Car insurance for convicted drivers: What to know

When someone has been found guilty of an offence like dangerous driving or drink driving, there are serious consequences. And although it seems to pale in comparison to fines, driving bans, and even prison time, the question of what a conviction can do to your car insurance still crops up. In this post, we’ve put together a guide to car insurance for convicted drivers.

Although people with driving convictions sometimes have to turn to specialist insurers to find cover, there are other options. So here, we’ll look at what to expect while trying to get car insurance with a conviction on your driving licence, and explore some options that could make your insurance more affordable.

Can I get car insurance if I have a conviction?

Yes, you can get car insurance with a motoring conviction, but it’s important to be aware of two things from the start:

• Your insurance premiums will be higher because the amount of risk you represent to the insurer has increased. 
• Fewer companies will be willing to insure you. And depending on the nature of your conviction, some might even reject your application automatically.

The results of your insurance search will also depend on whether the conviction is “unspent” (it’s recent enough that it still appears on your driving record) or “spent” (it happened some time ago).

In the UK, the different types of driving offences (known as “endorsements”) stay on your record for different lengths of time. It’s generally either four years or 11 years from the date of the incident or the conviction, with a reduced time period if you’re under 18.

For example, four-year endorsements include:

• Reckless or dangerous driving
• Failing to stop at the scene of an accident or failing to report an accident within 24 hours
• Driving an unsuitable vehicle where the brakes, tyres, steering, etc. cause danger to yourself and others
• Driving while using a mobile phone

On the other hand, 11-year endorsements include very serious offences like:

• Drink driving or drug driving
• Causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Failing to provide a specimen for analysis after causing death by dangerous driving

Each endorsement will also come with a certain number of penalty points, which will stay on your licence for the same amount of time. Remember, if you total up 12 points or more within three years, you’ll be disqualified from driving.

You can find a full list of endorsement codes and penalty points at gov. uk.

What’s the difference between a spent and unspent conviction?

For the time period while the conviction appears on your driving record — whether that’s four years, or 11 years — it’s known as an “unspent” conviction. Then, after the time has passed, the conviction is “spent”.

Unspent convictions must be reported to insurers. This is true even if the sentence was given to someone who’s not the main driver named in the insurance agreement.

Note: Insurance fronting is a form of insurance fraud where someone with a driving conviction names someone else as the main driver in a joint insurance policy with the aim of lowering their insurance costs. Insurers have the power to prosecute customers they suspect of fronting, and the penalties are severe.

Spent convictions don’t have to be reported. According to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974), they can’t count against you, which means the conviction should stop affecting your insurance premiums after it’s spent.

Do insurance companies check for convictions? 

Insurers can check for driving convictions while they’re assessing the risk of insuring a particular driver or vehicle.

They’ll look at DVLA records, where they can view information like registration, previous offences, driving licence status, and penalty points. This helps them build up a picture of your driving behaviour and how likely you are to make a claim.

In the eyes of insurers, a driving conviction is not a sign of responsible driving behaviour. Insurers make convicted driver insurance more expensive as a way of protecting themselves, because in their eyes it’s more likely that they’ll have to make a pay-out if they insure you.

According to gov.uk, insurers can view endorsements at any point during a four-year endorsement or the first five years of an 11-year endorsement (falling to 30 months if you’re under 18).

The most important thing to know is that you have to disclose “unspent” convictions to an insurer, as well as penalty points. Otherwise, your insurance might be invalid if you have to make a claim later.

How much does a driving conviction increase car insurance?

A driving conviction will almost certainly push up your insurance costs. It will probably also increase the compulsory excess your insurer asks you to pay if you make a claim.

There’s no fixed formula for how much a driving conviction will add to your insurance bill. It varies from insurer to insurer according to the type of conviction and to other factors that affect every driver, like:

• Your age
• Your address
• Your parking situation
• The type of car you have, including the size of the engine
• Any modifications made to the vehicle
• Your estimated annual mileage

However, having as few as three new penalty points on your licence (such as for speeding) can increase your premiums. A more serious endorsement (for example, for drunk driving) will have a much more drastic effect.

Car insurance for previously banned drivers

Some driving convictions include a temporary ban from driving. For example, bans based on penalty points often last for six months, rising to 12 months if you’re disqualified for a second time within a year, and then two years for a third disqualification. However, the court ultimately decides the length of the ban, based on the offence.

If you’re disqualified from driving, you won’t be able to take out car insurance until you’ve served the driving ban and you’re allowed to drive again.

If you’ve been banned for more than 56 days, you’ll also have to reapply for your licence and look for new insurance. Again, while some insurers will insure previously banned drivers, you’ll likely find it harder to find a policy and you might have to talk to a specialist insurer.

You can choose to SORN your car and declare it off the road while you serve a driving ban. This would mean you wouldn’t have to pay car insurance or road tax during the disqualification. Without a SORN, you will have to continue to insure your car, even if you can’t drive. There’s a Fixed Penalty Notice system in place for uninsured vehicles that haven’t been formally declared off the road.

How to get cheap car insurance for convicted drivers

Although convicted drivers have to pay significantly more for their car insurance while their conviction is unspent, there are some things you can do to help make your insurance more affordable:

• Pay a higher excess: Choosing a policy with a higher compulsory excess or agreeing to pay a higher voluntary excess can lower the amount you pay for your insurance overall. This is because it reduces the chance you’d claim for something smaller like a dented panel and covers some of the insurer's costs if they do need to pay out. However, it’s important to make sure you could cover the cost of a higher excess if you ever had to claim it on your insurance.

• Pay annually: If you can afford to pay your car insurance in a lump sum, some insurers will give you a discount if you opt to pay annually rather than monthly.

• Choose your car wisely: Pay attention to the insurance group your car falls into, and try to choose a vehicle that’s less expensive to insure. Smaller cars with less powerful engines, for example, tend to come with lower costs.

• Keep your car secure: If you can park your car in a more secure location, or add security features like an alarm, tracking system, or immobiliser, you might be able to lower your risk profile, even with a motoring conviction.

• Lower your estimated mileage: When you use your car less and spend less time on the road, you’re less likely to be involved in an accident, so your insurance becomes more affordable.

• Opt for black box insurance: Telematics insurance monitors your driving behaviour with sensors in the car’s “black box.” Depending on the insurer, you could access feedback to help you improve your driving, get on a variable “pay how you drive” premium, or work towards incentives like insurance discounts.

Convicted driver insurance: Quick summary

It can be more challenging and much more expensive to find car insurance as a convicted driver. And because insurers require you to share the information, a conviction can continue to affect your premiums until it’s spent.

In the meantime, specialist insurers may be able to offer you a better deal, and there are some other changes you can make to your vehicle and your driving habits that could lower your costs.

To discuss your options, including rehabilitated driver insurance, with Howden’s team of experts, get in touch today. 

Also read:

• ANPR cameras: all you need to know
• Could a blood test see you prosecuted for ‘drowsy driving’? 
• Driving without due care and attention: What to know
• CAR INSURANCE GUIDES