Quick answer: Florida’s 2023 legal reforms have finally worked their way into rates. The state’s five largest auto insurers filed an average 8% decrease for 2026, and dozens of other carriers followed. FR-44 drivers benefit too — your DUI surcharge still applies, but it’s now sitting on a lower base rate than it would have two years ago.
If you’ve been carrying an FR-44 for the past couple of years, you’ve been paying for two things at once. Your own record is one of them. The other is a Florida insurance market that spent that entire stretch getting more expensive for everybody, for reasons that had nothing to do with you.
That second part has changed.
I want to be careful about how I say this, because I’m not interested in telling anyone what they want to hear. 2026 isn’t a miracle year, and nobody is handing FR-44 drivers a break for good behavior. But the direction of this market has reversed, and after a long stretch of that direction working against you, it’s now working the other way.
What Changed, and Why It Took So Long
In March 2023, Florida passed a package of legal reforms — House Bill 837 was the significant one — that changed how auto injury lawsuits work in this state. It shortened the window for filing a negligence claim, changed how fault gets divided between parties, and ended the one-way attorney fee arrangement that had made Florida one of the most heavily litigated auto markets in the country.
None of that showed up in anyone’s premium right away, and I understand why people found that maddening. Lawsuits filed before the reform kept resolving through 2023, 2024, and into 2025. Insurance companies price on what they’re paying out today, not on what a statute says they’ll eventually pay out. So the reform passed, and rates kept climbing anyway. For two years it looked like nothing had happened.
The pipeline has caught up.
Florida’s five largest auto insurance groups, which write roughly 78% of the personal auto in this state, are showing an average 8% rate decrease for 2026. That follows a 7.4% decrease in 2025. For perspective on the distance traveled: 2023 was a 31.7% increase.
It isn’t only the largest carriers. More than forty companies writing personal auto in Florida have filed rate decreases in the past year, most of them within a single six-month stretch. State Farm has come down over 20% cumulatively since 2024. Progressive filed an 8% decrease and returned roughly a billion dollars to policyholders in credits, and I look at who that actually reaches in Can FR-44 Drivers Get a Progressive Rebate?
I’ve watched this market swing hard in both directions, and I’ve learned not to get excited about one good quarter. This isn’t one good quarter. Florida posted the lowest personal auto liability loss ratio in the country last year, and the lowest this state has recorded in fifteen years. That’s the number underwriters actually look at.
What It Means If You’re the One Carrying the Filing
Here’s where the headlines and your renewal notice start to separate.
A filed rate decrease applies to a company’s base rates. Your DUI surcharge sits on top of that base. The surcharge doesn’t disappear because the market improved — but it’s now being applied to a smaller number than it would have been two years ago. Quietly, that’s worth real money across a three-year compliance period, and it’s the part nobody explains. If you’ve never seen how the pieces of an FR-44 premium stack up in the first place, that’s the whole subject of What Affects the Cost of Florida FR-44 Insurance?
The second thing is less encouraging, and I’d rather you hear it from me than discover it at renewal.
Plenty of those headline decreases are coming from companies that don’t write FR-44 filings at all. A good share of FR-44 business lands with non-standard carriers, and improvement in that corner of the market arrives later and smaller than it does at the top of the market. I’ve already seen it reach some renewals this year. I’ve also seen renewals that barely moved.
So the honest version is that the market is helping, it’s helping unevenly, and whether it reaches you depends a great deal on which company you happen to be sitting with. Not on your record, and not on anything you did. If you want the fuller picture of how carriers sort drivers in your situation, I go through it in Do Insurance Companies Treat Florida FR-44 Drivers Differently?
One Correction Worth Making
None of this loosens a single compliance rule. Your filing still has to stay continuous for the full period, and the sequencing on a carrier change still matters more than the savings do — I’ve laid out that timing in detail in When Should I Buy Florida FR-44 Insurance?
But I’ve seen something stated incorrectly in a few places lately, and it’s worth clearing up while we’re talking about market changes.
The change that took effect October 1, 2023 did not make it possible to switch carriers mid-term. That was always allowed. What actually changed is that FR-44 policies stopped being non-cancellable, which means a missed payment can now cancel your policy outright. That isn’t new flexibility for drivers. It’s new exposure, and it’s the reason automatic payments come up in the first conversation I have with every FR-44 client. There’s more on that in What Are the Most Common Florida FR-44 Questions?
A softening market and a forgiving one are not the same thing.
When to Look, and When to Leave It Alone
Not every improvement calls for action, and I’d rather give you something usable than a blanket recommendation.
If your renewal is coming up in the next few months, it’s worth a real comparison. When a market softens, the spread between carriers tends to widen — which means the company that priced you well three years ago may not be the one pricing you well now. That’s the single most common reason I find money for someone.
If you’re mid-term and the number has never felt right, you can still move, and the savings can be worth the coordination. The order of operations is what protects you, not the speed of it.
Non-owner policies are their own conversation entirely. Carrier appetite varies a lot in that niche, and the company that’s cheapest for a driver with a vehicle usually isn’t the one that’s cheapest without one.
