Car Insurance After Your First Hit and Run in Arizona

A hit and run conviction in Arizona adds 6 points to your driving record under Arizona Revised Statutes §28-3479. That's double the points of a standard at-fault accident and triggers rate increases between 30% and 60% depending on your carrier and prior driving history. Most preferred carriers either decline to renew or non-renew your policy at the next renewal period, routing you to their standard or non-standard subsidiaries. The average Arizona driver with a clean record pays approximately $1,400 per year for full coverage. After a 6-point hit and run violation, that same driver can expect quotes ranging from $2,100 to $2,800 annually in the standard market, or $2,400 to $3,600 in the non-standard market. Monthly premiums typically fall between $175 and $300, compared to the pre-violation range of $115 to $145. The surcharge appears at your next renewal after the conviction posts to your Motor Vehicle Division record, usually within 30 to 60 days of sentencing. The increase lasts three years on most carriers' rating schedules, though the 6 points remain visible on your MVD record for three years from the conviction date. Some carriers extend their lookback window to five years for multi-point violations, meaning the conviction continues to affect your rate even after the points fall off the state record.

Arizona assigns 6 points to any hit and run conviction under ARS §28-662, whether you caused the underlying collision or simply failed to stop and exchange information after a parking lot scrape. The point assignment is identical regardless of fault, which creates a carrier eligibility problem most drivers don't anticipate until they receive a non-renewal notice. Preferred carriers like State Farm, GEICO, and Allstate typically decline to renew policies once a driver accumulates 4 or more points in a three-year window. A single 6-point violation exceeds that threshold immediately. Your current carrier will usually transfer you to their standard-risk subsidiary or refer you to a non-standard carrier like Bristol West, Dairyland, or The General at your next renewal. Non-standard carriers specialize in violations and points but charge higher base rates and offer fewer discount options. The difference between a standard-tier quote and a non-standard quote for the same coverage can exceed $1,500 annually. Shopping among non-standard carriers matters more after a hit and run than it does for clean-record drivers, because rate variation in this market is wider and carrier appetite for specific violation types changes frequently.

Arizona suspends your driver's license if you accumulate 8 points in a 12-month rolling window under Arizona Administrative Code R17-4-502. A single 6-point hit and run conviction puts you 2 points away from that threshold. If you receive any additional 2-point violation within 12 months of the hit and run conviction date, your license suspends automatically for 90 days. Common violations that carry 2 points in Arizona include speeding 1-9 mph over the limit, failure to obey a traffic control device, and following too closely. A 3-point violation like reckless driving or speeding 20+ mph over the limit combined with your existing 6-point hit and run triggers a 90-day suspension plus a mandatory Traffic Survival School requirement before reinstatement. During a points-triggered suspension, Arizona does not offer a restricted license for work or school. You cannot legally drive at all during the 90-day suspension period. When reinstating, you must pay a $50 reinstatement fee, provide proof of SR-22 insurance filing if required by the suspension order, and complete Traffic Survival School if ordered. The suspension appears on your MVD record and extends your carrier's surcharge period by the length of the suspension, often adding 12 to 18 months to your elevated premium timeline.

Non-standard carriers dominate the post-hit-and-run market in Arizona. Based on recent filings with the Arizona Department of Insurance, here's what drivers with a single 6-point violation can expect for state-minimum liability coverage and full coverage with collision and comprehensive. State-minimum liability (25/50/15): Standard carriers like Progressive and Farmers quote $110 to $160 per month. Non-standard carriers like Bristol West, Dairyland, and Acceptance quote $95 to $145 per month. The non-standard market often offers lower liability-only rates because they assume higher risk across their entire book and price accordingly. Full coverage with collision and $500 deductibles: Standard carriers quote $175 to $240 per month. Non-standard carriers quote $200 to $300 per month. The gap widens with full coverage because non-standard carriers price collision and comprehensive coverage more aggressively to offset claims frequency in their risk pool. Younger drivers under 25 with a hit and run conviction face an additional 15-25% surcharge on top of the violation penalty. A 22-year-old driver with a 6-point hit and run can expect full coverage quotes between $280 and $400 per month in Arizona's non-standard market. Drivers over 50 with no prior violations see smaller increases, typically 30-40% above their pre-violation rate rather than the 50-60% increase younger drivers experience.

The 6 points from a hit and run conviction remain on your Arizona MVD record for three years from the conviction date under ARS §28-3315. Your insurance carrier's surcharge typically lasts three years as well, measured from the date the conviction posts to your policy, which is usually your first renewal after sentencing. Some carriers extend their lookback window to five years for violations that exceed 4 points. Liberty Mutual and Nationwide both use a five-year lookback for major violations in Arizona, meaning your hit and run conviction continues to affect your rate for two additional years after the points fall off your MVD record. This is not disclosed at the time of quoting and only becomes apparent when you shop for coverage three or four years after the conviction and receive quotes that still reflect a surcharged rate. The surcharge percentage decreases over time at most carriers. In year one, expect a 50-60% increase. In year two, that typically drops to 35-45%. By year three, the increase falls to 20-30% if no additional violations occur. After three years, the conviction ages off most carriers' active rating schedules, and your rate drops to match your current driving record assuming no new violations.

Arizona does not automatically require SR-22 insurance filing after a hit and run conviction unless your license is suspended or you are convicted of driving without insurance in connection with the same incident. SR-22 is a certificate your insurance carrier files with the Arizona MVD proving you carry at least state-minimum liability coverage. If your hit and run conviction triggers an 8-point license suspension, Arizona may require SR-22 filing as a condition of reinstatement. The filing period is typically three years from the date your license is reinstated, not from the date of the original conviction. SR-22 filing itself does not increase your premium, but carriers that specialize in SR-22 policies are almost always non-standard carriers with higher base rates. If you were cited for both hit and run and no insurance at the time of the incident, Arizona will require SR-22 filing for three years regardless of whether your license suspends. The combination of violations creates a mandatory filing requirement under ARS §28-4135. Your carrier files the SR-22 electronically with the MVD, and any lapse in coverage during the three-year filing period triggers an automatic license suspension and restarts the filing clock.

Request a copy of your MVD driving record within 10 days of sentencing to confirm the conviction posted correctly and verify your current point total. Errors in conviction coding or point assignment happen frequently, and you have 30 days to request an administrative review if the posted violation does not match your court disposition. Contact your current carrier before your next renewal notice arrives. Ask whether they will renew your policy in their standard or non-standard division, or whether they plan to non-renew. If they non-renew, you have 30 days from the non-renewal notice date to secure new coverage before your policy lapses. Most carriers mail non-renewal notices 30 to 45 days before the renewal date, giving you a narrow window to shop. Get quotes from at least three non-standard carriers before your renewal date. Bristol West, Dairyland, The General, and Acceptance all write policies for drivers with 6-point violations in Arizona. Rate variation among these carriers exceeds 40% for identical coverage, and each carrier weights violation severity differently. A quote from one non-standard carrier does not predict what another will charge.