Ohio drivers with traffic violations can still get coverage through The General, which specializes in non-standard risk. Your rate depends on your point total, violation type, and how recently the incident occurred.
What The General Offers Ohio Drivers With Points
The General writes non-standard auto insurance for drivers who have accumulated points on their Ohio driving record. You can apply with up to 11 points without an automatic decline, which covers most violation scenarios short of the 12-point suspension threshold. The company does not require SR-22 filing unless your license has been suspended and the Ohio BMV has ordered you to file—points alone do not trigger SR-22 in Ohio.
Your monthly premium depends on your current point total and how recently the violations occurred. A single speeding ticket (2 points in Ohio) typically increases your base rate by 20-30%. Two speeding tickets (4 total points) move you into standard-tier pricing, which can mean a 40-50% increase over preferred rates. Once you reach 6 points, you enter high-risk underwriting, where premiums can double compared to a clean record.
The General offers state minimum liability coverage ($25,000/$50,000/$25,000 in Ohio) and optional collision and comprehensive coverage. If you financed your vehicle, your lender will require full coverage regardless of your point total. Most drivers with 4-6 points find that full coverage through The General costs $180-$280 per month, while state minimums run $90-$140 per month.
Ohio Point System and Insurance Impact Timeline
Ohio assigns 2 points for most speeding violations, 4 points for reckless operation or street racing, and 6 points for drag racing or willful eluding. You face license suspension at 12 points within a 2-year period. Points remain on your Ohio BMV record for 2 years from the conviction date, but insurance carriers look back 3-5 years when calculating your premium.
This creates a gap that matters: your points may fall off your BMV record after 2 years, but The General and other carriers will still surcharge you for those violations for another 1-3 years. A speeding ticket from January 2023 stops counting toward suspension in January 2025, but your insurance rate won't return to baseline until 2026-2028, depending on the carrier's lookback period.
Completing a remedial driving course can remove 2 points from your Ohio BMV record if you take the course within 90 days of your conviction and you haven't taken a course in the past 3 years. The point removal is immediate at the BMV, but it does not automatically trigger a rate reduction—you need to request a re-rate from The General at your next renewal and provide proof of course completion.
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Eligibility Rules and Automatic Declines
The General accepts drivers with active points, but certain violation types trigger automatic declines regardless of point total. DUI convictions within the past 5 years, three or more at-fault accidents within 3 years, or any felony involving a vehicle will result in a declined quote. If your license is currently suspended, you cannot bind a policy until reinstatement is complete and you can provide a valid Ohio driver's license number.
If you have 10-11 points, you can still apply, but The General will require proof that you have completed any court-ordered remedial driving courses before binding coverage. Drivers at 12 points or above cannot obtain coverage until they regain their driving privileges and their point total drops below the suspension threshold.
You do not need SR-22 filing for points alone in Ohio. SR-22 is required only after a suspension for specific violations—OVI/DUI, refusal to submit to chemical testing, driving under financial responsibility suspension, or certain drug-related offenses. If your suspension was purely point-based and did not involve one of these triggers, you reinstate without SR-22 and pay a $40 reinstatement fee plus any court costs.
How The General Compares to Other Non-Standard Carriers in Ohio
The General competes with Progressive, Acceptance Insurance, and National General for drivers with points in Ohio. Progressive writes more non-standard policies statewide and typically offers lower rates for drivers with 2-4 points, but their rates increase more sharply than The General's once you cross 6 points. Acceptance Insurance specializes in high-point drivers and may quote lower premiums if you have 8-10 points, but their minimum coverage options are more limited.
The General's advantage is availability—they write in all 88 Ohio counties and offer both online quoting and local agent access. Progressive requires online applications for non-standard quotes, which some drivers find frustrating after a violation when they want to speak to a person. Acceptance operates primarily through independent agents, so quote turnaround can take 24-48 hours.
If you have only 2-4 points and your violation is more than 18 months old, shop standard carriers like State Farm, Nationwide, and Grange before committing to The General. These carriers surcharge for violations, but their base rates are 15-25% lower than non-standard markets, and the total premium may still be less expensive even with the surcharge applied.
Rate Recovery Timeline After Points
Your premium with The General will decrease as your violations age, even if the points haven't fallen off your BMV record yet. Most carriers reduce surcharges by 50% once a violation reaches the 3-year mark, then eliminate the surcharge entirely at 5 years. The General follows a similar schedule, but their tier changes are more abrupt than their surcharge reductions—you remain in high-risk underwriting until your violation is 36 months old, then drop to standard tier regardless of whether the points are still on your record.
This means a speeding ticket from March 2022 will stop affecting your tier assignment in March 2025, even though it remains on your BMV record until March 2024 and on The General's underwriting file until March 2027. You should request a re-rate in March 2025 when the tier change takes effect, because The General does not automatically adjust your premium mid-term—the reduction happens at renewal only.
If you complete a remedial driving course and remove 2 points from your BMV record, provide the completion certificate to The General immediately and request a premium recalculation. Some drivers see a 10-15% reduction after point removal, but the savings depend on whether the point removal moves you into a lower underwriting tier. If you started with 7 points and drop to 5, you may move from high-risk to standard tier, which produces a larger rate decrease than simply removing 2 points within the same tier.
What To Do Right Now If You Have Points
Request your Ohio driving record abstract from the BMV to confirm your current point total and the conviction dates for each violation. The abstract costs $5 and is available online through the BMV's website. You need this record to quote accurately with The General, because agents cannot see your full violation history until you apply.
Get quotes from at least three non-standard carriers—The General, Progressive, and Acceptance—within the same 48-hour window to compare rates at your current point level. Quotes vary by 30-50% for the same coverage limits, and the cheapest carrier for a 4-point driver is not always the cheapest for an 8-point driver. If you have only 2-4 points, also quote State Farm and Nationwide to see whether their surcharged rates are still lower than non-standard base rates.
If you are within 90 days of a recent conviction and have not taken a remedial driving course in the past 3 years, enroll immediately. The 2-point removal from your BMV record can prevent you from crossing into a higher underwriting tier if you receive another violation before the first one expires. If you are already at 10-11 points, the course may keep you below the 12-point suspension threshold long enough for your oldest violation to age off.
