Convicted driver insurance

What’s the difference between a motoring offence and a criminal conviction?

A motoring offence is when you break the law while driving, like speeding, drink-driving, or driving without insurance. These usually result in endorsements on your licence and can affect your car insurance.

Not all motoring offences are criminal. Minor offences, such as small speeding fines or not wearing a seatbelt, often lead to fixed penalty notices (FPN) or penalty charge notices (PCN) rather than a criminal record. More serious offences, like drink-driving or dangerous driving, can lead to a criminal conviction.

Criminal convictions cover serious driving offences and other crimes. They appear on your criminal record and can still affect car insurance, as providers ask about any unspent convictions when calculating premiums

Can I get car insurance with a criminal record?

Yes - you can still get car insurance if you have a criminal record, but it might mean you have to pay a higher premium, even if the offence wasn’t driving-related.

Insurers use claims data to assess risk, and a recent conviction can make them think you’re more likely to make a claim. Over time, convictions become spent, which can help you get cheaper insurance in the future.

What criminal offences impact the cost of car insurance?

When you apply for car insurance with a criminal record, you’re asked if you have any unspent criminal convictions, but you’re not asked what these are.

Insurers do ask you for details of motoring convictions though. And some convictions have a bigger effect on car insurance than others. Common examples include:

• Drink-driving offences (eg DR10, DR40): these are seen as high risk and often lead to significant premium increases
• Speeding offences: particularly if there are multiple convictions
• Driving bans or disqualifications: a disqualification can make it more difficult to get insurance once the ban ends
• Driving without insurance: while this doesn’t always lead to a criminal conviction, it nonetheless signals serious risk to insurers
• Penalty points on your licence: more points usually mean higher premiums

The more serious or recent the offence, the more likely it is to affect your quote.

Do I need to declare unspent convictions?

Yes. You must declare any unspent criminal convictions when applying for car insurance. Failing to do so could invalidate your policy and result in claims being refused.

Under UK law, some convictions become spent after a set period of time. This means you no longer have to declare them for most purposes, including insurance. The length of time depends on the type and severity of the offence.

If you’re unsure whether a conviction is spent or unspent, tools such as the Unlock disclosure calculator can help you check. It’s always better to be honest - insurers may be more likely to cancel a policy for non-disclosure than for the conviction itself.

How to get cheaper car insurance with a conviction

There’s no magic solution for getting car insurance after a conviction, but some of the following steps may help:

• Downsize your car to a cheaper, less powerful model in a lower insurance group
• Improve your driving behaviour by choosing black box insurance, which monitors how safely you drive
• Pay annually instead of monthly, as it means you don’t pay interest
• Choose a higher voluntary excess, but don’t set it at a level you can’t afford if you need to claim
• Reduce your mileage, if possible, as lower mileage means lower risk

It’s especially important to compare quotes, as some insurers specialise in covering convicted drivers and might offer better rates.

How do motoring offences impact car insurance

Certain motoring offences can have a particularly strong impact on insurance.

A drink-driving conviction (DR10) can make insurance more expensive and harder to find, but cover is still available once your driving ban ends. Specialist insurers might provide the most realistic options.

If you’re currently disqualified from driving, you won’t be able to get car insurance until the ban is lifted. A conviction code such as TT99 on your licence - which relates to multiple offences leading to disqualification – can also affect premiums for several years after you’re back on the road.

Points on your licence, endorsements, fines and disqualifications all feed into how insurers assess risk. Find out more about the most common motoring offences from the RAC.