Will a Hit-and-Run Raise My Auto Insurance Rates?

Does Insurance Cover Hit-and-Run Accidents?

Depending on your coverage, you may have several types of car insurance that can help cover your costs if you're the victim of a hit-and-run driver.

Collision Coverage

Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle in a collision, regardless of who's at fault. It can help pay the cost of repairing or replacing your car after a hit-and-run accident, minus your insurance deductible. If your car is leased or financed, your lessor or lender typically requires carrying collision coverage; otherwise, it's optional.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage helps cover your costs if you're in an accident with a driver who has no insurance or doesn't have enough insurance to cover your damages. If you're the victim of a hit-and-run driver, UM/UIM coverage kicks in to cover bodily injury, property damage or both. Some states require UM/UIM coverage. Even if yours doesn't, in states where it's available, it can be a worthwhile add-on to protect you financially in case of a hit-and-run.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Coverage

Personal injury protection (PIP) insurance helps pay medical costs for injuries you and your passengers suffer in an accident, no matter whose fault it is. In some cases, PIP also covers injury-related expenses such as lost wages or child care costs.

Medical Payments (MedPay) Coverage

MedPay coverage helps cover expenses related to injuries you and your passengers sustain in an accident, regardless of fault. This includes hit-and-runs and being struck by a car as a pedestrian.

Learn more: How Much Car Insurance Do I Need?

Will a Hit-and-Run Claim Raise My Insurance?

Depending on your state and insurance carrier, filing a hit-and-run claim might increase your car insurance premiums, even though the accident wasn't your fault. For example, using your UM/UIM coverage may cause your rates to rise. However, your rates usually won't go up as much as they would have if you'd caused the accident. In addition, some states prohibit insurers from increasing your rates after a not-at-fault accident.

Your odds of a rate increase after a hit-and-run claim may be higher if you've filed other accident claims in the last three to five years or if your driving record includes moving violations, especially for high-risk behavior such as speeding.

Learn more: Why Is My Car Insurance Rate So High?

What to Do After a Hit-and-Run Accident

If you're involved in a hit-and-run accident, follow these steps.

1. Be safe. Move your vehicle out of traffic if possible. Check to see if anyone is injured and call 911 if necessary.
2. Gather information from witnesses. If anyone saw the crash, try to get their names and contact information. Ask if they're willing to stay until police arrive and give a statement about what they saw.
3. Report the accident to the police. Insurance companies typically need a police report to process your claim. In addition, many states require notifying the police of accidents that result in injuries or cause property damage over a certain dollar amount.
4. Take notes. While the accident is fresh in your mind, write down everything you can remember about it, taking notes on paper or your phone.
5. Document any damage. Take pictures or video of any damage to your vehicle, injuries to passengers or things like road conditions or traffic signs that may be useful to the insurance company.
6. Contact your insurance company. You can usually start the claim process by calling your insurance company or using their app. Depending on the damage and your deductible, you may prefer to cover the costs out of pocket; your insurer can help you decide if it's worth filing a claim.
7. Report the accident to the state department of motor vehicles. Some states require notifying the motor vehicle department of any accidents. Ask the police if you need to do this; they may handle it for you.

Learn more: How to File a Car Insurance Claim

How to Save on Auto Insurance After a Hit-and-Run Accident

To help keep your car insurance premiums down after a hit-and-run accident, try these ideas to save.

• Increase your deductible. Car insurance deductibles can range from $0 to $2,500; a higher deductible usually means lower premiums. Just make sure you can afford to pay your deductible in case of a claim.
• Take advantage of discounts. Do some research to see what kind of discounts auto insurance companies offer. You can often get a discount for paying premiums in full, bundling auto insurance with other coverage, completing a defensive driving course or belonging to certain organizations.
• Drop unnecessary coverage. Eliminating extras such as rental car reimbursement, windshield and glass insurance or roadside assistance coverage could reduce your auto insurance rates. Compare the price of these extras to the potential cost of going without to see if dropping them makes sense.
• Reduce your mileage. Driving fewer than 12,000 or 10,000 miles per year (depending on the insurer) could save you money. Options such as low-mileage car insurance, usage-based car insurance and pay-per-mile car insurance base your premiums on miles driven.
• Shop around for new quotes. Visiting insurance company websites or calling insurance carriers for quotes is time-consuming, but Experian's free auto insurance comparison tool offers a faster way to explore your car insurance options. Simply input your information once and get quotes from top insurance carriers in minutes.

Learn more: Best Car Insurance Discounts

The Bottom Line

Dealing with the aftermath of a hit-and-run accident can be challenging. If you're concerned about the impact on your car insurance rates, maintaining good credit may help keep your costs down. When setting rates, auto insurance companies in most states can consider credit-based insurance scores; a poor score could mean higher premiums.

Although credit-based insurance scores differ from consumer credit scores, both are based on data from your credit report. Checking your FICO^® Score^Θ and Experian credit report, which you can do for free, could give you an idea of where your credit-based insurance score may stand. Taking steps to improve your credit score by paying down debt, paying bills on time and reducing credit utilization could benefit both your consumer and credit-based insurance scores, potentially saving you money on car insurance.