Best Insurance Company for Convicted Drivers?

[Drinkdriving.org]

It is common knowledge that drivers with convictions more often than not face higher insurance premiums than those without a conviction. Sometimes drivers are suprised that they actually find insurance cheaper after a conviction. This could be for a vartiety of reasons such as:

• Searching and comparing more insurers in order to try and find the best price
• Purchasing a different car once their disqualification had ended
• Increasing the security of the vehicle
• Becoming a named driver of an existing policy
• In the case of drivers who have been banned, being older than they were before they were banned
• Moving home or changing where the vehicle is kept overnight

It would be useful if forum users who have driving licence endorsements and who were previously disqualified and/or recived penalty points for any driving offence or motoring conviction to share details of the insurance company who they chose to insure their vehicle with.

Which insurance company did you find the best deal with? Did you get an insurance quote directly from an insurance company, use a broker or use a comparison engine?

What was your experience of finding an affordable insurance policy as a convicted driver?

 

[passenger]

i have been using 1st central for some time now,no problems.

 

[gstanley]

Just got back on the road after a 13 month ban for blowing 66mg. Did the course to bring down from 17 months. I have DR10 and IN10 convictions on my license which made it quite difficult to find cover as many companies wouldn't touch me - mainly due to the IN10.

I ended up insuring with Zenith - these frequently showed up on comparison sites with the best quotes on many cars/vans. Also, Elephant similarly often quoted very well.
I am 23, in a good postcode with 5 years no claims bonus, insuring a 2008 honda civic 2.2 ctdi, (admittedly only third party fire & theft) but I paid £983 all in. - could've been cheaper if i'd bought the car sooner and insured earlier (see below)

I tried quite a few of the "specialist" convicted driver insurers but frankly they were a complete waste of time for me. you spend 30 mins+ on the phone to them for most of them to quote the thick end of £2000+. And they have the audacity to try to convince you that you'll not find a better price with anyone else - don't listen to them.

Just use confused.com or the equivalent - remember any no claims bonus you have will still be valid unless you've not used them for 2+ years, and put some other named drivers with a long clean driving record on to lower the premium too.

Also, the best piece of advice i can give - start shopping around for a car and insurance at least 8 weeks before your ban is due to end. You can get insurance quotes for up to 30 days in advance of when you want cover to start - doing this can dramatically reduce quote prices compared to getting a quote to start the following day etc.

Another thing; it seems to make a big difference the longer you've owned the vehicle. For example if you keep your car during your ban, having owned it for longer should have a good effect on price. If you sold your car and buy one just before your ban ends, don't lie and say you've owned the car for longer than you have, because they will most likely ask you for a scanned copy of the V5 certificate. Insurers do anything to get out of paying out claims - don't give them any reason to refuse/cancel your insurance or not pay out!

Safe driving again!

 

[Anonymous90]

Just got back on the road after a 13 month ban for blowing 66mg. Did the course to bring down from 17 months. I have DR10 and IN10 convictions on my license which made it quite difficult to find cover as many companies wouldn't touch me - mainly due to the IN10.

I ended up insuring with Zenith - these frequently showed up on comparison sites with the best quotes on many cars/vans. Also, Elephant similarly often quoted very well.
I am 23, in a good postcode with 5 years no claims bonus, insuring a 2008 honda civic 2.2 ctdi, (admittedly only third party fire & theft) but I paid £983 all in. - could've been cheaper if i'd bought the car sooner and insured earlier (see below)

I tried quite a few of the "specialist" convicted driver insurers but frankly they were a complete waste of time for me. you spend 30 mins+ on the phone to them for most of them to quote the thick end of £2000+. And they have the audacity to try to convince you that you'll not find a better price with anyone else - don't listen to them.

Just use confused.com or the equivalent - remember any no claims bonus you have will still be valid unless you've not used them for 2+ years, and put some other named drivers with a long clean driving record on to lower the premium too.

Also, the best piece of advice i can give - start shopping around for a car and insurance at least 8 weeks before your ban is due to end. You can get insurance quotes for up to 30 days in advance of when you want cover to start - doing this can dramatically reduce quote prices compared to getting a quote to start the following day etc.

Another thing; it seems to make a big difference the longer you've owned the vehicle. For example if you keep your car during your ban, having owned it for longer should have a good effect on price. If you sold your car and buy one just before your ban ends, don't lie and say you've owned the car for longer than you have, because they will most likely ask you for a scanned copy of the V5 certificate. Insurers do anything to get out of paying out claims - don't give them any reason to refuse/cancel your insurance or not pay out!

