Kemper Specialty with Points: Appetite and Rate Behavior

Kemper Specialty accepts drivers with 1-3 minor to moderate violations on their record within a 3-year lookback period. That includes single speeding tickets up to 25 mph over the limit, at-fault accidents without injury claims, and single-incident reckless driving citations in states where reckless driving does not trigger automatic license suspension. The carrier declines drivers with multiple DUI convictions, any DUI within the past 5 years, license suspensions longer than 90 days, or more than two at-fault accidents in a 3-year window. Kemper Specialty also declines SR-22 filers in most states — the carrier writes SR-22 policies in fewer than 15 states and requires clean records for the 12 months preceding the SR-22 filing date even in those states. This creates a specific gap in the market: drivers who have accumulated 4-6 points from two speeding tickets or one speeding ticket plus one at-fault accident often fall into Kemper Specialty's appetite, while drivers with 7+ points or any major conviction do not. Most true non-standard carriers accept higher point totals but charge significantly higher premiums — Kemper Specialty offers lower rates than non-standard markets but only to drivers whose violations fall within this narrow band.

Kemper Specialty applies a tiered surcharge structure that sits between preferred carriers and non-standard markets. A single speeding ticket of 1-15 mph over the limit triggers a 20-25% surcharge at Kemper Specialty, compared to 15-20% at preferred carriers like State Farm or Allstate and 40-60% at non-standard carriers like The General or Safe Auto. For two violations within 3 years, Kemper Specialty applies a 45-55% surcharge. Preferred carriers typically decline to quote at this point or apply surcharges exceeding 60%, while non-standard carriers apply surcharges of 80-120% but still issue quotes. Kemper Specialty's surcharge schedule resets at the 3-year anniversary of each violation — the carrier does not use a rolling lookback that extends beyond 36 months from the violation date. At-fault accidents trigger higher surcharges than moving violations at Kemper Specialty. A single at-fault accident with a claim payout below $5,000 adds 30-40% to the base rate. A second at-fault accident within 3 years moves the driver out of Kemper Specialty's appetite entirely, forcing them into non-standard markets where premiums can double or triple compared to a clean-record baseline.

Kemper Specialty declines quotes when violations combine with other underwriting red flags — even if the violations themselves fall within appetite. The carrier requires continuous prior coverage for the 6 months preceding the quote date. A lapse of 31 days or more during that window triggers an automatic decline, regardless of violation history. Drivers who carry state minimum liability limits with a pointed record also face declination at Kemper Specialty in most states. The carrier requires collision and comprehensive coverage on financed vehicles and sets minimum liability limits at 50/100/50 in states where the legal minimum is lower. A driver with 2 speeding tickets who requests a quote for 25/50/25 liability-only coverage in a state with that minimum will be declined. Kemper Specialty also declines quotes when the driver's credit-based insurance score falls below the carrier's threshold — typically a score in the lowest 20th percentile for the state. This combination of violations plus poor credit creates a compounding risk profile that moves the driver into non-standard markets even when violations alone would be acceptable. Competing carriers in the non-standard market rarely apply credit-based underwriting, making them the realistic option when credit and violations combine.

Kemper Specialty applies violation surcharges for exactly 3 years from the violation date, not the conviction date or the date coverage begins. A speeding ticket issued on March 15, 2022 triggers a surcharge through March 14, 2025, regardless of when the driver purchased the policy or whether the ticket was paid immediately or contested. The carrier does not offer mid-term surcharge removal for violations that fall off the 3-year lookback window during the policy term. If a violation expires 4 months into a 6-month policy, the surcharge remains in effect through the end of that term and drops at the next renewal. This differs from non-standard carriers like Bristol West or National General, which often apply rolling lookback windows and remove surcharges mid-term when violations age out. Drivers who complete a defensive driving course after a violation do not receive an automatic surcharge reduction at Kemper Specialty. The carrier does not participate in point-reduction programs in most states — completing a state-approved defensive driving course removes points from the DMV record and may prevent license suspension, but Kemper Specialty's underwriting system does not re-rate the policy based on DMV point removal. The violation itself remains on the carrier's internal claims and violation database for the full 3-year period.

Kemper Specialty limits coverage options for drivers with violations in ways that preferred carriers do not. The carrier caps bodily injury liability at 100/300 for drivers with 2 or more violations within 3 years, even when the driver requests higher limits. A driver with a clean record can purchase 250/500 or 500/500 liability limits through Kemper Specialty, but the same driver with 2 speeding tickets cannot. Uninsured motorist coverage becomes mandatory rather than optional for pointed-record drivers at Kemper Specialty in states where it is legally optional. The carrier requires uninsured motorist limits to match liability limits for drivers with any at-fault accident in the past 3 years. This adds $15-$30 per month to the premium in most states compared to declining uninsured motorist coverage. Kemper Specialty also restricts usage-based insurance discounts for drivers with violations. The carrier's telematics program — which monitors braking, acceleration, and mileage — offers discounts up to 30% for clean-record drivers but caps the discount at 10% for drivers with any moving violation in the past 12 months. A driver with 2 violations receives no telematics discount eligibility at all, eliminating one of the few rate-reduction tools available to pointed-record drivers at other carriers.

Kemper Specialty competes directly with Bristol West and National General for drivers with 2-3 violations, but the three carriers apply different surcharge structures and underwriting rules. Bristol West accepts drivers with up to 5 violations in a 3-year window and applies a flat 60% surcharge for any driver with 2 or more violations, regardless of violation type. Kemper Specialty applies a lower surcharge for 2 violations — 45-55% — but declines drivers with 4 or more violations entirely. National General applies per-violation surcharges that compound rather than tier. A driver with 2 speeding tickets pays a 25% surcharge for the first ticket plus a 30% surcharge for the second ticket, resulting in a total premium increase of approximately 62.5% after compounding. Kemper Specialty's tiered surcharge of 45-55% for the same violation profile produces a lower total premium in most states. Bristol West and National General both write SR-22 policies in all 50 states with no lookback requirement on the violations that triggered the SR-22. Kemper Specialty writes SR-22 in fewer than 15 states and requires a 12-month clean period before the SR-22 filing date. For drivers who need SR-22 coverage, Kemper Specialty is not a realistic option — Bristol West and National General dominate that segment of the non-standard market.

Request quotes from Kemper Specialty, Bristol West, and National General simultaneously — all three carriers occupy the same tier-2 standard and non-standard market segments, and rate spreads between them can exceed 40% for identical coverage. Kemper Specialty often produces the lowest quote for drivers with exactly 2 violations and clean credit, but Bristol West or National General frequently beat Kemper Specialty when credit scores are below 600 or when violations include an at-fault accident. Provide exact violation dates and disposition details when quoting. Kemper Specialty applies different surcharges for speeding tickets based on mph-over-limit bands — 1-15 mph over, 16-25 mph over, and 26+ mph over trigger separate surcharge tiers. A driver who reports "speeding ticket" without the specific mph-over detail may receive an inaccurate quote that changes after the carrier pulls the motor vehicle report. Avoid quoting Kemper Specialty if your violation profile includes any DUI, any license suspension longer than 30 days, or any SR-22 requirement. The carrier declines these profiles automatically in most states, and the quote process wastes time that could be spent shopping true non-standard carriers. Focus on Bristol West, National General, The General, or Safe Auto if your record includes major violations or filing requirements.