And if your renewal is eight months out and your rate is already reasonable, leaving it alone is a perfectly good answer. I’d rather tell you that than manufacture a reason to shop.
Where That Leaves You
Relief is real. It’s uneven, and it doesn’t arrive on its own.
If you’ve kept your filing continuous and your payments current through a stretch when the entire state was absorbing increases, you’ve already done the difficult part. The market finally moving your way doesn’t erase what an FR-44 costs, and it won’t shorten your compliance period by a day. What it does is give you something you haven’t had in a while, which is a set of options actually worth comparing.
The thing I’d hate to see is a driver sitting on a 2023 rate in a 2026 market simply because nobody looked. That’s a fixable problem, and it’s most of what I do this time of year.
If you’re not sure where your renewal stands, or you’d like a second opinion before you decide anything, call or text me at 305-796-2968. We’ll look at your actual dates and your actual policy, and I’ll tell you plainly whether it’s worth moving or worth staying put.
Florida FR-44 Insurance Resource Guides
Understanding Florida FR-44 Insurance — Start here if you’re new to all this. What an FR-44 actually is, why Florida requires it, and how it’s different from a normal insurance policy.
License Reinstatement and FR-44 Compliance — Getting your license back, staying compliant once it’s filed, and avoiding the lapses, missed payments, and mistakes that lead to another suspension.
Florida FR-44 Insurance Companies and Rates — What actually moves your rate, where the real discounts are, switching carriers the right way, and what an FR-44 costs over time.
Florida DUI Education and Consequences — What a DUI conviction actually triggers in Florida, from license suspension through the FR-44 requirement itself.
Beyond DUI — Related situations that come up along the way: moving in or out of Florida, household questions, and how Florida’s rules compare to other states. (Coming soon)
Florida Auto Insurance — Back to the main site for general Florida auto insurance guidance beyond FR-44.
Continue Reading About Florida FR-44 Insurance Companies & Rates
If you found this guide helpful, these articles take a closer look at Florida FR-44 rates, quotes, discounts, insurance companies, and the decisions that can affect what you pay:
What Affects the Cost of Florida FR-44 Insurance? – Start here for the complete picture of how your driving history, vehicle, household, insurance history, and company underwriting come together to determine your FR-44 rate.
Do Insurance Companies Treat Florida FR-44 Drivers Differently? – Learn how insurance companies approach drivers with an FR-44 requirement and why underwriting differences matter when comparing insurers.
The Real Cost of Florida FR-44 Insurance Over Time – Look beyond the initial premium at how costs can change over time and the decisions and mistakes that can keep an FR-44 driver paying more than necessary.
Do All the Cars in My Household Need FR-44? – Learn how vehicle ownership, multiple cars, and household policy structure can affect an FR-44 requirement.
Can I Still Get Discounts With Florida FR-44 Insurance? – Find out which auto insurance discounts may still be available even after a DUI and FR-44 filing.
When Should I Buy Florida FR-44 Insurance? – Learn how choosing the right effective date can help coordinate your insurance, FR-44 filing, and license reinstatement.
Why Did Everyone’s Car Insurance Go Up After My DUI? – Understand why one household member’s DUI can sometimes affect the rates of other drivers and vehicles on the policy.
Are Florida Auto Insurance Rates Going Down for FR-44 Drivers? – See how changes in Florida’s broader auto insurance market can affect FR-44 pricing and renewals.
Florida FR-44 Drivers: Why 2026 Finally Looks Better (This article) – Take a closer look at the market developments that have improved the outlook for some Florida FR-44 drivers.
Can FR-44 Drivers Get a Progressive Rebate? – Learn how Progressive’s Florida rebate may apply to eligible FR-44 policyholders and what it can mean for your premium.
Why Are New Car Prices Raising Auto Insurance Rates? – Understand why newer vehicles, expensive repairs, technology, and replacement costs can significantly increase insurance premiums.
Should I Be the Driver or the Policyholder for FR-44 Insurance? – Learn why vehicle ownership, household relationships, and who is named on the policy can affect how an FR-44 policy should be structured.
Florida FR-44 Insurance Quotes: Five Things That Actually Move the Number – Focus on five rating factors that can materially change an FR-44 quote before you choose an insurance company.
About the Author
Written by Clifford Schimek — Florida Auto & FR-44 Insurance Expert
I help Florida drivers every day with auto insurance quotes and FR-44 filings. Part of that job is knowing the difference between a market headline and something that will actually show up on your renewal, because those two things are not always related. If you want to know whether this one is reaching you, I’m happy to look and tell you honestly either way.
Clifford Schimek — Florida Auto & FR-44 Insurance Expert
Call or text: 305-796-2968
Learn More About Cliff
Why Clifford Schimek? – The case for working with me
Florida Auto Plus Insurance – Agency website
Florida FR-44 Information and Guidance – For Florida drivers who need an FR-44 filing
View my Google Business Profile – Reviews and business information