The General SR-22 Reality for Indiana Drivers
You lost your license, called The General because their ads promise coverage for high-risk drivers, and received a quote. The premium seems high but manageable. You assume The General specializes in SR-22 cases and must offer competitive pricing for your suspension trigger. That assumption costs hundreds of dollars annually because The General is one of several non-standard carriers writing SR-22 policies in Indiana, and most drivers never request competing quotes from Bristol West, Dairyland, or GAINSCO before buying.
The General does write SR-22 coverage for Indiana drivers. Their parent company Sentry Insurance holds an AM Best A rating and they file electronically with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles within 24 hours of policy binding. The question is not whether The General can satisfy your SR-22 requirement — they can. The question is whether their premium represents the best value among carriers willing to write your specific suspension trigger in your county.
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Get Your Free QuoteThe General Indiana SR-22 Premium
$85–$140/mo
State minimum liability SR-22 policies from The General typically cost Indiana drivers $85–$140 monthly depending on suspension trigger, county, and prior insurance history. DUI suspensions push toward the higher end; lapse-related suspensions toward the lower. Estimates based on available industry data; individual rates vary.
The General SR-22 filing documentation, Indiana BMV SR-22 contact list
What The General Actually Covers
The General sells state minimum liability coverage paired with SR-22 certification. Indiana requires $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage. The General's policy meets these minimums exactly and adds the SR-22 endorsement your reinstatement requires. You receive proof of insurance, The General electronically files SR-22 with the BMV, and your suspension clock begins counting toward the required filing period.
The General also writes non-owner SR-22 policies for Indiana drivers who do not currently own a vehicle but need continuous insurance to satisfy BMV reinstatement conditions. Non-owner policies cost $60–$100 monthly and provide liability coverage when you drive borrowed or rented vehicles. If you sold your car after suspension or rely on family members for transportation, a non-owner policy satisfies the SR-22 filing requirement without paying for coverage on a vehicle you do not drive.
The General does not write FR-44 policies because Indiana does not require FR-44 filings. FR-44 is a Florida and Virginia requirement for DUI cases with higher liability limits. Indiana uses SR-22 exclusively, regardless of suspension trigger. The General's SR-22 product meets Indiana's legal threshold, nothing more.
The General's advertised rates assume clean prior insurance history. If your suspension includes an at-fault accident, uninsured driving, or multiple violations within 36 months, expect quotes in the $120–$160/mo range even for state minimums.
How The General Compares to Other Indiana SR-22 Carriers
Bristol West writes SR-22 and after-DUI coverage in Indiana through both online quotes and broker channels. Their premiums for state minimum liability with SR-22 endorsement typically range $70–$120 monthly, undercutting The General by $15–$20 for identical coverage in most counties. Bristol West files electronically with the BMV and processes policy binding within one business day. They require slightly more documentation upfront than The General but approve applications faster for drivers with DUI suspensions.
Dairyland and GAINSCO both write non-owner SR-22 policies at $55–$95 monthly, lower than The General's non-owner product for drivers who do not currently own vehicles. Acceptance Insurance writes SR-22 and after-DUI coverage but rates skew higher than The General for most triggers. Progressive and GEICO both file SR-22 in Indiana but rarely offer competitive pricing for suspended drivers compared to dedicated non-standard carriers. State Farm files SR-22 but their underwriting guidelines exclude most DUI and multiple-violation cases, limiting availability.
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Filing Process and Timing Windows
The General files SR-22 electronically with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles within 24 hours of policy effective date. You receive a physical SR-22 certificate mailed to your address within 3–5 business days, but the BMV receives electronic confirmation immediately. Indiana does not require you to submit paper proof to the BMV — the carrier's electronic filing satisfies the legal requirement.
Your SR-22 filing period begins the day the BMV receives electronic confirmation, not the day you purchased the policy. If your policy effective date is February 10 and The General files electronically February 11, your three-year SR-22 clock starts February 11. Missing this distinction causes drivers to miscalculate their reinstatement eligibility date by days or weeks.
The General charges a $25 SR-22 filing fee at policy inception and a $15 reprocessing fee if you cancel and reinstate coverage mid-term. If you let the policy lapse for any reason during your required filing period, The General must notify the BMV of the lapse within 10 days per Indiana Code 9-25. The BMV will re-suspend your license immediately and you must purchase new coverage, pay a $250 reinstatement fee to the BMV, and restart your SR-22 filing clock from zero.
Indiana SR-22 Filing Duration
3 years
Indiana requires continuous SR-22 filing for 3 years after DUI conviction, measured from conviction date per IC 9-25. Lapse-related and uninsured-driving suspensions also require 3-year filing periods. Your carrier must maintain the filing without interruption or the BMV re-suspends your license and restarts the clock.
Indiana Code 9-25, Indiana BMV SR-22 program documentation
Payment Plans and Cancellation Risk
The General offers monthly payment plans with automatic withdrawal from checking or debit card accounts. They do not accept credit card payments for SR-22 policies due to chargeback risk. If a monthly payment fails, The General allows a 10-day grace period before canceling coverage. After 10 days they file a lapse notice with the BMV and your license suspension resumes.
Drivers who cannot reliably fund monthly withdrawals should consider paying six months upfront to reduce lapse risk. The General offers a small discount for six-month prepayment, typically 5–8% off the total premium. Paying annually is not an option for SR-22 policies — The General limits prepayment to six months maximum for non-standard products.
When The General Makes Sense
The General is the right choice when you need same-day SR-22 filing, your suspension includes a DUI within the past 12 months, and other carriers have declined your application. The General's underwriting guidelines accept recent DUI convictions, multiple moving violations, and prior insurance lapses that disqualify applicants at Bristol West or Dairyland. Their approval rate for high-risk cases is higher, their documentation requirements are lighter, and their online quote process binds coverage faster than broker-dependent carriers.
The General is the wrong choice when your suspension trigger is insurance lapse, points accumulation, or unpaid tickets without accidents. These lower-risk suspension categories qualify for better pricing at Bristol West, Dairyland, and GAINSCO. Request quotes from all four carriers before binding coverage. The rate difference for identical state minimum liability coverage can exceed $500 annually, and all four file SR-22 electronically with the Indiana BMV within the same 24-hour window. If The General quotes $120 monthly and Bristol West quotes $95 for the same coverage, the only rational decision is Bristol West unless their underwriting declines your application.
Compare SR-22 Carriers Filing in Your County
The General advertises heavily because they profit from drivers who assume advertising reach equals best price. It does not. Enter your suspension trigger, county, and vehicle information into a multi-carrier comparison tool that pulls quotes from The General, Bristol West, Dairyland, GAINSCO, Acceptance, and other non-standard carriers writing SR-22 policies in Indiana. Bind the lowest quote that meets your coverage requirements. The SR-22 filing works identically regardless of which carrier submits it to the BMV.