Safe driving again!

This surprised me. I've got the numbers of 3 or 4 specialist companies. I'm ready to phone them and ask, but wondering whether it'll be worth it. I would guess the car makes a big difference, but if it was up to them, they'd probably have everyone with a prior conviction driving a 1L MK1 Punto from the mid 90s.

 

[Anonymous90]

So just an update, finally back on the road. Yay. Should be a day of celebration. Alcohol-free Champagne

What a joke though. 1st Central. Jesus christ, bunch of absolute conners. Unfortunately, they're the cheapest company, so I've had to bend over and.... y'know the rest.

I got a fairly good quote off a price comparison website, phoned up and they told me that these comparison sites hadn't passed enough info and after correcting it, it was £100 more..... I stupidly didn't question it and agreed to pay. After deciding I wasn't happy, I've phoned back as I wasn't happy and a second operator told me it should have actually GONE DOWN after they amended the info from the price comparison site. NOT UP. DOWN!!! By around £20.

They've said they won't refund the £100 however, as I agreed to pay the extra £100, therefore I've agreed to pay. A big royal f*** you.

Shame really. Should be a nice day and I'm instead fuming over insurance. Oh well.

Be very very wary about 1st Central and make sure you don't let them mug you off like they did today.

 

[elderflower2]

As someone else said, the so called "specialists" for convicted drink drivers are , in majority of cases, dearer than everyone else!

I tried various "specialists" when I first got my licence back in May 2016. Was very disappointed with the quotes but, thought I would have to stomach it when my brother suggested just putting my details into a comparison site instead- I thought this would be a waste of time but, to my delight, the cheapest quotes were over £500 cheaper than the "specialists"

These quotes were for a performance car in group 44 (out of 50) so an expensive car to insure, plus I had an at fault claim from 8 months before I lost my licence.

I now pay £800 for a group 44 2 seater performance car, which although is probably double what it would be with a clean licence , its not bad compared to what young'uns pay for a basic car!

I've only got another 2 years of declaring ( since conviction) to insurance companies and as long as I keep a clean licence until then, costs will go right down again!

 

[MrCo]

Before my conviction I paid £385 fully comp, 9 yrs no claims on a MK2 Focus RS 2009.
My ban is up a week today so I’ve been looking on moneysupermarket etc and by adding DR10, my quotes are now coming up at £460 on same car, so I’m really happy with that tbh as thought I’d have to sell it and get something different.

 

[Reco Alco]

Just got back on the road after a 13 month ban for blowing 66mg. Did the course to bring down from 17 months. I have DR10 and IN10 convictions on my license which made it quite difficult to find cover as many companies wouldn't touch me - mainly due to the IN10.

I ended up insuring with Zenith - these frequently showed up on comparison sites with the best quotes on many cars/vans. Also, Elephant similarly often quoted very well.
I am 23, in a good postcode with 5 years no claims bonus, insuring a 2008 honda civic 2.2 ctdi, (admittedly only third party fire & theft) but I paid £983 all in. - could've been cheaper if i'd bought the car sooner and insured earlier (see below)

I tried quite a few of the "specialist" convicted driver insurers but frankly they were a complete waste of time for me. you spend 30 mins+ on the phone to them for most of them to quote the thick end of £2000+. And they have the audacity to try to convince you that you'll not find a better price with anyone else - don't listen to them.

Just use confused.com or the equivalent - remember any no claims bonus you have will still be valid unless you've not used them for 2+ years, and put some other named drivers with a long clean driving record on to lower the premium too.

Also, the best piece of advice i can give - start shopping around for a car and insurance at least 8 weeks before your ban is due to end. You can get insurance quotes for up to 30 days in advance of when you want cover to start - doing this can dramatically reduce quote prices compared to getting a quote to start the following day etc.

Another thing; it seems to make a big difference the longer you've owned the vehicle. For example if you keep your car during your ban, having owned it for longer should have a good effect on price. If you sold your car and buy one just before your ban ends, don't lie and say you've owned the car for longer than you have, because they will most likely ask you for a scanned copy of the V5 certificate. Insurers do anything to get out of paying out claims - don't give them any reason to refuse/cancel your insurance or not pay out!

Safe driving again!

Hi,
I also have an IN10 on my license (my insurance ran out the day i got pulled over but i hadn't realised it had expired) I didn't receive any points for it though. It that usual? Does the insurance company ask for your license details?

