What will this ticket really cost?
Pick your state and court. We use the court's published fine when there is one, then add three years of the average insurance increase.
How we add it up
- Fine: the court's printed total (fine plus costs) for your violation. Where a court prints a per-mph rule, we apply it to your mph. Where the law sets only a range (New York), we show the range. Where nothing is published, we say so and link the court's lookup.
- Insurance: your premium (or the state's clean-record average) times the state's average increase after the ticket, for three years.Source: ValuePenguin State of Auto Insurance in 2026. It is an average, not a quote. When there is no figure for your violation, we use the national figure for it, or for other moving violations the state's speeding figure, and mark the result as an estimate. Paperwork tickets such as expired registration get no insurance estimate.
- Traffic school: shown side by side when your state offers it, priced the way your state prices it. In California you pay the full bail plus the court's fee. In Texas the course dismisses the ticket, so you pay court costs and the course, not the fine.
What else do people ask?
Why is the total so much higher than the fine?
Insurers often raise rates after a moving violation and keep the increase for about three years. Over that time the insurance cost can exceed the fine itself.
Why does it say "On your notice" for my court?
Some courts do not publish a fine schedule. We do not estimate fines. Use the amount on your notice or the court lookup linked on the court page.