You're required to file SR-22 for three years after your Alabama DUI. Choosing between liability-only and full coverage determines what you pay monthly and what you're protected against if something happens during that filing period.
What Alabama's SR-22 Requirement Actually Covers
Alabama requires SR-22 filing for three years after a DUI conviction, measured from your reinstatement date. The SR-22 itself is not insurance — it's a filing your carrier submits to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency proving you carry at least minimum liability coverage: $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage.
You can satisfy the SR-22 requirement with liability-only coverage at those minimums. Alabama does not require collision or comprehensive coverage to meet SR-22 compliance. If you own your vehicle outright and can absorb replacement cost if it's totaled, liability-only keeps your monthly premium lowest during the filing period.
Most non-standard carriers writing post-DUI policies in Alabama — Bristol West, Dairyland, GAINSCO, The General, Safe Auto — quote liability-only SR-22 policies starting with higher limits than state minimums, typically 50/100/50 or 100/300/100. Their underwriting guidelines treat drivers with recent DUI convictions as higher-risk for repeat incidents, and they reduce that exposure by requiring higher liability floors in exchange for writing the policy at all.
What Liability-Only SR-22 Costs in Alabama After DUI
Liability-only SR-22 policies in Alabama after a first-offense DUI typically run $110–$190 per month with non-standard carriers. That rate assumes 50/100/50 liability limits, SR-22 filing fee included, clean record prior to the DUI, and no additional violations during the filing period.
Aggravated DUI convictions — BAC above 0.15%, refusal, minor in vehicle, or injury — push monthly liability-only premiums to $150–$240 per month. Repeat-offense DUI within five years of a prior conviction moves you into assigned-risk territory in most cases, with monthly premiums exceeding $250 even for liability-only coverage.
The SR-22 filing fee itself is $15–$25 in Alabama, paid once at policy inception or annually depending on carrier. That fee is separate from your premium but often rolled into your first monthly payment.
Find out exactly how long SR-22 is required in your state
When Full Coverage Makes Sense During SR-22 Filing
Full coverage — liability plus collision and comprehensive — costs $180–$320 per month for post-DUI SR-22 policies in Alabama, depending on your vehicle value, deductible, and conviction class. You're required to carry it if you have an active auto loan or lease, because your lienholder mandates physical damage coverage as a condition of financing.
If you own your vehicle outright, full coverage protects you against total loss during the three-year filing period. A second at-fault accident during SR-22 filing will non-renew most non-standard policies immediately. If that accident totals your vehicle and you're carrying liability-only, you absorb the replacement cost out of pocket and still need to secure another SR-22 policy to avoid filing lapse.
Full coverage deductibles on post-DUI policies in Alabama typically start at $1,000 for collision and $500 for comprehensive. Lowering deductibles to $500/$250 increases monthly premiums by $30–$60. Carriers writing high-risk policies use higher deductibles to limit their claim exposure on drivers statistically more likely to file another claim during the policy term.
How Switching Coverage Mid-Filing Affects Your SR-22
You can switch from full coverage to liability-only mid-filing period without breaking SR-22 compliance, as long as your new liability-only policy includes continuous SR-22 filing. Alabama requires uninterrupted SR-22 certification for the full three years. Any lapse — even one day — resets your filing clock to zero and triggers a new license suspension.
Switching carriers during your SR-22 period requires your new carrier to file SR-22 before your old policy cancels. Most non-standard carriers require 10–15 days advance notice to process the new SR-22 filing and confirm it's on file with ALEA before your prior coverage ends. If you cancel your old policy before the new SR-22 is active, ALEA receives a termination notice and suspends your license immediately.
Adding full coverage to an existing liability-only SR-22 policy does not require a new SR-22 filing. Your carrier updates your coverage limits and premium, but the SR-22 certification on file with Alabama remains active as long as your policy stays in force.
What Happens If You Total Your Car on Liability-Only SR-22
If you total your vehicle while carrying liability-only SR-22 coverage in Alabama, your policy pays nothing toward your vehicle replacement. You're responsible for securing another vehicle and transferring your SR-22 policy to it, or switching to a non-owner SR-22 policy if you no longer own a car.
Non-owner SR-22 policies in Alabama cost $25–$50 per month and satisfy your three-year filing requirement if you're not driving a vehicle you own. You cannot drive a household vehicle regularly on a non-owner policy — it's designed for drivers who borrow cars occasionally or need to maintain SR-22 filing without owning a car. If you live with someone who owns a vehicle you use regularly, you must be listed on their policy or maintain your own owner SR-22 policy.
Most non-standard carriers in Alabama allow you to pause vehicle-specific SR-22 coverage and switch to non-owner SR-22 mid-term without breaking filing continuity. The switch requires your carrier to file an updated SR-22 with ALEA showing the policy type change, which typically processes within 3–5 business days.
How Your Conviction Class Changes Coverage Strategy
First-offense standard DUI in Alabama — BAC 0.08–0.149%, no aggravating factors — allows access to the full non-standard carrier market. You'll find multiple carriers willing to write liability-only SR-22 policies at competitive rates, giving you real negotiating power on monthly premiums and the option to skip full coverage if you own your vehicle outright.
Aggravated DUI or refusal convictions reduce carrier availability significantly. Bristol West, Dairyland, and GAINSCO write aggravated DUI cases in Alabama, but often require higher liability limits as a condition of coverage — 100/300/100 minimums instead of 50/100/50 — which eliminates the cost advantage of dropping to true liability-only minimums.
Repeat-offense DUI within five years typically requires assigned-risk coverage through the Alabama Automobile Insurance Plan. AAIP policies cost 40–80% more than voluntary-market non-standard policies and mandate higher liability minimums by rule. Your coverage choice becomes full coverage or higher-limit liability — true minimum-limits liability-only is not available in assigned-risk pools.
Coverage Gaps That Liability-Only Leaves Open During Filing
Liability-only SR-22 coverage pays nothing if an uninsured driver hits you and totals your car. Alabama is not a no-fault state, so you rely on the at-fault driver's liability coverage to pay your vehicle damage. If they're uninsured or underinsured, you absorb the loss unless you carry uninsured motorist property damage coverage, which is optional on liability-only policies.
Uninsured motorist coverage adds $15–$35 per month to liability-only SR-22 policies in Alabama. It pays your vehicle repair or replacement cost if an uninsured or hit-and-run driver causes the accident, subject to your policy limits. Alabama does not require uninsured motorist coverage, but approximately 13% of Alabama drivers are uninsured, which makes the gap material during a three-year filing period.
Comprehensive coverage on a liability-only SR-22 policy costs $20–$45 per month and covers theft, vandalism, weather damage, and animal strikes. Adding comprehensive without collision — sometimes called 'other than collision' coverage — gives you protection against non-accident total loss events while keeping your monthly premium below full coverage cost.