 

[price1367]

Hi,
I also have an IN10 on my license (my insurance ran out the day i got pulled over but i hadn't realised it had expired) I didn't receive any points for it though. It that usual? Does the insurance company ask for your license details?

The insurance companies do ask for your licence details and you MUST declare all your convictions for the past 5 years.
Because you got the IN10 at the same time as a drink drive conviction which resulted in a ban, you do not get the usual 6 points associated with a no insurance offence. (But you still have to disclose the conviction and show 0 points for it)

 

[Reco Alco]

I'm raging!!! I've been quoted 1800 quid fully comp on an Audi A3 1.4 2013 plate. How can that be?

I've got 10Y protected NCB i did have a little dink about 1 year before my ban but that's all. I've got zero points but have IN10 as well as DR10 (received the IN10 at the same time I got busted, truly wasnt intentional, my insurance had ran out the day prior)

Before this my insurance was around 600 quid

Who's worth calling for a quote?

 

[Reco Alco]

Just got back on the road after a 13 month ban for blowing 66mg. Did the course to bring down from 17 months. I have DR10 and IN10 convictions on my license which made it quite difficult to find cover as many companies wouldn't touch me - mainly due to the IN10.

I ended up insuring with Zenith - these frequently showed up on comparison sites with the best quotes on many cars/vans. Also, Elephant similarly often quoted very well.
I am 23, in a good postcode with 5 years no claims bonus, insuring a 2008 honda civic 2.2 ctdi, (admittedly only third party fire & theft) but I paid £983 all in. - could've been cheaper if i'd bought the car sooner and insured earlier (see below)

I tried quite a few of the "specialist" convicted driver insurers but frankly they were a complete waste of time for me. you spend 30 mins+ on the phone to them for most of them to quote the thick end of £2000+. And they have the audacity to try to convince you that you'll not find a better price with anyone else - don't listen to them.

Just use confused.com or the equivalent - remember any no claims bonus you have will still be valid unless you've not used them for 2+ years, and put some other named drivers with a long clean driving record on to lower the premium too.

Also, the best piece of advice i can give - start shopping around for a car and insurance at least 8 weeks before your ban is due to end. You can get insurance quotes for up to 30 days in advance of when you want cover to start - doing this can dramatically reduce quote prices compared to getting a quote to start the following day etc.

Another thing; it seems to make a big difference the longer you've owned the vehicle. For example if you keep your car during your ban, having owned it for longer should have a good effect on price. If you sold your car and buy one just before your ban ends, don't lie and say you've owned the car for longer than you have, because they will most likely ask you for a scanned copy of the V5 certificate. Insurers do anything to get out of paying out claims - don't give them any reason to refuse/cancel your insurance or not pay out!

Safe driving again!

This is pretty much my story too.
Who are you using now/who would you recommend I use for a quote? I've used a couple of brokers and theyre absolutely trying to rip me off!

 

[price1367]

How long was your ban?

 

[BigTom]

I'm raging!!! I've been quoted 1800 quid fully comp on an Audi A3 1.4 2013 plate. How can that be?

I've got 10Y protected NCB i did have a little dink about 1 year before my ban but that's all. I've got zero points but have IN10 as well as DR10 (received the IN10 at the same time I got busted, truly wasnt intentional, my insurance had ran out the day prior)

Before this my insurance was around 600 quid

Who's worth calling for a quote?

Protected NCB is only really relevant if you stay with the same company. It is a way Insurance companies try to create loyalty and stop people switching each year. As far as any other company is concerned, you do not have the full NCB - you have a claim. Coupled with an IN10 and a DR10, you are considered a big risk and therefore the quotes are evident of this. Go through the comparison sites as well as contacting specialist brokers for your best option - also look at some standalone insurers who do not work through the comparison sites. Unfortunately you inadvertently not having insurance is no defence and the courts found you guilty.

Make sure you are fully disclosing the IN10, the DR10 and the 'dink' you had - not disclosing the accident because your previous company covered it in the protected NCB could see any new insurance invalidated, which could result in another IN10!!!

 

[Recovered22]

IN10 is treated with the same severity as DR10 by insurance companies. Before my IN10 expired I had an IN10, DR10 and a crash. My insurance was £900 before the incident, after the ban my insurance was £2200.

