Will The General Requote You at Standard Rates After SR-22 Ends?

The General assigns you to a risk tier based on your complete violation profile — DUI, reckless driving, at-fault accidents, lapses, license suspensions. That tier carries a rate multiplier (1.7x to 2.3x standard premium, depending on violation severity and state) that persists for 3–5 years from the violation date, not from your SR-22 end date. Your SR-22 filing period and your violation lookback period are separate timelines. A DUI conviction in 2021 requiring 3 years of SR-22 means your filing ends in 2024, but most carriers price that DUI as a surcharge factor until 2024–2026 depending on state law and carrier underwriting rules. The General uses a 5-year violation lookback in most states — if your DUI is 3 years old when SR-22 ends, you have 2 more years of elevated rating ahead unless you find a carrier with shorter lookback windows or accident-forgiveness programs. Standard-tier carriers (State Farm, Allstate, GEICO for preferred customers) use 3-year lookback periods and may offer rate reductions at the 3-year mark if no additional violations occurred. Non-standard carriers like The General, Bristol West, and Acceptance use 5-year lookback and do not offer automatic step-downs. This is why post-SR22 drivers save the most by switching carrier types, not by waiting for their current carrier to reprice them.

You call The General after your SR-22 ends and request a rate review. The agent runs a new MVR pull (motor vehicle report), confirms your filing obligation is satisfied, and requotes you within the same non-standard risk tier structure. Your rate drops by the $15–$25 annual SR-22 filing fee and possibly by 5–10% if your violation is now 3+ years old, but you remain in The General's high-risk book. Typical post-requote premium: $160–$170/month, down from $180/month during SR-22, still 60–90% above standard rates. The General's underwriting model is built for high-risk drivers — it does not tier you into standard-rate pricing even after SR-22 ends. The company writes continuous high-risk coverage and expects you to stay in that pool until your violation ages past the 5-year lookback threshold. If you need immediate access to standard-tier pricing, you need a carrier that writes both standard and non-standard books and can move you between tiers based on updated risk assessment. The General is a non-standard-only carrier. Requoting within The General is still worth doing — you will see modest savings and potentially qualify for discounts (continuous coverage, paid-in-full, defensive driving course completion) that were not available during your SR-22 period. Expect $20–$40/month savings from requoting in place. Expect $50–$90/month savings from switching to a standard-tier carrier if your violation is 3+ years old and you have no additional incidents.

Progressive and GEICO write the majority of post-SR22 standard-tier policies nationwide and offer the steepest rate reductions for drivers 3–4 years past their violation date. Both carriers operate tiered underwriting systems — your post-SR22 quote runs through standard underwriting first, and you're assigned the lowest tier your profile qualifies for. A DUI that occurred 3.5 years ago with no additional violations may qualify for standard rates 30–50% below non-standard pricing. A reckless driving conviction 4 years old typically qualifies immediately. State Farm and Allstate requote selectively — both require 3 years violation-free and will not write you if your SR-22 was DUI-related in some states. When they do write post-SR22 drivers, their rates are 10–20% below Progressive for clean profiles but 20–30% higher for drivers with multiple violations. If your SR-22 was triggered by a single at-fault accident or a non-DUI suspension, State Farm is worth quoting. If your SR-22 followed a DUI, expect declination or refer-out to a non-standard subsidiary. Non-standard carriers with lower pricing than The General include Bristol West, Acceptance, Infinity, and National General. These carriers write the same high-risk book but price 10–25% below The General in most states for post-SR22 drivers. If you're still within the 5-year violation lookback window and standard carriers decline you, shop these four before renewing with The General. Monthly savings: $25–$50 for identical coverage.

Shop 30–45 days before your SR-22 filing requirement ends. Carriers need 2–4 weeks to run underwriting, issue a policy, and coordinate your effective date with your current policy's expiration. If you wait until the day your SR-22 ends, you will auto-renew with your current carrier at your current rate and miss the narrow window when standard-tier carriers are willing to quote you. Your state DMV sends a compliance confirmation letter when your SR-22 obligation is satisfied — this is your signal to shop. Most states issue this letter 15–30 days before your filing period ends, giving you time to request quotes, compare coverage, and bind a new policy without a gap. If you let your current policy auto-renew, your next opportunity to switch is 6–12 months later at your annual renewal, and you will pay high-risk rates for that entire period. The second optimal shopping window occurs at the 3-year mark from your violation date, regardless of SR-22 status. If your SR-22 filing lasted 3 years but your violation is now 3.5 years old, you qualify for standard-tier pricing from carriers that use 3-year lookback windows. Run quotes every 6 months between year 3 and year 5 after your violation — each 6-month increment moves you closer to standard rates, and different carriers reprice at different thresholds.

Request quotes for identical liability limits from at least 4 carriers: one standard-tier national carrier (Progressive, GEICO), one regional standard carrier (Erie, Auto-Owners, or state-specific), one non-standard carrier you haven't used (Bristol West, Acceptance), and your current carrier for comparison. Use your state's minimum liability limits as the baseline — most post-SR22 drivers overpay by carrying higher limits than required during the rate recovery phase. Provide your exact violation date, not your SR-22 end date, when requesting quotes. Underwriters price based on time elapsed since the violation, not since the filing requirement ended. A DUI on 06/15/2021 is 3.5 years old in January 2025 even if your SR-22 filing just ended in December 2024. Carriers that declined you 2 years ago may write you now — always include one carrier that previously declined you in your quote set. Decline collision and comprehensive coverage if your vehicle is worth under $5,000. Post-SR22 drivers paying $180/month for liability + $90/month for full coverage on a 2012 sedan with $4,200 book value are paying $1,080/year to insure an asset worth $4,200. Drop to liability-only, bank the $90/month savings, and self-insure the vehicle value. This is the single largest cost reduction available to post-SR22 drivers with older vehicles.