The Best Online Defensive Driving Courses in Minnesota (2026)

Minnesota does not use a traditional point system for driver's licenses. Traffic violations affect insurance rates directly through carrier risk scoring, and Minnesota law mandates an insurance discount of up to 12% for drivers who complete an approved online defensive driving course (Minn. Stat. § 65B.28). Approved courses run about 8 hours and cost around $25. The mandated discount saves roughly $311 per year on the average Minnesota base premium, or $933 over three years. That is one of the better structured discount programs in the country, recovering close to a third of the insurance impact of a typical ticket. Availability is once every three years. Ticket dismissal is handled separately at the court level and varies by county. Course completion doesn't touch the ticket itself, but the discount does the useful work here.

The True Cost of a Ticket in Minnesota

Minnesota drivers pay a $125 fine and about $2,877 in three-year insurance surcharges for a 10-mph-over ticket, roughly $3,002 all-in. The fine is about 4% of the total bill. Minnesota does not offer statewide ticket dismissal via defensive-driving course completion. What Minnesota does mandate is an insurance discount of up to 12% for drivers who complete an approved course (Minn. Stat. § 65B.28), available once every three years. Course tuition typically runs $25 to $40. The math: a 12% discount on a Minnesota base premium of about $2,591 saves roughly $311 per year, or $933 over three years. That is a real offset against the $2,877 surcharge — the mandated discount recovers close to a third of the ticket's insurance impact. Not a full cure, but one of the better structured discount programs in the country.