Car Insurance for Drivers With Convictions Explained

Car insurance for drivers with convictions is still available from mainstream insurers and specialist brokers, but the price you pay depends heavily on the offence, how recent it is, and whether it is spent. Most convicted drivers can still get cover, and premiums fall as the conviction ages and you rebuild a clean record.

The loading varies by offence code. A single SP30 speeding endorsement typically adds around 10-25% to a premium, while a DR10 drink-driving conviction can roughly double it and often pushes drivers towards specialist underwriters. Against a UK backdrop where the average motor premium held at £560 in Q1 2026, according to the ABI, a serious conviction can add hundreds of pounds a year until it drops off.

Free Price Compare lists cover from a panel of 130+ insurers, including brokers who actively price for convicted drivers, so comparing across the whole market is the single most effective way to find a workable price after a conviction.

Last updated: September 2026

Written by the Free Price Compare editorial team | Reviewed September 2026

Can you still get car insurance with a driving conviction?

Yes, drivers with a driving conviction can almost always get car insurance, though the premium is higher and you may need a specialist broker for serious offences. Insurers rarely refuse cover outright, but a drink-driving or dangerous-driving conviction narrows the number of companies willing to quote, which pushes prices up.

The difference between mainstream and specialist cover matters. Minor endorsements like a single speeding conviction are handled by most standard insurers with a modest loading. More serious offences, or several endorsements together, are often priced by underwriters who specialise in higher-risk drivers. A driver refused at renewal by a mainstream insurer can usually still find cover by comparing a wider panel that includes those specialists.

Free Price Compare’s own quote data shows around a third of car insurance quotes come from drivers with zero years of no-claims bonus, so non-standard and higher-risk profiles are a routine part of the market, not an edge case. If you have a specific endorsement, our convicted driver car insurance comparison is a useful starting point.

Compare convicted driver cover

How much do convictions add to car insurance?

Convictions add anywhere from around 10% to over 200% to a car insurance premium, depending on the offence code and how recent it is. The average UK motor premium was £560 in Q1 2026, according to the ABI, and a conviction loading is applied on top of the risk price your insurer would otherwise quote.

The table below shows indicative loadings drawn from 2026 UK market commentary. These are illustrative, not guaranteed – your own quote depends on your car, age, address, mileage and driving history as well as the offence.

Figures are indicative and may change. Loadings ease over time: an IN10 conviction that adds around 35% in year one can fall to roughly 12% by year four as it ages and you build a clean record (2026 market commentary).

If your endorsement is a speeding offence, our SP30 insurance comparison shows how that specific code is priced; drink-driving convictions have their own market, covered on our DR10 drink-driver insurance page.

How much does 3 points increase car insurance?

Three penalty points from a single minor offence such as an SP30 typically increase a car insurance premium by around 10-25%, though a low-level speeding conviction often sits at the lower end. Points signal higher risk to insurers, and the increase compounds if you already have other endorsements or a short claims-free history.

Six points has a larger effect. Market commentary suggests the increase is materially higher than for three points, though the exact figure depends on how the points were accrued and over what period. Points from two separate offences generally cost more than the same total from one, because insurers treat repeat behaviour as a stronger risk signal.

Points remain declarable for longer than many drivers expect, which catches people out at renewal. We cover exactly how long below.

How do penalty points affect car insurance and how long do they last?

Penalty points must be declared to your insurer for 5 years from the date of conviction for most offences, even though the DVLA removes them from your licence record after 4 years. This gap between the DVLA record and insurer disclosure rules is a common source of confusion and disputes.

The distinction is important. DVLA endorsement codes stay on your driving record for 4 or 11 years depending on severity, but insurers set their own disclosure window and most ask about convictions in the past 5 years. So a set of points can be gone from your licence yet still declarable on an insurance application. Answering an insurer’s exact question honestly is what protects you, not the DVLA timeline.

Serious offences carry longer disclosure periods. A DR10 drink-driving endorsement stays on the DVLA record for 11 years and is generally declarable for at least 5 years for insurance, sometimes longer. Always answer the insurer’s specific question about the number of years, and if unsure, disclose rather than risk a voided policy.

Rebuilding after a conviction?

Compare cover across specialist and mainstream insurers in one search.

Compare car insurance

When does a conviction become spent?

A conviction becomes ‘spent’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 after a rehabilitation period that depends on the sentence, and once spent it never has to be declared for insurance. An insurer cannot void a policy or refuse a claim because you did not disclose a spent conviction.

The rehabilitation period varies. A fine or a driving disqualification is usually spent 12 months after the penalty period ends, while custodial sentences take longer. For a driving ban, the conviction is generally spent five years after the date of conviction, though insurer disclosure windows and the legal ‘spent’ point do not always line up, so check both.

