How much is SR-22 insurance?
SR-22 insurance runs roughly $114 to $169 a month for minimum coverage among carriers available everywhere, per MoneyGeek's 2026 study — with real disagreement between studies. The filing itself is a rounding error; almost no major carrier will name its fee before you're quoted.
Here's the direct answer, with the honesty this question deserves: MoneyGeek's 2026 study puts SR-22 minimum coverage at $114 to $169 a month among carriers you can actually buy everywhere, and a different reputable study — Insurify — puts some of the same carriers 30% lower. Both are current, both are real, and the gap is the point: there is no single number, only a range worth quoting against.
Why nobody can give you one number
Every major SR-22 page — including earlier versions of this one — states a confident average. We checked several against real rate studies this year and found the numbers don't hold up cleanly. GEICO alone was quoted at $100, $136, and $144 a month across three reputable 2026 sources, depending on coverage level and whether a DUI specifically was priced. State Farm ranged from $66 to $160. That's not sloppy research on any one study's part — it's different data vendors, different driver profiles, different months.
The honest use of any published figure is as a starting point for a quote, never a price.
The filing fee nobody will name
This is the more useful finding. Search "SR-22 filing fee" and you'll get a confident "$15–$25" from nearly every site — including, until we checked, this one. That figure traces to a single source that's no longer publicly reachable, and it doesn't hold up against what carriers actually say.
GEICO's own page refuses to state one: "The filing fee is not included in the rate quote because it can vary. This fee will be provided you at the time of purchase." State Farm and Nationwide publish only generic language — "usually around $25," "may vary by state" — never a firm number. The General is the exception, publishing about $25 outright. Real policyholders report paying anywhere from $25 to $50.
The fee is genuinely small next to the premium either way. Ask for it explicitly before you buy, and don't let a page's confident number substitute for your own quote.
What actually moves your number
- Your state. The single biggest factor. The same driver's premium can differ by hundreds of dollars a year depending on where they live — compare your state on the SR-22 cost page.
- Your violation. A DUI carries a heavier surcharge than an uninsured-driving ticket or a lapse — see SR-22 cost after a DUI for the split.
- Owner vs. non-owner. If you don't own a car, a non-owner SR-22 is markedly cheaper — USAA prices one at $28/month, State Farm at $33, both well under owner-policy rates.
- Coverage level. State-minimum liability is the cheapest way to satisfy the filing; full coverage costs more but may be required by a lender.
How to keep it low
Quote at least three SR-22-friendly carriers rather than trusting a single average. Ask about a non-owner policy if you're eligible. Drop to minimum coverage if you own your car outright and don't need the extra protection. And re-shop at every renewal — the surcharge fades as the violation ages, and loyalty rarely captures that saving for you automatically. See our cheapest SR-22 carriers and company comparison for the field.
Why the violation matters more than the carrier
A useful way to think about your own number: the SR-22 form doesn't set a price — your specific conviction does, and insurers weigh violations very differently from one another. Insure.com's 2026 data shows a Nationwide policy rising by only about $21 a year for the filing itself, then by roughly $2,070 more once a DUI is priced in. That split holds up across the carriers we checked this year — the certificate is nearly free, and the conviction is the entire bill.
That's also why a single "SR-22 costs $X a month" headline is close to useless on its own. A lapse, a first uninsured-driving ticket, and a DUI can produce wildly different quotes from the exact same carrier. Compare your figure against SR-22 cost after a DUI if that's your situation, since the DUI-specific numbers run meaningfully higher than the general averages on this page.
One more variable worth naming explicitly: your state. Two drivers with an identical violation history can see figures hundreds of dollars apart a year simply because of where they live — some states run cheap across the board, others carry steep minimums or a high baseline accident rate that pushes every quote up. A national average is a reasonable starting expectation, but your actual quote will land wherever your state and violation put it, not necessarily near the middle — treat every figure on this page as a place to start comparing quotes, not a price you should expect to see quoted back to you by your own insurer.
| Company | MoneyGeek (Jul 1, 2026) | Insurify (Jul 15, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| GEICO | $136/mo | $100/mo |
| State Farm | $160/mo | $66/mo |
| Progressive | $169/mo | not listed |
| Non-owner (USAA) | $28/mo | not listed |
Pick your state and violation — the calculator shows a sourced monthly estimate in about a minute. No personal info needed.