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You can get up to 10% off your insurance for taking a defensive driving class in these states.
By
Rachael Green
published
6 May 2026
in News
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You may have heard that taking a defensive driving course — sometimes called a driver improvement course or something similar — may lead to car insurance discounts. But you might not know that some states actually 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 just 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 simply take the course again to get the discount for another three years.
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 over $130. Many of the eligible online courses I found (and linked to below) cost around $25. So the course would pay for itself in premium savings in a matter of months.
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Sign upStates 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 may be other states not in the table below that have less specific policies or states where no mandate exists but your insurer will still offer you a discount anyway:
Swipe to scroll horizontallyState
Minimum Discount
How long does the discount last?
Age Restriction
California
No minimum
Not listed
55+
Connecticut
5%
2 years
60+
Delaware
10%
(Then 15% if you take a refresher course within 180 days after the 3-year expiration date)
3 years
Row 2 - Cell 3Florida
No minimum
3 years
55+
Georgia
No minimum
3 years
Row 4 - Cell 3Idaho
No minimum
3 years
55+
Illinois
No minimum
Not listed
55+
Kansas
No minimum
3 years
Row 7 - Cell 3Kentucky
No minimum
3 to 5 years
55+
Louisiana
up to 10%
Not listed
Row 9 - Cell 3Maine
No minimum
3 years
55+
Minnesota
No minimum
Not listed
55+
Mississippi
10%
3 years
55+
Montana
No minimum
Not listed
55+
New Jersey
No minimum
3 years
Row 14 - Cell 3New York
10%
3 years
Row 15 - Cell 3Ohio
No minimum
Not listed
60+
Oklahoma
No minimum
3 years
Row 17 - Cell 3Oregon
No minimum
Not listed
55+
Pennsylvania
5%
3 years
55+
South Carolina
No minimum
3 years
26+
Texas
10%
3 years
Row 21 - Cell 3Vermont
*A bill (H.526) was introduced in 2026, but hasn't passed yet.
Row 22 - Cell 2 Row 22 - Cell 3Washington
No minimum
Not listed
55+
West Virginia
No minimum
3 years
55+
Wyoming
10%
2 years
Row 25 - Cell 3Even if you don't find your state on the list, it's worth calling up your insurer to see if you can save on car insurance by taking the course. Again, even 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 may 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 may still be used to take points off your driving record in many states, and that could translate to lower premiums indirectly, as fewer points may be viewed as less risk to the insurer.
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Rachael GreenSocial Links NavigationPersonal finance eCommerce writerRachael Green is a personal finance eCommerce writer specializing in insurance, travel, and credit cards. Before joining Kiplinger in 2025, she wrote blogs and whitepapers for financial advisors and reported on everything from the latest business news and investing trends to the best shopping deals. Her bylines have appeared in Benzinga, CBS News, Travel + Leisure, Bustle, and numerous other publications. A former digital nomad, Rachael lived in Lund, Vienna, and New York before settling down in Atlanta. She’s eager to share her tips for finding the best travel deals and navigating the logistics of managing money while living abroad. When she’s not researching the latest insurance trends or sharing the best credit card reward hacks, Rachael can be found traveling or working in her garden.