Mature driver discounts: state-by-state rules
Many states require insurers to discount older drivers who take an approved safety course. Who qualifies, for how long, and what the law guarantees.
What a mature driver discount is
A mature driver discount is a premium reduction for older drivers who complete a state-approved accident prevention or driver improvement course. The courses refresh rules of the road and cover changes that come with age, such as vision, reaction time and medications.
In many states this is not a courtesy. State law requires every insurer to give the discount to drivers who qualify. That is different from the long list of optional discounts insurers choose to offer, and it is why the details of your state's law matter.
How much the discount is worth
Less is guaranteed than most people assume. Of the states that require the discount, only three clearly set a number in law: Connecticut and Pennsylvania require at least 5%, and Minnesota requires at least 10%. Mississippi's published statute text also refers to 10%, but the version we could read is garbled, so we have not counted it. Everywhere else the statute calls for an appropriate reduction, and several laws presume the insurer's own filed discount is appropriate unless there is evidence otherwise.
So the discount can be meaningful at one company and minor at another. The course itself usually costs money and takes several hours. Before you sign up, ask your insurer what the discount is on your policy, and which of your coverages it applies to.
Which states require a mature driver discount
The table below lists every state where we confirmed a mandatory, age-based course discount in the statute itself or on an official state government page. Not addressed in the online column means the law does not say either way, not that online courses are barred. Where we could not confirm a detail from a primary source, it is marked not confirmed.
| State | Minimum age | Amount set by law | Lasts | Online course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Allowed |
| Alaska | 55 | Appropriate | Up to 3 years | Not addressed |
| Arkansas | 55 | Appropriate | Not confirmed | Self-instructed excluded |
| California | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Colorado | 55 | Appropriate | Not confirmed | Not addressed |
| Connecticut | 60 | At least 5% | At least 2 years | Allowed |
| Florida | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Idaho | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Illinois | Over 55 | Set by insurer | 3 years | Allowed |
| Kentucky | 55 | Appropriate | 3 to 5 years | Self-instructed excluded |
| Maine | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Minnesota | 55 | At least 10% | Retake every 3 years | Not addressed |
| Mississippi | 55 | Not confirmed | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Montana | 55 | Set by insurer | Not specified | Not addressed |
| Nevada | 55 | Set by insurer, approved by the state | 3 years | Not addressed |
| New Mexico | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
| North Dakota | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Ohio | 60 | Appropriate | 3 years | Classroom only |
| Oregon | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years, 2 if 70 or older | Not addressed |
| Pennsylvania | 55 | At least 5% | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Rhode Island | 55 | Set by the state | 2 years | Allowed |
| Tennessee | Over 55 | Not specified | Not confirmed | Allowed |
| Utah | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
| Virginia | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not confirmed |
| Washington | 55 | Appropriate | 2 years | Allowed |
| West Virginia | 55 | Appropriate | 3 years | Not addressed |
States with a course discount for any age
A handful of states require a course discount without an age requirement, so older drivers qualify the same way anyone else does. Delaware, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma and South Carolina fall in this group, as does Washington, D.C. New York's Point and Insurance Reduction Program is the best known: the state DMV says completing an approved course earns a 10% reduction in base rates for three years.
States where it is optional
In Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan and North Carolina, the law allows insurers to offer a course discount but does not require one. South Dakota and Wyoming used to require the discount and have since repealed those laws, although many course-provider sites still list both. Hawaii and Iowa considered mandates repeatedly without enacting one.
We found no course-discount mandate in Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Texas, Vermont or Wisconsin. We could not confirm Nebraska either way: course sellers describe a mandate, but we found no statute. In these states, many insurers still offer a discount for a defensive driving course. It is simply each company's choice, so ask.
Conditions that trip people up
Most laws attach the discount to the principal operator of a vehicle, not to everyone on the policy. Pennsylvania goes further and requires every named insured to be 55 or older and to have completed the course. Many states let insurers withhold or remove the discount after an at-fault accident or a moving violation, and several require a clean record for the three years before the course.
Taking a course to get a ticket dismissed and expecting the insurance discount too. Nearly every one of these laws excludes courses that a court or the motor vehicle agency ordered because of a violation. The course has to be taken voluntarily.
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This guide is general information, not insurance advice, and does not account for your state's specific regulations. Figures cited are industry estimates from published rate studies. VIP Car Insurance is a free comparison service and is not an insurer.
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