Accident forgiveness is a popular add-on in car insurance policies because it stops your rates from increasing after your first collision.

Most major insurance companies offer accident forgiveness car insurance, but not every driver qualifies for it. Every company has its own rules, but most require drivers to be accident-free for at least three years before they can purchase accident forgiveness.

With car insurance being so expensive, understanding how accident forgiveness works. Although average accident forgiveness coverage costs an average of $9 per month, enter your ZIP code to see personalized quotes.

What You Need to Know

• Accident forgiveness stops your rates from increasing if you get into a collision
• Most accident forgiveness add-ons cost about $9 per month
• Most major insurance companies offer some form of accident forgiveness

Understanding Accident Forgiveness Insurance Coverage

Accident forgiveness is an add-on offered by many car insurance companies that keeps your rates where they are after your first accident. Essentially, if you get into a collision and have accident forgiveness in your policy, your insurance rates won't go up as a result. While not many drivers choose to use it, accident forgiveness also protects against insurance rates going up for a car accident that wasn't your fault.

This add-on is particularly appealing to drivers who want peace of mind, knowing that their premiums will remain stable even if they make a claim for their first accident. While accident forgiveness can be an affordable option, not everyone qualifies for coverage.

Most companies require that you be accident-free between three and five years before they offer this coverage. As a bonus for your safe driving, you may also qualify for a good driver discount by avoiding accidents.

Different insurance companies have various rules governing this feature, so it’s important to review the specific requirements and offerings. Overall, accident forgiveness can be a valuable way to protect yourself from messing up your rates over one mistake.

Accident Forgiveness Car Insurance Costs

First accident forgiveness insurance is usually cheap, with rates starting at just $9 per month. However, every company will have its own prices. Most make getting a personalized quote easy – simply fill out the request form on any provider’s website.

It may be cheap, but is accident forgiveness worth it? After all, you’re essentially giving your insurance company money for no reason if you never have to use it.

To get an idea of whether accident forgiveness is a good option for your policy, check the rates below. These are the average monthly full coverage car insurance rates of a person with a clean record and a driver with one at-fault accident on their record.

Insurance Company	Clean Driving Record	One Accident
	$150	$210
	$125	$175
	$140	$200
	$110	$160
	$155	$225
	$130	$190
	$120	$180
	$115	$165
	$135	$195
	$100	$145

As you can see, car insurance rates after an accident are dramatically higher than they are when you have a a clean driving record. If you want to avoid this price spike, accident forgiveness treats the incident as though it never happened and your rates won’t increase.

Best Accident Forgiveness Insurance Companies

Today, finding the best accident forgiveness companies is easy because most major providers offer this add-on. Explore our picks for the best accident forgiveness below.

Allstate Accident Forgiveness

Allstate’s accident forgiveness is offered as an optional coverage to add to standard car insurance policies. Allstate offers the following two levels of accident forgiveness:

• Gold Plan: The gold plan forgive your first accident while covered by an Allstate policy.
• Platinum Plan: The platinum plan forgives a limited number of accidents until you no longer qualify for coverage.

Allstate also offers a program called Safe Driving Bonus where every six months you go without an accident, Allstate mails you a check. Read our Allstate insurance review to learn about accident forgiveness from Allstate and see other valuable coverage option.

American Family Accident Forgiveness

Our American Family insurance review shows that AmFam offers two accident forgiveness programs. The first is a traditional plan, which you can buy as both a new customer or existing policyholder. American Family requires that you have no accidents in your driving record for at least five years before you qualify.

The second is American Family's Earned Accident Forgiveness. If you go five years without making a claim on your American Family policy, you'll get a free one-time accident forgiveness added to your account.

Farmers Accident Forgiveness

According to our Farmers insurance review, Farmers offers accident forgiveness as an optional coverage to its policyholders who've had a good driving record while insured with them.

Unlike many other companies, Farmers doesn't make you restart your accident-free time to re-qualify for coverage after you use it. Instead, Farmers allows drivers to use accident forgiveness once every three years.

Geico Accident Forgiveness

Geico has accident forgiveness available for its policyholders to add to their policy, or it can be earned after years of good driving.

Accident forgiveness from Geico has a unique feature that can be hard to find elsewhere. As long as you've purchased the add-on and the main policyholder qualifies, accident forgiveness applies to any driver on your car insurance policy and forgives their first at-fault accident.

Liberty Mutual Accident Forgiveness

Liberty Mutual offers accident forgiveness to those who’ve been accident and violation free for five years, either with Liberty Mutual or another insurance company. You can purchase Liberty Mutual accident forgiveness in addition to your existing car insurance policy, and your premium won’t be raised after your first at-fault accident.

Read out Liberty Mutual insurance review to learn more about accident forgiveness and other exciting insurance programs.

Nationwide Accident Forgiveness

Nationwide accident forgiveness is an optional add-on to your Nationwide car insurance policy. If you get Nationwide car insurance with accident forgiveness, it extends to anyone on your policy. However, it it can only be used once per policy.

