Can I Get Car Insurance If I Have Previous Convictions?

Caeva O'Callaghan | May 12th, 2023

If you’re convicted of an offence, you may be disqualified from driving for a while. But will you still be able to get car insurance?

Yes, you will be able to get car insurance even if you have previous convictions. As long as it does not prevent you from driving a car, a conviction will not prevent you from getting insured.

The price of your premium may go up, and your provider may ask you more questions than normal, but when you go through QuoteMe.ie we’ll still be able to find you a great deal.

In this article, we’ll cover questions such as:

  • Will a conviction stop me getting car insurance?
  • Does my car insurance premium go up if I have a conviction?
  • Do I have to tell my insurance company about a conviction?

If you’ve fallen foul of the law in the past, you’ll need to approach buying car insurance a bit differently than others. Luckily we have experience in this area, and are happy to help.

Will a conviction stop me getting car insurance?

No. Even if you have a conviction, you will be able to get car insurance. But if you have committed a motoring offence, especially if that conviction is within the last 5 years, that will make getting insurance more difficult. It will stop most mainstream insurers from giving you a quote. And even if they do quote, the price may be prohibitively expensive.

Some car insurers will only want to know about convictions that you have received within the last 5 years. Others will need to know about convictions within the last 10 years. And some insurance providers will turn you down if you have ever had a conviction. Insurers may increase the cost of your policy depending on when you received the conviction as well as what the conviction was for.

It does not matter if your conviction is in relation to motoring or non-motoring offences: all convictions will affect your car insurance. Specialist convicted driver insurance is available for drivers who have been convicted or who have open claims. But, we can help find you the best car insurance in these circumstances.

Does my car insurance premium go up if I have a conviction?

Possibly. Again, it depends on your provider – and what offence you’ve committed.

Many car insurance providers will not cover you if you have convictions for more than one of the same type of offence. We have access to special insurance markets for people who have the following:

Don’t worry, as even drivers with a drink driving related conviction are still able to get car insurance. During the application process, we will need extra information about your conviction such as the date of the offence and the penalty you received. Since 2011, your penalty will reflect the offence: which means we no longer need to know the statistics around your blood/alcohol levels at the time of your offence.

The penalty you face will be a major factor in determining the cost of your car insurance policy. For instance, if you were disqualified from driving for more than 2 years, you will have lost your no claims bonus, which won’t cost you extra but will mean you miss out on future savings.

Do I have to tell my insurance company about a conviction?

Yes. If you have a criminal conviction for any kind of offence, you need to tell your car insurance company immediately. Not going so can create a lot of problems later on, and could lead to your claim being rejected. If your policy changes too much we can help you shop around for a new one.

Where there are driving convictions, disqualifications and/or penalty points declared we may require written confirmation of driving record from the NDLS. This is for any driver with an offence on their record. This document can be requested by sending an e-mail to info@ndls with your relevant Driver Number. As long as the driver requests a reply by email the NDLS will respond at no cost.

Any convictions spent under the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 do not need to be disclosed. Further information on spent convictions is available on www.citizensinformation.ie. Or, you can check with your local Garda station if your conviction is considered spent under the Criminal Justice Act 2016.

Got a previous criminal conviction and need car insurance? Don’t worry, our friendly experts will be happy to help you out. Give us a ring today or get an online quote now!

You can call us on 0818 224433 or 042 935905 Mon-Fri between from 8.30am and 5.30pm.


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All Information in this post is accurate as of the date of publishing.