This is one of the strongest reasons to keep comparing every year. As a conviction ages towards spent and drops out of the insurer’s disclosure window, your price should fall, and the insurer that was competitive last year may not be this year. Re-comparing at each renewal is where convicted drivers recover the most.

See how your renewal price changes

What happens if you don’t declare a conviction?

Not declaring a conviction your insurer asked about is a breach of your duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation, and it can leave your policy voided and a claim unpaid. A voided policy is treated as if it never existed, which can also mean you have to declare a cancellation or voidance on future applications.

Insurers cross-check applications against databases, so undisclosed convictions frequently surface. Motoring convictions are recorded with the DVLA and cross-referenced through industry databases, and the Motor Insurance Database (MID) records who is insured on which vehicle. If a non-disclosure emerges after a claim, the insurer can refuse to pay, recover money it has already paid out, and cancel the cover.

The safe approach is to disclose everything the insurer asks about, including pending prosecutions and fixed penalties, and to answer each question precisely. If you think a decision was unfair, the Financial Ombudsman Service can review how an insurer handled a claim or voidance. Honesty costs less than a voided policy.

Does a named driver’s conviction affect my policy?

Yes, a named driver’s conviction affects your policy, because insurers price the total risk on the car including everyone insured to drive it. Adding a driver with a serious conviction such as a DR10 can sharply increase your premium, and some insurers will decline to add them at all.

You must declare a named driver’s convictions honestly, just as you declare your own. Leaving off a named driver’s endorsement to keep the price down is a misrepresentation and can void the whole policy, not just their portion of it. If a named driver has a heavy conviction, it is sometimes cheaper for them to hold their own policy where they are the main driver.

Non-motoring criminal convictions can also matter for some insurers, particularly serious or vehicle-related offences. Only declare criminal convictions that are unspent and that the insurer specifically asks about – if the question is not asked, or the conviction is spent, you do not need to volunteer it.

How can convicted drivers get cheaper cover?

Convicted drivers get cheaper cover by comparing specialist and mainstream insurers together, choosing a lower-risk car, and rebuilding a clean driving record over time. No single insurer is cheapest for every conviction, so the biggest saving comes from comparing the whole market rather than renewing automatically.

Practical steps that help after a conviction:

• Compare across a wide panel that includes convicted-driver specialists, not just the insurers you already know – our guide to cover for different driver profiles explains how insurers price non-standard risks.
• Pick a car in a low insurance group. Free Price Compare data shows a large share of quotes are for cars valued between £1,000 and £5,000, and a modest, low-powered car is far cheaper to insure after a conviction than a high-performance model.
• Consider a telematics or black-box policy, which lets some higher-risk drivers demonstrate safe driving and reduce the price at renewal.
• Pay annually rather than monthly where you can, to avoid interest on instalments.
• Keep your mileage and job details accurate, and avoid unnecessary modifications – around 98-99% of cars quoted through Free Price Compare have no modifications, and adding them typically raises the price.
• Re-compare at every renewal. As the conviction ages and moves towards spent, more insurers will quote and the loading falls.

Young drivers with a conviction face the steepest prices, because youth and inexperience already carry a high loading before the offence is added. Comparing young driver insurance options alongside specialist convicted cover is worth doing for anyone under 25 with points.

Compare specialist convicted driver quotes

Which insurers do not ask about criminal convictions?

No reputable UK insurer offers motor cover without asking about relevant convictions, and any that appears not to will still rely on your duty to disclose accurately at the point of sale. The real answer is that insurers only need convictions that are unspent and within the disclosure period they ask about, so a spent conviction does not need declaring to anyone.

Some insurers ask narrower questions than others. One may ask only about motoring convictions in the past 5 years, another about all unspent criminal convictions. You answer the question in front of you truthfully; you are not obliged to volunteer information the insurer does not ask for, and you never have to declare a spent conviction. Choosing an insurer whose questions reflect your situation, rather than one that appears to skip the topic, is what keeps your cover valid.

Drivers holding a foreign licence or returning after a disqualification often need specialist underwriting, as do those with medical conditions that affect driving. These non-standard profiles are exactly where comparing a broad panel of insurers, including brokers who price impaired and higher-risk drivers, makes the biggest difference to the final price.

• Find the Best Car Insurance for Different Driver Profiles
• Find the Best Deal on Nissan Qashqai Car Insurance
• Cheap Young Driver Insurance Comparison – Free Price Compare
• Brightside Car Insurance: Get Competitive Quotes & Cover
• Compare SP30 Insurance for Convicted Drivers

Information correct as of 17 September 2026. Prices, tariffs, policy details and providers change frequently, so please check the latest details before making a decision. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Free Price Compare is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).