My IN10 has now expired and my insurance is back down to less than £900 on a 330d with just the DR10 and crash. My 5 years no claims bonus was protected at the time of the crash and my new company accepted it no problem make sure you ask them if they recognise protected no claims before the policy starts and declare everything or you'll land another IN10 (without the 5 years NCB they wanted over £4.5k!!) The place I got my best price was just on confused. But expect to pay £1.5k minimum with the combination of a DR10 and IN10.

 

[January]

NCD are transferable between companies for DR10 but only if ban is under 2 years

 

[Reco Alco]

How long was your ban?

17 month reduced to 13 because of the course

 

[simondo72]

I've seen plenty of posts and ads from insurers around convicted driver insurance lately so there's obviously plenty of options.

What I like even more is seeing pieces like this myth busting piece around common drink driving myths. It's important we educate people as I'm sure we've all, myself included, given it the old "it's ok, I'm having a big meal".

In my experience, it's easier speaking to someone rather than pumping info into a computer so maybe try a broker

I am just coming to the end of my ban and I used confused.com. The quote is with 3 years no claims, 48 year old driver, 3.0 BMW convertible and it is £380 fully comp. It was only £30 more than before the ban (17 months, reduced to 13 with the course, blew 62) and of course I have declared my DR10.

 

[January]

I am just coming to the end of my ban and I used confused.com. The quote is with 3 years no claims, 48 year old driver, 3.0 BMW convertible and it is £380 fully comp. It was only £30 more than before the ban (17 months, reduced to 13 with the course, blew 62) and of course I have declared my DR10.

Hi I doubled checked re the recording of the DR10 as when I did my house insurance some on the on line sites didn’t take DR10 as criminal conviction
In the end I went through a broker for house and recently car
Does go on value of car, age, yr experience etc

 

[Luna2000]

Just got back on the road after a 13 month ban for blowing 66mg. Did the course to bring down from 17 months. I have DR10 and IN10 convictions on my license which made it quite difficult to find cover as many companies wouldn't touch me - mainly due to the IN10.

I ended up insuring with Zenith - these frequently showed up on comparison sites with the best quotes on many cars/vans. Also, Elephant similarly often quoted very well.
I am 23, in a good postcode with 5 years no claims bonus, insuring a 2008 honda civic 2.2 ctdi, (admittedly only third party fire & theft) but I paid £983 all in. - could've been cheaper if i'd bought the car sooner and insured earlier (see below)

I tried quite a few of the "specialist" convicted driver insurers but frankly they were a complete waste of time for me. you spend 30 mins+ on the phone to them for most of them to quote the thick end of £2000+. And they have the audacity to try to convince you that you'll not find a better price with anyone else - don't listen to them.

Just use confused.com or the equivalent - remember any no claims bonus you have will still be valid unless you've not used them for 2+ years, and put some other named drivers with a long clean driving record on to lower the premium too.

Also, the best piece of advice i can give - start shopping around for a car and insurance at least 8 weeks before your ban is due to end. You can get insurance quotes for up to 30 days in advance of when you want cover to start - doing this can dramatically reduce quote prices compared to getting a quote to start the following day etc.

Another thing; it seems to make a big difference the longer you've owned the vehicle. For example if you keep your car during your ban, having owned it for longer should have a good effect on price. If you sold your car and buy one just before your ban ends, don't lie and say you've owned the car for longer than you have, because they will most likely ask you for a scanned copy of the V5 certificate. Insurers do anything to get out of paying out claims - don't give them any reason to refuse/cancel your insurance or not pay out!

Safe driving again!

Hmm. You say it makes a difference depending on how long you have owned the vehicle, but how can you own a car without getting insurance for it. Even if it is parked up in your driveway, you would still need to insure it against fire and theft and you won't get insurance because you don't have a licence.

 

[Romal]

This is my experience. I refused the breath sample so I was high risk.
Never go to a specialist convicted insurer this is a complete rip off, the quotes I received were insane.
Use moneysupermarket/comparethemarket/gocompare/confused.com comparison sites. I got an excellent deal with a company that offered all extra cover for free, breakdown and everything. I wont say which one because your details will be different and another company may come up cheaper. The cost results for the same company varied a bit on each comparison site so I would recommend using all 4. It doesnt take that long to enter your details on all of them and its worth that little bit of time.

I went for the second cheapest offer because the top result wanted to fit a tracker and have me download an app to use with it. I dont like the idea of being tracked with location etc but if you dont mind then go for it, the quote was £35 a month but not many extras so I was happy with the second cheapest and all extras. It will say on the quote results screen if its a tracker included company.

I hope somebody finds this helpful.