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DUI conviction total cost
Project the full all-in cost of a DUI conviction over 5 years — fines, attorney, IID, SR-22, treatment, license reinstatement, lost work, insurance increase.
5-year all-in DUI cost
Show the work
- Direct legal costs$9,000
- Insurance impact (5yr)$15,000
- Compliance & treatment$2,700
DUI is a five-figure mistake
The MADD-quoted "$10,000 average" for a first DUI is conservative. Once insurance impact compounds across 5 years, the realistic total for a first-offense, no-injury DUI in a typical state is $15,000-25,000. With injury or property damage, six figures.
The cost stack
- Attorney (single biggest controllable cost): $2,500-7,500 first-offense, $10k+ if trial
- Fines + court costs: $1,500-3,500 typical
- IID (Ignition Interlock Device): $70-100/mo for 6-12 months mandatory in most states
- SR-22 high-risk insurance filing: small fee but the rate increase is the real cost
- Insurance: 150-300% premium increase for 3-5 years
- Treatment: court-ordered DUI school + assessments: $300-2,500
- Reinstatement fees: $250-500
- Lost wages: 2-30 days of court / jail / treatment
The trial math
DUI trial economics: a public defender or hired counsel takes the case to trial when (a) BAC was below 0.08 + suspect testing, or (b) the stop itself was unconstitutional. Trial cost: $10-20k incremental over a plea. Worth it only if win-rate × (acquittal value) > marginal cost.
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