Will My Car Insurance Go Up After a Hit and Run
If you weren't at fault, a hit and run usually won't raise your rate like a normal accident, but how you file changes that.
What decides whether your rate moves
- Which coverage pays If the other driver is never found, your claim typically runs through your own collision or uninsured motorist coverage, not a liability claim against you. That distinction is why insurers often treat it differently than a normal at-fault accident.
- Your not-at-fault status You didn't cause the crash, and most insurers track that in your file even when they pay out. Ask your agent directly whether this claim will be coded as at-fault or not, because that coding is what actually affects pricing.
- Your claims history overall One claim rarely moves pricing much on its own, but it adds to a pattern insurers watch over several years. If you've had other claims recently, this one lands differently than if your record was clean.
- Your state and insurer rules Some states limit how much a not-at-fault claim can affect pricing, and insurers vary in how they weigh it. Check your policy documents or ask your agent how your specific insurer and state handle this situation.
- Whether you reported it fast Filing a police report and notifying your insurer quickly helps establish that you weren't at fault and weren't involved beyond being a victim. Waiting too long can muddy the record and make the claim harder to classify favorably.
A parked car gets hit while your teen is at school
Say your teen drove to school and parked in the student lot. During the day another car backed into the bumper and left without leaving a note. Your teen came out to find the damage and called you right away, upset and worried they'd be blamed for something they didn't do.
You filed a police report the same day, which documented that your teen wasn't present when the damage happened and had no way to identify the other driver. You then called your insurer, explained the situation, and filed under your collision coverage since no other driver could be billed. The claim was processed as a not-at-fault incident, the repair was covered, and when your renewal came it reflected your teen's clean driving record rather than being treated as a fault accident on their part.
File a police report right away or wait and see
If you do
Filing quickly creates an official record showing you weren't at fault and couldn't identify the other driver. Your insurer can point to that report when classifying the claim, which supports treating it as not-at-fault and protects your teen's driving record going forward.
If you don't
Without a police report, your insurer has only your account of what happened. That can make the claim harder to classify clearly, slow down processing, and in some cases leave room for it to be treated more like an ordinary accident when your policy renews.
Once you know this claim likely won't be held against your teen, compare quotes to see your actual renewal options.
Why insurers treat this differently than a normal accident
Insurance pricing is built around predicting future risk, and fault is the main signal insurers use for that. When you weren't driving dangerously or making a mistake behind the wheel, the claim doesn't tell the insurer much about how risky you or your teen are as drivers. That's why a hit and run where you're the victim usually gets treated differently than a collision you caused.
The mechanism matters here. Your own collision coverage or uninsured motorist coverage is what typically pays out, since there's no other driver to bill. Insurers generally track whether a claim was your fault separately from which coverage paid for it, and that fault determination is the bigger factor in pricing.
Where this gets complicated is frequency and documentation. If claims start piling up, even not-at-fault ones, some insurers start looking more carefully at your overall risk profile, especially for a newer driver still building a record. And if there's any ambiguity about what happened, if there's no witness, no camera footage, no quick police report, the insurer may have a harder time confirming you weren't at fault, which can change how the claim gets coded.
State rules also shape this. Some states regulate how insurers can use not-at-fault claims in pricing, and insurers themselves vary in their internal policies. That's why the honest answer is to ask directly, because the general pattern holds most of the time but the specifics depend on where you live and who you're insured with.
Should you even file a claim for a hit and run?
Yes, in most cases, especially if there's real damage. Filing protects your teen from being blamed later and creates a documented record that the incident wasn't their fault. Skipping the claim to avoid any risk to your rate often costs you more in repairs than you'd save, and it leaves no paper trail if the situation ever gets questioned.
The one case where you might hesitate is very minor, cosmetic damage you're comfortable paying out of pocket, especially if your deductible is high relative to the repair cost. Even then, it's worth asking your insurer what filing would look like before deciding. A quick conversation with your agent costs you nothing and tells you exactly how this specific incident would be handled under your specific policy.
