Car Insurance After a Hit and Run in Arizona: What Points Mean

A hit-and-run conviction in Arizona carries 2 points if you left the scene of a property-damage-only accident, or 6 points if the accident involved injury or death. The 6-point violation puts you dangerously close to Arizona's 8-point suspension threshold within a 12-month period. These points stay on your Arizona MVD record for 12 months from the conviction date, but most carriers apply surcharges for three to five years based on their own underwriting lookback windows. The insurance consequence is immediate. A hit-and-run is treated as a serious violation by every carrier, ranked alongside DUI and reckless driving in most underwriting guides. Even the 2-point minor hit-and-run typically triggers a 30-40% premium increase at renewal. The 6-point version often results in non-renewal or a move to a non-standard carrier, because it signals both high-risk behavior and legal unreliability. If you already have points on your record from speeding tickets or other moving violations, a hit-and-run conviction can push you over the 8-point threshold. Arizona suspends your license for 12 months once you reach 8 points in a 12-month window, and reinstatement requires proof of SR-22 insurance filing for three years. The hit-and-run itself does not automatically trigger SR-22, but the suspension does.

Preferred carriers like State Farm, GEICO, and Progressive typically non-renew policies at the end of the current term once a hit-and-run conviction appears on your MVD record. This is not a rate increase situation. It is a coverage termination. The carrier completes the current policy period, then declines to offer renewal. You move to standard or non-standard carriers. In Arizona, standard carriers include Dairyland, National General, and The General. Non-standard carriers like Direct Auto and Acceptance Insurance specialize in high-risk profiles and will quote hit-and-run drivers, but premiums run 60-120% higher than preferred-market rates. A driver paying $140/month with a clean record at GEICO might see quotes of $280-350/month from a non-standard carrier after a hit-and-run conviction. Shopping multiple carriers is critical. Non-standard carriers use different underwriting models, and one carrier's $320/month quote might be another's $240/month quote for the identical coverage and driver profile. Independent agents who work with multiple non-standard carriers can surface these differences in a single session.

Arizona suspends your license for 12 months if you accumulate 8 points within a 12-month period. A single 6-point hit-and-run conviction does not trigger suspension on its own, but if you have 2 or more points already on your record from speeding tickets or other violations, the hit-and-run pushes you over the threshold. Once suspended, reinstatement requires completion of the suspension period, payment of a $50 reinstatement fee, and proof of SR-22 insurance filing. The SR-22 requirement lasts three years from the reinstatement date. Arizona does not offer restricted licenses or hardship permits during a points-based suspension, so you cannot legally drive for the full 12-month period unless the suspension is stayed pending appeal. SR-22 is not insurance. It is a form your carrier files with the Arizona MVD certifying that you carry at least the state minimum liability coverage. Not all carriers file SR-22. Preferred carriers almost never do. You will need a standard or non-standard carrier, and the SR-22 filing fee ranges from $15-50 depending on the carrier. Miss a premium payment and the carrier files an SR-26 cancellation notice with the MVD, which immediately re-suspends your license.

Arizona allows drivers to attend a defensive driving course once every 24 months to dismiss one eligible traffic violation and prevent points from appearing on the MVD record. Hit-and-run convictions are not eligible. The defensive driving option applies only to minor moving violations like speeding tickets, failure to yield, and similar infractions where no accident or injury occurred. Once the hit-and-run conviction is on your record, the 2 or 6 points remain for 12 months. There is no point-reduction program, no early removal process, and no appeal that removes the points without overturning the conviction itself. The 12-month clock starts on the conviction date, not the violation date or the court appearance date. Your rate recovery timeline depends on your carrier's surcharge schedule, not the MVD point expiration. Most carriers apply hit-and-run surcharges for three to five years, even though the points disappear from the MVD record after 12 months. At the three-year mark, request a rate review or shop competing carriers, because many underwriting systems downgrade the violation severity after three years.

Arizona law requires any driver involved in an accident resulting in injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000 to file a Traffic Accident Report with the Arizona MVD within 10 days of the accident. Leaving the scene does not waive this requirement. Failing to file the report triggers an automatic license suspension separate from any criminal penalties for the hit-and-run itself. The suspension for failure to file lasts until you submit the report and proof of financial responsibility, which can mean SR-22 filing even if you have not reached the 8-point threshold. This creates a dual-suspension risk: one for the criminal hit-and-run conviction if it pushes you over 8 points, and one for the civil failure-to-file violation. Both suspensions require separate reinstatement processes. If you left the scene and later realize the accident met the $1,000 threshold, file the report immediately. The MVD does not waive the filing requirement based on delayed awareness, but filing late is better than not filing at all. Once the report is on file, the civil suspension risk is resolved, and you deal only with the criminal conviction points and insurance consequences.

Arizona criminal statutes distinguish between leaving the scene of a property-damage accident (2 points) and leaving the scene of an injury accident without rendering aid (8 points). The 8-point version is a class 3 felony and triggers immediate license suspension regardless of prior point totals. This is not a typical points-accumulation scenario. The conviction itself suspends your license, and reinstatement requires SR-22 filing for three years. The insurance market response is severe. Felony hit-and-run convictions result in immediate policy cancellation, not just non-renewal. You move directly to high-risk non-standard carriers, and premiums can triple. A driver paying $150/month pre-conviction might see quotes starting at $450/month post-conviction, with some carriers declining to quote at all. If the felony charge is reduced to a misdemeanor hit-and-run as part of a plea agreement, the point assignment drops to 6 points and the insurance consequence softens slightly, but you still face non-standard market placement and multi-year surcharges. The legal outcome directly determines the insurance outcome, so any plea negotiation should account for the MVD point assignment and the carrier underwriting response.