Your Insurer Owes You a Discount for Taking a Defensive Driving Course in These States
You can get up to 10% off your insurance for taking a defensive driving class in these states.
You might have heard that taking a defensive driving course — sometimes called a driver improvement course or something similar — could lead to car insurance discounts.
But you might not know that some states require insurers to offer those discounts. You also might not know just how affordable the courses are and how big of a discount you can get for taking one.
Most eligible courses can be done completely online and take four to eight hours to finish. Often, insurers will keep the discount in place for three years after the date the course was completed. At that point, you can take the course again to get the discount for another three years.
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Let's say you're paying $2,697 per year, the current national average cost of car insurance, and after taking the course, you get a 5% discount (the low end of what most states below mandate). That means you'd save a little more than $130.
Many of the eligible online courses I found (and linked to below) cost around $25. The course would pay for itself in premium savings in a matter of months.
States where drivers are entitled to a discount after taking an online driving class
These are the states where I could verify that some form of mandated discount exists. There might be other states not in the table that have less specific policies or states where no mandate exists but your insurer will still offer you a discount anyway:
State | Minimum Discount | How long does the discount last? | Age Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
California | No minimum | Not listed | 55-plus |
Connecticut | 5% | Two years | 60-plus |
Delaware | 10% (Then 15% if you take a refresher course within 180 days after the 3-year expiration date) | Three years | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
Florida | No minimum | Three years | 55-plus |
Georgia | No minimum | Three years | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
Idaho | No minimum | Three years | 55-plus |
Illinois | No minimum | Not listed | 55-plus |
Kansas | No minimum | Three years | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
Kentucky | No minimum | Three to five years | 55-plus |
Louisiana | up to 10% | Not listed | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
Maine | No minimum | Three years | 55-plus |
Minnesota | No minimum | Not listed | 55-plus |
Mississippi | 10% | Three years | 55-plus |
Montana | No minimum | Not listed | 55-plus |
New Jersey | No minimum | Three years | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
New York | 10% | Three years | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
Ohio | No minimum | Not listed | 60-plus |
Oklahoma | No minimum | Three years | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
Oregon | No minimum | Not listed | 55-plus |
Pennsylvania | 5% | Three years | 55-plus |
South Carolina | No minimum | Three years | 26-plus |
Texas | 10% | Three years | Row 21 - Cell 3 |
Vermont | *A bill (H.526) was introduced in 2026, but hasn't passed yet. | Row 22 - Cell 2 | Row 22 - Cell 3 |
Washington | No minimum | Not listed | 55-plus |
West Virginia | No minimum | Three years | 55-plus |
Wyoming | 10% | Two years | Row 25 - Cell 3 |
Even if you don't find your state on the list, it's worth calling your insurer to see if you can save on car insurance by taking the course. A 5% discount on your policy is more than enough to make the short, online course worth your time.
If your current insurance company doesn't offer a defensive driving course discount, that might be your cue to switch your car insurance to a company that does.
Which online defensive driving courses are eligible for the insurance discount?
This can vary by state, but in most cases, a course from any of the following providers will be eligible for the discount, provided you meet any other eligibility criteria required in your state:
- AARP Smart Driver online course. An online course taken at your own pace. Price: $30 (AARP members get a 10% discount).
- AAA Roadwise Driver. An online course taken at your own pace. Price: $25
- Safe2Drive. An online course taken at your own pace. Price: $14.95 and up, depending on state (most states are $24.95)
- DriveSafe Online. An online course taken at your own pace. Price: $24.95 and up
- National Safety Council. An online course taken at your own pace. Price: $54.10 for the general defensive driving course or $29.99 for the mature driver course.
Before enrolling, make sure the course you choose is approved for the discount in your state.
What to know before enrolling in a defensive driving course
Whether you live in a state with laws about discounts or not, there are usually some conditions and caveats you should understand before enrolling. Namely, in some states, if you cause an accident while the discount is applied to your rates, your insurer might be allowed to remove the discount.
In other states, if you're taking the defensive driving course because of a court order (e.g. — as a condition of a traffic violation penalty), you can't use it to get a discount on insurance.
However, it might still be used to take points off your driving record in many states, and that could translate to lower premiums indirectly, as fewer points might be viewed as less risk to the insurer.
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