to your current insurance agent. If the agent confirms that your existing company offers a defensive driving discount, here are some helpful follow-up questions.

How many copies of completion certificate are needed for defensive driving in Texas?

In Texas, people who take defensive driving for ticket dismissal receive two copies of their completion certificate. One is marked for the court and the other for insurance. Hundreds (if not thousands) of Texas drivers fail to take advantage of that second certificate when they could be using it to earn back the cost of their ticket many times over. Don’t wind up shipmates on that same boat by failing to submit your certificate!

Do you have to submit a certificate of completion for defensive driving?

When you have finished your course, you will receive a certificate of completion. You must then get a copy of that certificate to your insurance company. The defensive driving course provider will not notify your insurance agency of your newly minted graduate status; it’s up to you. The need to submit your certificate may seem obvious, but hear me out. Insurance companies are banking on you not following through. This is especially true in Texas.

Is defensive driving safe in Fort Worth?

With nearly 900,000 residents, driving in Fort Worth can be challenging. Defensive driving can make getting around Fort Worth safer for you and those around you.

What happens in a defensive driving course?

Defensive driving courses are typically administered online or in person through local DMV or DPS offices. Classes may range from four to 12 hours in length depending on state regulations and format of the course. These classes are not free but often cost less than $100.

How much money does a defensive driver discount save?

It varies by insurance company, but this discount typically saves a driver between 5% and 10% of their car insurance premium.

Common restrictions to the defensive driver discount

Eligibility for these courses and the corresponding discount sometimes have some restrictions. The groups most commonly eligible for this auto insurance discount are drivers under 25 and over 60, since these populations are the most at-risk for accidents and have the highest auto insurance premiums of any demographic.

Sources

Renata is a licensed insurance professional and content strategist responsible for creating home and auto insurance guides for The Zebra.

What is a defensive driver course?

As I stared at the prompt above on my provider’s Potential Discounts page, the first thing I wondered was:

How long does it take to complete a defensive driver course?

As I discovered next, there are two very different types of defensive driver courses out there:

How much is the discount for taking a defensive driving course?

To get some answers, I rang up my auto insurance provider. Exactly how much could I save with a defensive driver discount, and would it be worth both a $95 check and six hours of my life spent underneath flickering fluorescent lights?

Can you still get an insurance discount by taking a one-hour course?

My provider sounded adamant that they only accepted DOT-approved (i.e., six-hour) defensive driving courses, but that didn’t match up with what I read on DriveSafe’s website.

Overall, I was totally surprised by how helpful a one-hour defensive driving course is

No offense to DriveSafe, or any other driver improvement teacher, but I kind of expected the defensive driver course to be a joke, full of obvious tips like “don’t drive on wet cement” and “don’t lick traffic cones.”

Would my provider actually give me a discount for a one-hour, online-only defensive driving course?

To find out, I emailed my DriveSafe certificate of completion to my provider and held my breath. A week later, this appeared on my dashboard:

Summary

Even if my defensive driver discount wasn’t a lifetime perk, I’d gladly do it again every three years – not just for the savings, but to help me stay sharp on the road.

Finding an Approved Driver Safety Course in Your State

Driver-safety-course insurance discounts vary widely by state and company, so make sure that you are eligible based on your age and driving record, and confirm your chosen course is approved. Certain states allow online classes, while others require that a course be partially or entirely completed in a classroom.

Court-Ordered Driver Safety Courses

States with driving points systems might allow you to erase points and citations from your driving record by taking an approved driver safety course. After a serious conviction, a course is mandatory in some states.