Ohio is one of the cheapest states in the country to take a defensive driving course, which is fitting, because it's also a state where the course buys you something modest.
The course itself runs $27.95 to $39 online for the approved 8-hour format, based on prices we pulled in August 2026, with Improv at $27.95 and iDriveSafely at $39. Prices move, so treat those as a snapshot rather than a promise, but the range has been stable and there's no reason to pay more than about $40 in Ohio.
What you're buying depends on why you're buying. Take the course for Ohio's 2-point credit and the cost stack is just the tuition, no state fee, no hearing, available once every three years. Take it because a court has offered to dismiss or reduce your ticket, and the court may add its own program fee on top; that varies court by court, so ask the clerk for the full number when you confirm they'll accept the course at all.
The comparison that matters isn't Improv versus iDriveSafely, it's the course versus the ticket. Our Ohio data puts a typical 10-over citation at a $121 fine and roughly $1,563 in three-year insurance exposure as a ceiling estimate. Where a court will trade a dismissal for a $30 course, that's the best deal in the state. Where it won't, you're spending $30 on a 2-point credit, still worthwhile if your point total is creeping toward Ohio's 12-point suspension, close to pointless on a clean record.
Current prices for every approved school we track are on the Ohio page, and the full points picture is on our points page.