How to Check Insurance Points in NC: DMV Record and SDIP Schedule

To check your insurance points in NC, you need to look in two places: your official driving record from the NC DMV, which lists the convictions that generate points, and your auto insurer, which can tell you how many Safe Driver Incentive Plan (SDIP) points those convictions carry and what percentage surcharge is being added to your premium. The DMV record alone will not show the SDIP point values or the dollar impact, and your insurance bill alone will not show the underlying convictions. You need both.

Why You Have To Check Two Separate Systems

North Carolina runs two point systems that do not share a scale, and people routinely check the wrong one.

DMV demerit points, set under G.S. 20-16, exist to decide whether the state suspends your license; 12 or more within three years can trigger suspension.¹² SDIP insurance points, set under G.S. 58-36-65, exist only to calculate premium surcharges.³ A single conviction can carry different values in each system, so the number of DMV points on your driving record tells you nothing reliable about what your insurer is charging you.

If what you want to know is “how much is this costing me,” SDIP points are the ones that matter. A single SDIP point adds a 40% surcharge to your premium; the schedule climbs from there to 340% for the most serious offenses.⁴

Pulling Your Official Driving Record From The NC DMV

Your motor vehicle record lists every conviction and at-fault accident that feeds the SDIP calculation. The NC DMV offers two ways to order it.

Online

Go to the NCDMV driving records portal at ncdot.gov. You’ll need the license holder’s first and last name, date of birth, NC driver license or ID number, and either a Social Security number, Individual Taxpayer Identification number, or U.S. visa number.⁵ You pay a fee, choose certified or non-certified, and download the record as a PDF. If you’re ordering on a phone, make sure you have a PDF viewer installed.

By mail

For a physical copy or a raised-seal version for legal use, fill out the Official Driving Record Request Form (DL-DPPA-1) and mail it with a check or money order payable to NCDMV to 3101 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-3101. Processing takes about 10 business days from receipt.⁵ An incomplete form or unsigned payment will come back to you.

What you’ll see on the record is the convictions and dates. What you won’t see is the SDIP point value for each one, or the surcharge percentage. For that, you cross-reference against the SDIP schedule below, or call your insurer.

Getting The SDIP Breakdown From Your Insurer

Your insurance company is the only source that can tell you exactly which points are on your current policy and what each one is costing you. Call and ask for a “Safe Driver Incentive Plan point disclosure” or “surcharge breakdown.” Ask to be routed to underwriting or rating; a general customer service rep usually can’t see these files.

A proper disclosure will show which conviction triggered each surcharge, the SDIP points assigned, the percentage increase applied, and the date each surcharge drops off based on your renewal cycle. If the rep can’t give you that on the call, ask for it in writing by email or mail.

Many carriers also post this information in their online account portals or mobile apps. After logging in, look for “Policy Details,” “Rating Information,” or “Premium Breakdown.” Some insurers show the SDIP surcharge as its own line item; others fold it into the overall rate, in which case a phone call is faster than hunting.

Checking Your Policy Documents

Your declarations page, usually the first or second page of the full policy packet, lists each driver and any surcharges applied. Look for headings like “Surcharges,” “Safe Driver Credit,” or “Rating Information.”⁴ Renewal notices, which arrive every six or twelve months, reflect any changes since your last term. Setting two consecutive renewal notices side by side is a quick way to see whether a point dropped off or a new one appeared.

Reading What You Find: The SDIP Schedule

Every insurer in North Carolina applies the same SDIP percentages, set by the NC Rate Bureau under state law. If your insurer billed a surcharge that doesn’t match the table, question it.⁴

1 point, 40% surcharge: most minor moving violations, speeding 10 mph or less over the limit when the limit is under 55 mph, and at-fault accidents with total property damage of $2,300 or less.
2 points, 55% surcharge: illegal passing, following too closely, driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding more than 10 mph over at a total speed between 55 and 76 mph, speeding up to 10 mph over in a 55+ mph zone, and at-fault accidents with total damage between $2,300 and $3,850.
3 points, 70% surcharge: at-fault accidents causing death, bodily injury exceeding $1,800, or total property damage of $3,850 or more.
4 points, 90% surcharge: reckless driving, hit-and-run with property damage only, passing a stopped school bus, speeding over 75 mph when the limit is under 70, speeding over 80 mph when the limit is 70 or above, and underage driving after consuming alcohol or drugs.
8 points, 200% surcharge: driving while license suspended or revoked, and aggressive driving.
10 points, 260% surcharge: highway racing or speeding to elude arrest.
12 points, 340% surcharge: DWI (blood alcohol of .08 or higher), manslaughter, hit-and-run causing injury or death, prearranged highway racing, and transporting illegal liquor for sale.

How Long The Points Stay

Insurers look back three years before your policy application or renewal date for most convictions. A rule change effective July 1, 2025 extended that window to five years for any conviction carrying four or more SDIP points, with one exception: speeding convictions stay on the three-year window regardless of point value.³ So a reckless driving conviction (4 points, 90%) after July 1, 2025 affects your premiums for five renewal cycles, while a basic speeding ticket still drops off after three. The clock runs from your renewal date, not the conviction date.⁴

Drivers first licensed on or after July 1, 2025 also face a separate inexperienced-driver surcharge for up to eight years, compared to three years for drivers licensed before that date.³

If Something On Your Record Looks Wrong

A conviction that isn’t yours, an accident coded at the wrong damage amount, or a charge that was dismissed but still appears can all push your surcharges higher than they should be. The dispute path depends on where the error lives.

On the DMV record

Contact the NC DMV directly with documentation: a court disposition showing dismissal, a corrected judgment, or proof the conviction belongs to someone else. Once the DMV updates the record, your insurer should recalculate at your next renewal.

In your insurance claims history

Insurers also pull from the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE), a claims database kept by LexisNexis. Request a free copy at consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com or by calling 1-888-497-0011.⁶ To dispute an entry, call LexisNexis at 1-888-217-1591. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the agency must investigate and correct or remove inaccurate information, typically within 30 days, and you can add a personal statement to the report.⁷

A single incorrectly coded at-fault accident can be the difference between no surcharge and a 40% to 70% premium increase for three full years, so the dispute is worth the hour it takes.

1
Official NCDMV. Driver License Points
2
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 20 – Authority of Division to Suspend License
3
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 58 – Classifications and Safe Driver Incentive Plan
4
North Carolina Department of Insurance. Safe Driver Incentive Plan
5
Official NCDMV. Driving Records
6
LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Order Your Report Online
7
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act