SR-22 insurance in Texas
In Texas, the SR-22 filing fee is about $15–$25 and most drivers pay $88–$220/month for minimum coverage, depending on carrier. Texas holds the filing for just two years — shorter than most states.
Texas keeps the SR-22 period to two years, but its minimum limits (30/60/25) are higher than average, and insurers here can use your credit.
Cheapest SR-22 carriers
| Carrier | Est. monthly | Note |
|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $88/mo | lowest minimum-coverage rate in TX |
| AAA | $157/mo | membership required |
| Farmers | $198/mo | agent filing |
| GEICO | $201/mo | widely available |
How the violation changes the price
How filing works in Texas
In Texas, your insurer files the SR-22 electronically with the Department of Public Safety (DPS), and Texas gives you one real break: the filing is required for just two years from your conviction or civil-judgment date, not the three years most states use. A second DWI stretches that to three. The minimum liability is 30/60/25, a notch above the common 25/50/25.
On fees, Texas charges a $100 reinstatement fee to restore your license, and a DWI adds a separate $125 fee under Texas Transportation Code § 521.313 — on top of your insurer's $15–$25 filing charge.
Here's the trap Texas is notorious for: you can be suspended and put on an SR-22 without anyone clearly telling you. Drivers on r/Insurance describe getting a no-insurance ticket, paying it, assuming it was handled — then discovering months or years later, at a traffic stop, that their license was quietly suspended for never filing an SR-22. Worse, DPS may ask for coverage dated back to the original ticket, and insurers can't backdate an SR-22. If that's you, don't keep calling carriers — go through the court or a traffic attorney to sort out what DPS actually needs.
What drives the cost in Texas
Texas's two-year clock is money in your pocket — you spend a year less at a high-risk rate than a driver in most other states. A clean-record minimum policy averages about $72 a month; after a DUI it rises to roughly $152 (2026 MoneyGeek data). The spread between carriers is huge: State Farm starts near $88 for minimum coverage, while some national insurers run well over $200 for the identical policy. Texas also allows credit-based pricing, so better credit and real comparison shopping both move the number.
No car? Texas has a non-owner SR-22
Losing your car doesn't end the requirement. One Texas driver on r/dui — a first DWI, CDL suspended for a year, vehicle totaled — asked how to file an SR-22 with no car. The answer: Texas's non-owner SR-22 is liability coverage tied to you instead of a vehicle, built for exactly that situation. It satisfies DPS and costs less than a full policy — non-owner filings start around $28 a month for a clean record. Note that a DWI also hits a commercial license hard: a CDL is typically disqualified for a year, separate from the SR-22. See who qualifies in our non-owner SR-22 guide, compare rates in the cheapest SR-22 guide, or estimate yours with the cost calculator.
Check your license status before you pay for anything
Given how easy it is to be suspended in Texas without realizing it, verify where you actually stand before buying a policy. You can check your driver eligibility and any SR-22 requirement through Texas DPS's license-eligibility system or your official driving record. Knowing the exact suspension reason, the reinstatement date, and whether DPS wants an SR-22 — and for how long — saves you from buying the wrong coverage or paying fees you don't owe yet. It's the step the drivers who got blindsided wish they'd taken first.
The surcharge that used to make Texas brutal — and is gone
If you're reading older advice, ignore the horror stories about Texas "surcharges." Until 2019, the state's Driver Responsibility Program tacked on annual surcharges of $1,000 to $2,000 for three years after a DWI, on top of everything else. Texas repealed that program in September 2019, so the penalty no longer exists — your cost today is the insurance premium, the filing fee, and the reinstatement fees, not a multi-year state surcharge.
When the two years actually starts
The requirement is measured from your conviction or civil-judgment date, but the clock that matters is your two years of continuous coverage — and it only runs while an SR-22 is actually on file. There's no credit for months you spent suspended without a filing. File late, and your finish line simply moves later. The takeaway is the same one the blindsided drivers learned the hard way: get the SR-22 on record as soon as you're eligible, because every month you wait is a month added to the end.
If your Texas SR-22 lapses
There's no grace period. Your insurer notifies DPS the moment coverage ends, your license is suspended, and you'll refile and pay the $100 reinstatement fee again. Because the requirement is only two years, a lapse that restarts it is especially costly — put the policy on auto-pay. If you've already lapsed, see what happens when an SR-22 lapses and reinstating your license.
A driver who needs an SR-22 in Texas typically pays about: