Can I Get Car Insurance If I’ve Had A Heart Attack?
Caeva O'Callaghan | May 16th, 2023
After a heart attack, you may not be able to do some of the things you used to do with ease. But can you still get car insurance?
In short, yes. As long as your driving licence is valid, you will be able to get car insurance. You must be medically fit to drive in order to get a valid driving licence.
Also, you need to tell your car insurance once you have any medical issues which may affect your ability to drive. You must also get your doctor to sign off on any medical paperwork you need to get a valid licence.
In this article, we’ll answer questions such as:
- Will a heart attack affect my car insurance?
- Do I need to tell my car insurance if I have a heart attack?
- If I’m medically unfit to drive, will this affect my car insurance?
You must declare any pacemakers or defibrillators you’ve had fitted on your licence renewal form. Failure to do so will result in your car insurance being invalid.
After you have a heart attack
As soon as you’re feeling well again, you need to tell your car insurance provider about what happened. This is even if the NDLS advises you that you are medically fit to drive.
This is because heart attacks increase the likelihood of you making a claim. If you make a claim later because of an incident that was due, at least in part, to your heart problems, and you didn’t tell your insurer about the risk, your claim may be invalid.
In most instances, you won’t need to tell the NDLS about your heart attack until you’re feeling better. But, you will need to notify them immediately if you:
- Have more than one heart attack in three months
- Your condition gets worse
- You experience epileptic seizures
- You have brain surgery
- A doctor says you can’t drive
- You’re a lorry or bus driver
Having a heart attack can increase the risk of a car accident. Don’t put yourself or other road users at risk. It’s best to inform your insurer every step of the way.
Becoming medically fit to drive
If your driving licence is due to be renewed, and you have an implanted cardiac pacemaker or an implanted cardiac defibrillator, you must declare it on your renewal form.
Your medical history may present issues when getting your licence, but never when getting your insurance. This is because insurers assume that if you hold a full licence – a prerequisite for getting car insurance – then your heart will be up to scratch.
Once you have a valid driving licence, you can get car insurance and drive a car.
It is your responsibility to be a safe driver. Not operating a car safely will mean you fall foul of your car insurance conditions, your driving licence conditions and the law.
This means you need to:
- Take any prescribed medication and manage your condition(s)
- Stop driving if any of the medications you are taking for your heart have side effects that affect your ability to drive (for example, drowsiness)
- Tell the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) and your insurance provider of any long-term or permanent injury or illness that may affect your ability to drive safely
- Comply with requirements of your licence as appropriate, including periodic medical reviews
- Get professional advice on your medical fitness to drive if you develop a medical condition during the term of your licence
Remember, you will commit an offence if you drive after becoming aware that you are not fit to do so. “Aware” doesn’t necessarily mean a doctor has brought it to your attention, either. If you notice that you’re dizzy, fainting or so on, this constitutes awareness.
Talk to our car insurance experts and we can help
If you need any help understanding what you need to tell your car insurance providers if you’ve had a heart attack, feel free to pick up the phone and talk to our car insurance experts to get a quote on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051. We are available from Mon-Fri between 8.30am and 5.30pm. We look forward to helping you.