How Long Does an Accident Stay on Your Insurance Record?

An at-fault accident stays on your car insurance record for three to five years, depending on your insurer's look-back window. That range averages out to a 44% rate increase, roughly $660 a year added to a $1,500 policy and $1,980 to $3,300 in total surcharges before rates return to near pre-accident levels.

The look-back window determines how many renewal cycles carry the surcharge: three years means three affected renewals, five years means five. Your DMV record and your insurance record, the CLUE report, are two separate documents with different retention rules, and most drivers don't know that distinction until a rate hike surfaces. 

Drivers who want to see how accident history factors into their total costs will find a full breakdown in car insurance basics.

At-fault accidents increase rates by an average of 44% because the insurer paid a collision or liability claim on your behalf. On a $1,500 annual policy, that surcharge adds about $660 per year.

Compare those figures against the average cost of car insurance to see how far above the national baseline your new rate lands. Not-at-fault accidents still raise rates by 7% to 12% in most states, an added $105 to $180 a year, because insurers treat any claim activity as a risk signal regardless of who caused the crash.

California and Oklahoma prohibit insurers from raising rates after not-at-fault accidents, making them the two exceptions to the national pattern. Everywhere else, not-at-fault accidents usually affect at least one or two renewal cycles even without a formal fault finding. LexisNexis retains both at-fault and not-at-fault claims in the CLUE report for seven years regardless of fault. 

Drivers with multiple incidents can find coverage options through car insurance for bad driving record.

Your DMV record and your CLUE insurance report are maintained by two entirely different organizations. State motor vehicle authorities maintain DMV records and retain most at-fault accident entries for three to five years, depending on state law. LexisNexis maintains the CLUE report and retains all claim entries, both at-fault and not-at-fault, for seven years. 

Every insurer checks the CLUE report at each new quote and at renewal, regardless of which state issued your license. The two documents serve different purposes: your DMV record tracks legal driving history and can affect license status, while the CLUE report tracks insurance claims and can affect your premiums at every carrier you approach. 

An accident dropped from your DMV record after three years may still appear in your CLUE report for four more years, affecting quotes when you switch insurers. Drivers should also know that other violations, like a speeding ticket on your record, follow similar dual-record logic with their own retention windows on each document.