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.
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 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:
State |
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 |
|
Florida |
No minimum |
3 years |
55+ |
Georgia |
No minimum |
3 years |
|
Idaho |
No minimum |
3 years |
55+ |
Illinois |
No minimum |
Not listed |
55+ |
Kansas |
No minimum |
3 years |
|
Kentucky |
No minimum |
3 to 5 years |
55+ |
Louisiana |
up to 10% |
Not listed |
|
Maine |
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 |
|
New York |
10% |
3 years |
|
Ohio |
No minimum |
Not listed |
60+ |
Oklahoma |
No minimum |
3 years |
|
Oregon |
No minimum |
Not listed |
55+ |
Pennsylvania |
5% |
3 years |
55+ |
South Carolina |
No minimum |
3 years |
26+ |
Texas |
10% |
3 years |
|
Vermont |
*A bill (H.526) was introduced in 2026, but hasn't passed yet. |
||
Washington |
No minimum |
Not listed |
55+ |
West Virginia |
No minimum |
3 years |
55+ |
Wyoming |
10% |
2 years |
Even 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.
