SR-22 vs FR-44 in Florida: DUI vs Non-DUI Filing Costs

Florida assigns FR-44 for any alcohol-related offense — DUI, DWI, or refusal to submit to testing. SR-22 covers everything else: suspended license for points, at-fault uninsured accidents, repeated violations, or court-ordered filing. The filing itself costs the same ($25–$50 depending on carrier), but FR-44 locks you into higher liability minimums, which changes what you pay monthly. FR-44 requires 100/300/50 liability limits — double Florida's standard 10/20/10 minimum. SR-22 holds you to the state minimum only. That coverage gap is where the real cost difference lives. A carrier pricing FR-44 is pricing twice the bodily injury coverage, which raises your premium 40–80% compared to an SR-22 filer with identical driving history. Most national aggregators show you SR-22 estimates even when Florida DMV assigned FR-44. You see a quote, apply, then find out mid-process that your actual requirement is FR-44 at a higher monthly cost. The filing name matters because it controls the coverage floor the carrier must write.

FR-44 premiums average $180–$320/mo for a first DUI with clean prior history, factoring in the 100/300/50 minimum. Add prior violations, an at-fault accident in the past three years, or a lapse, and the range moves to $280–$450/mo. The filing stays active for three years from your license reinstatement date — not your conviction date. That monthly cost breaks into three parts: base liability premium for 100/300/50 limits, the DUI surcharge (70–130% rate increase depending on carrier), and the filing fee amortized across 12 months. Progressive and Acceptance write FR-44 in Florida actively. State Farm and GEICO route FR-44 business to non-standard subsidiaries you cannot quote directly online, which adds a week to the quoting process. If you let FR-44 lapse even one day during the three-year period, Florida DMV suspends your license again and resets your filing clock to zero. The reinstatement fee is $150 for a first offense, $250 for a second within five years. Estimates based on available industry data; individual rates vary by driving history, vehicle, coverage selections, and location.

SR-22 for non-alcohol violations costs $95–$175/mo with Florida's 10/20/10 state minimum liability. The violation type still drives your base rate — suspended license for points raises premiums 30–60%, at-fault uninsured accident 50–90%, habitual offender designation 80–140%. The filing itself adds $25–$50 once, not monthly. SR-22 duration depends on what triggered it. License suspension for points requires three years. Financial responsibility cases (uninsured at-fault accident) require three years. Court-ordered SR-22 follows the term stated in your order, which varies. Florida DMV sends you a notice specifying your filing start date and end date. That end date is the earliest you can ask your carrier to cancel the SR-22. Carriers writing SR-22 at state minimums include Progressive, Acceptance, Bristol West, and Direct Auto. National carriers writing standard auto typically do not write SR-22 themselves — they refer you to a partnered non-standard carrier, which means a new quote at a different rate tier. If you already carry coverage and add an SR-22 requirement mid-term, your current carrier may non-renew you at your next term boundary rather than file SR-22 on your existing policy.

FR-44 eliminates most budget non-standard carriers from your options. Writing 100/300/50 minimums to a DUI-assigned driver is higher actuarial risk than SR-22 at 10/20/10, so carriers either won't write FR-44 at all or price it in the highest tier. Progressive writes FR-44 in Florida, but quotes it through their non-standard division. Acceptance writes it but requires full payment upfront for the first six months on a first DUI. SR-22 opens more carrier options because the liability floor is lower. Direct Auto, Bristol West, Freeway, and Acceptance all write SR-22 actively in Florida with monthly payment plans. If your violation is non-alcohol and you have no other major incidents in the past three years, you may still qualify for standard carriers that file SR-22 — Nationwide and Travelers both file SR-22 in Florida for suspended license cases without DUI. The filing requirement alone does not disqualify you from standard coverage. The violation that triggered the filing does. A speeding ticket that suspended your license for points might still qualify you for a standard carrier willing to file SR-22. A DUI triggers FR-44 and moves you into non-standard automatically, regardless of your prior history.

Florida FR-44 and SR-22 requirements do not follow you out of state, but your license reinstatement does. If you move to Georgia mid-filing, Florida DMV still expects continuous FR-44 or SR-22 through your full three-year term. You must maintain a Florida-compliant policy even if you now live elsewhere, or Florida suspends your Florida license, which most states report to your new state DMV within 30 days. Georgia does not use FR-44 — it uses SR-22 only. If your Florida violation would have triggered SR-22 in Georgia, your new Georgia carrier can file SR-22 with Georgia DMV, but that does not satisfy Florida's FR-44 requirement. You need two filings: one with Florida at FR-44 limits, one with Georgia at Georgia minimums. Most drivers in this situation maintain a non-owner FR-44 policy in Florida while carrying a standard Georgia policy with SR-22 attached. Non-owner FR-44 in Florida costs $75–$140/mo depending on your violation and filing period remaining. It carries no physical vehicle, satisfies Florida DMV, and lets you drive any vehicle you do not own under the policy's liability limits. Once your Florida filing period ends, you cancel the non-owner policy and keep only your Georgia coverage.

Your premium drops every renewal term if you avoid new violations. Carriers re-rate your policy every six or twelve months. A DUI surcharge typically decreases by 10–20% per year after the first year, assuming no new incidents. By year three of your FR-44 term, your rate may be 40–50% lower than your initial filing month, even though the FR-44 is still active. Paying in full every six months instead of monthly saves 5–8% annually with most non-standard carriers. Setting up autopay adds another 2–3% discount. Bundling renters insurance with your auto policy — even a $10/mo renters policy — can trigger a multi-line discount worth 8–12% on your auto premium. Non-standard carriers offer fewer discounts than standard carriers, but the ones they offer stack. Once you hit 36 months of continuous coverage with no new violations, shop your rate aggressively. Your filing period ends, your DUI ages past the three-year threshold most carriers use for surcharge calculation, and standard carriers may write you again. The rate drop from non-standard FR-44 pricing to standard SR-22-eligible pricing averages 50–70% if your record is otherwise clean.