Nationwide also offers a separate discount to those who have been accident free for five years. Read our Nationwide insurance review to explore additional discount opportunities.

Progressive Accident Forgiveness

Accident forgiveness from Progressive works a little differently compared to other companies. Rather than being an add-on you can purchase at any time, Progressive offers accident forgiveness to its policyholders through its loyalty program.

It's National Loyalty Day! Loyal customers get benefits like accident forgiveness and continuous insurance discounts. http://t.co/0bvUqffw

— Progressive (@progressive) May 1, 2012

Your accident forgiveness program improves the longer you go accident free while insured with Progressive. Progressive small accident forgiveness is in place as soon as you get Progressive, in most states. Small accident forgiveness means your rates won’t go up if you have a small claim of $500 or less.

Progressive large accident forgiveness is a benefit policyholders in most states receive if they’ve been with progressive five years, and have been claims-free at least three of those years. Your premium won’t increase after your first accident, no matter how large the claim. Read our Progressive insurance review to learn more about Progressive's loyalty discounts.

State Farm Accident Forgiveness

Our State Farm insurance review shows that State Farm offers accident forgiveness to policyholders who have been accident-free with State Farm, not including another insurance company, for nine consecutive years.

Unfortunately, accident forgiveness from State Farm can be hard to come by. State Farm stopped selling accident forgiveness on new policies in most states.

Travelers Accident Forgiveness

Travelers includes accident forgiveness as part of its Responsible Drivers insurance policies, which are available for purchase to drivers with good driving records. With either Travelers Responsible Driver Plan or Premier Responsible Driver Plan, policyholders get one accident and one minor violation forgiven every three years, meaning drivers with clean records won’t see a premium raise.

USAA Accident Forgiveness

There are two ways to get accident forgiveness from USAA. The first and easiest method is to simply purchase it as an add-on for your policy.

Alternatively, USAA will add it to your policy for free if you spend five years claims-free on a USAA policy. While USAA offers some of the cheapest rates, it's not for everyone. Only military members, vets, and their immediate families qualify for USAA membership.

Learn more about eligibility requirements in our USAA insurance review.

Find the Best Accident Forgiveness Today

Auto insurance with accident forgiveness is not available in every state, and some states have different variations of typical accident forgiveness If it’s available, accident forgiveness is an added cost drivers should think about, especially if you have a long-standing good driving history.

Shopping for insurance? Check out who other consumers rank as the best car insurance companies. Then, compare personalized accident forgiveness quotes by entering your ZIP code into our free comparison tool below.

The content on this site is offered only as a public service to the web community and does not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. This site should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an insurance company or an attorney licensed or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. You should always consult a suitably qualified attorney regarding any specific legal problem or matter. The comments and opinions expressed on this site are of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of the insurance company or any individual attorney.

FAQs

What does accident forgiveness mean?

Accident forgiveness prevents your insurance premium from increasing after your first at-fault accident. First accident forgiveness car insurance can save you hundreds of dollars by preventing your rates from rising.

How do you get accident forgiveness?

It’s typically offered as a policy feature or an add-on you can purchase from your insurer. Some providers offer accident forgiveness for free to long-term loyal customers.

Is accident forgiveness worth it?

Yes, it can be worthwhile if you want to avoid premium hikes after an accident, especially if you have a clean record. While you have to pay a little each month, you’ll probably save more if you get into an accident. It also depends on if you chose the chose the best insurance company for your needs.

Can you purchase accident forgiveness after an accident?

No, accident forgiveness usually must be added to a policy before any accident occurs. You should learn how to how to buy car insurance to avoid any lapses in coverage like this.

Does Progressive have accident forgiveness?

Yes, Progressive offers accident forgiveness, but availability may vary by state and driving record.

What is upgraded accident forgiveness?

Upgraded accident forgiveness covers multiple accidents without rate increases, often available through loyalty programs or specific policies.

How do you know if you have accident forgiveness?

Check your policy details or contact your insurer to confirm if accident forgiveness is included. If you don’t have car insurance with accident forgiveness, now is an excellent time to enter your ZIP code and compare rates.

What are the requirements for accident forgiveness?

Requirements vary by insurer but often include a clean driving record and a certain number of years with the company to qualify for accident forgiveness auto insurance.

Some insurance companies have additional requirements. For example, you'll need to find out if you're eligible for USAA insurance before you can purchase a policy.

Who has the best accident forgiveness?

Companies like Allstate, Geico, and Liberty Mutual are often noted for strong accident forgiveness programs. While looking at car insurance companies most likely to be recommended by customers is a good place to start, make sure you compare rates.

How much does accident forgiveness cost?

Costs vary, but it’s often a small additional fee or included for free after a certain loyalty period with the insurer. In the U.S., average costs for accident forgiveness start at $9 per month.