Car insurance for people with criminal convictions
We can help you find the right policy if you have a criminal record
Criminal convictions and car insurance
Having a criminal record will increase the cost of your car insurance, whether your conviction is motoring-related or not, because insurers see you as a greater risk.
All convictions matter to your insurer, regardless of the crime, including robbery and driving under the influence of drink or drugs. Even minor anti-social crimes like littering count.
Even though it’ll cost you more and fewer insurers will be willing to cover you, you can still get the same level of cover as someone without a conviction.
Failure to honestly disclose a conviction when asked could be classed as fraud and invalidate your insurance
What you need to declare
Unspent convictions
Spent convictions
Named drivers
Disclosing unspent convictions
Insurers will ask you to disclose your criminal convictions to work out if you can be covered.
You must declare any unspent convictions you have.
Unspent convictions are in place for a set period. They can be short, last years or be indefinite.
If you get a conviction during your cover, you don’t have to let your insurer know until you renew, unless it states otherwise in your policy.
If you don’t disclose your unspent convictions when asked, your insurance will be invalid. Insurers can even get their money back from you if you’ve made a claim with them.
Final warnings, cautions and reprimands aren’t convictions, so they don’t need to be disclosed.
Key points
- If your insurer asks, you must declare your unspent convictions
- Your insurance will be invalid if you don’t
- Warnings, cautions and reprimands don’t need to be disclosed
Don’t disclose spent convictions
After a certain amount of time, depending on the severity of the crime, your conviction will become spent.
You don’t need to tell your insurer about spent convictions, even if you’re asked.
Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, spent convictions can’t count against you anymore.
Key points
- After a certain amount of time, unspent convictions become spent
- You don’t have to declare spent convictions
- They don’t count against you
Named drivers criminal convictions
If someone else needs to regularly drive your car, like a friend or relative, then you can add them to your car insurance as a named driver.
As your policy will cover another driver, you’ll need to give the insurer their details too, which includes disclosing any criminal convictions they have.
The convictions of named drivers can affect the price of car insurance whether the main driver has convictions or not.
Don’t try and save money by listing someone without convictions as the main driver, when a driver with convictions will mostly be driving the car – this is called fronting. It’s illegal and a form of fraud.
Key points
- If asked, you must declare convictions of anyone listed on your insurance
- Criminal convictions of named drivers will affect the price
- Don’t put someone without convictions as the main driver if they aren’t – it’s fraud and it won’t save you money in the long run
Join over a million customers with free £250 excess cover[†]
Claiming on your car insurance is stressful enough, without the added cost of your excess – and we want to help with that.
If you do need to claim, you'll have to pay your excess first, and then we'll refund up to £250 after your claim's settled.
It really is free. We haven't hidden the cost anywhere.
[†]Up to £250 refunded after claim settled. Car insurance purchases only. Excludes breakdown, windscreen and glass repair/replacement. Full T&Cs apply.
Lowering the cost of your car insurances
Here are a few ways to potentially lower your premiums if you have criminal convictions
-
Increase your excess
If you can afford to, paying more voluntary excess can make more policies available to you
-
Drive fewer miles
The less you drive, the less likely you are to be in an accident
-
Make your car secure
Invest in some extra security for your car, like an immobiliser or tracking device
-
Drive safely
Taking an advanced driving course shows you’re committed to being a safe driver
-
Telematics insurance
Your premiums are based on how well you drive, monitored by a black box that’s fitted to your car
-
Consider specialist providers
Some will take referrals from the Probation Service and HM Prison Service, which can reduce your premium