Affordable Insurance for a Convicted Driver

Drivers with criminal convictions will face increased premiums for their car insurance – and may well find that some UK Car Insurance providers won’t even offer them a policy. This can be the case whether the criminal convictions relate to motoring or not. However, drivers with unspent criminal convictions can find specialist policies available from UK providers and comparing these will give you the best chance of finding an affordable insurance policy that meets your needs as a convicted driver.

Remember: Under UK Insurance Disclosure Law, the duty is on the consumer – in this case the driving looking to get insurance – to answer all questions fully and accurately. You are only obliged to give the information that you are asked for, but you most answer any question honestly. Failing to do so will almost certainly invalidate any policy, making it worthless if you need to make a claim.

What Criminal Convictions Do I need to Declare?

When applying for any type of UK Insurance, you are obliged to answer any question accurately and honestly. Questions about Criminal Convictions will, unless very clearly stated otherwise, be referring to any unspent criminal conviction. This means you should disclose any convictions, whether or not the offence was related to motoring. As with any insurance application, read each question very carefully and answer honestly.

Spent or Unspent Convictions

You will come across references to both ‘spent’ and ‘unspent’ convictions and understanding the difference is important. UK Criminal Convictions remain on your record varying amounts of time, depending on the offence. While the conviction is ‘live’ on your record, it is regarded as UNPSENT. When the period of the conviction has expired, it is then regarded as a SPENT conviction. If you are unsure about the status of your conviction, the UK Charity Unlock has a disclosure calculator you can use to help you understand your situation. You can also use the tools available here on the GOV.UK website. The status of any criminal convictions may well be relevant to lots of different insurance applications, so it’s important to understand, whether you are looking for affordable insurance as a driver, or for other types of insurance policy.

Are Speeding Fines Criminal Convictions?

It can be difficult to understand the system in the UK for dealing with motoring offences, but when you are looking for UK Car Insurance, it is important to be aware of whether you will be regarded as a Convicted Driver. Some offences will result in a criminal conviction and some may be dealt with by issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice – often called just an FPN. Speeding offences can often be dealt with using the FPN system. If you are driving a car above the relevant speed limit, you may be issued a Fixed Penalty Notice. This offers you an alternative to prosecution at a magistrates’ court. If you accept guilt, pay any fine and accept any points on your driving licence, you will avoid going to court. In this case, where you comply with all the requirements of the FPN, you will not have a Criminal Conviction. However, you may now have an endorsement on your licence. When you are applying for UK Car Insurance, insurance providers will ask you about endorsements on your licence and, as with criminal convictions, you must answer any questions accurately.

How long do points stay on my driving licence?

Points added to your driving licence – called endorsements – remain ‘valid’ for different periods of time, depending on the offence they relate to. For many offences that validity period will be four years, for more serious offences it can be up to 11 years. When you are looking for Convicted Driver Insurance, read any questions carefully to understand if you are being asked about current endorsements on your licence, or past endorsements that have now become ‘spent.’ In the UK, drivers can check the details of any penalty points or endorsements on their driving licence by using the View Driving Licence web tool on GOV.UK.

How can I get cheaper quotes for Convicted Driver Insurance?

Criminal convictions and/or motoring endorsements will have an impact on the quotes you get to insure yourself to drive in the UK. However, there are a number of measures that could help you reduce the impact of more expensive insurance and reduce the prices you are quoted for UK Convicted Driver Insurance.

• Shop around: Comparing a range of quotes from different insurance providers is always the best route to the best price. This is even more important if your circumstances have changed. Don’t just renew with your existing insurer as they may well not be the best choice for convicted drivers.
• Consider changing your vehicle: If you have recently been convicted and finding insurance too pricey, it may be worth changing to a vehicle that is cheaper to insure – something smaller or less valuable for example.
• Pay yearly: If you have the money available, the upfront yearly cost of some insurance can be less for drivers than the combined total of 12 monthly payments so always check the payment options carefully.

Review Other Insurance Policies

Alongside the insurance you need to drive, you may notice an increase in costs when you come to renew other types of UK Insurance. So always shop around to find the right policy at the best available price.

On The Road

Home & Buildings

Business, Work & Trade

Travel, Holidays & Leisure

Personal, Family & Pets