People who have previous convictions may find it difficult to get affordable insurance quotes. If they are not able to buy an insurance policy immediately, their cars are most likely to stand on the street or in front of their house until they can afford one
For some companies, previous driving convictions may lead to an increase in your premium of up to 40%. However, there are still plenty of great providers out there that can still provide relatively competitive quotes, even if you have committed minor speeding offences; some of which are our partners. But if you have more serious driving offences on your record, it’s possible that they’ll hike up premiums by as much as 400%.
Is it hard to get car insurance after a conviction or ban?
Getting insurance after a ban can be much harder. If you’re convicted of driving while disqualified, your insurance will be invalidated. If you’re caught driving while you’re banned, not only could the insurer invalidate your policy, but they may also void any no claims bonus that you’ve built up over the years. If this happens it could cost thousands to reclaim again in the future.
Some companies won’t insure anyone who’s had their licence revoked by a court due to dangerous or drunk driving; others may charge higher premiums for three years after the revocation. You might find it particularly hard to get car insurance with another provider once your insurer has cancelled your policy because of an act of misconduct such as dangerous or drunk driving . Be sure to read the small print when looking for new cover.
What is the cheapest car to insure after a ban?
Facts and figures from gocompare.com revealed that the average insurance policy for a Renault Clio costs £935 over five years, but with a single conviction for speeding under your belt, this rises to around £1,009; an increase of 10%. This means that if you were unfortunate enough to get banned (or even worse: jailed), you’ll end up shelling out at least double what other motorists pay on their car insurance premiums.
Therefore, the safest option is always to drive sensibly and not take any risks; even if there’s no police in sight – it will be worth it in the long run!
As a rule of thumb: the stricter the policy, the more likely you are to be charged for penalty points and repeat offences. It’s worth remembering that even if your no claims bonus is still intact, most companies will increase premiums over time.
How long do you have to declare convictions for insurance?
When applying for car insurance, most companies will ask if you have held your licence and what your criminal record is like in the past five years. It’s possible to get a few speeding fines here and there within this time without it impacting on how much you pay for cover – but any crimes such as drink-driving or reckless driving may affect premiums significantly.
If you’ve been disqualified from holding a licence due to repeat offences, chances are you’ll be refused some policies altogether; some insurers won’t insure anyone with more than six penalty points on their record while others will only offer cover if they keep below 12 points.
Driving without cover can result in a hefty fine, points off your licence or even imprisonment if deemed necessary by the court. However, not all offences come with immediate disqualification from driving; some may see your licence endorsed with penalty points instead which will stay on record for four years unless they are removed sooner.
How can I get cheaper insurance after a ban?
If you’ve been banned for using your vehicle in an illegal way, it’s always worth shopping around to see what you can find. Loyalty does not pay when it comes to car insurance; check out our partners who offer competitive quotes for comprehensive policies.
Alternatively, if your insurer charges a huge premium because of penalty points or bad reputation, but you have only committed minor offences in the past five years, consider putting your faith in one of our specialist providers. These are all independent companies who specialise in providing insurance for drivers who have had motoring convictions within this time period. Whether you got caught speeding on camera or were penalised via police prosecution, there’s a good chance that they’ll be able to offer you a policy which won’t cost the earth.
