Tips to Lower Insurance after Conviction

Convicted Driver Insurance

cc2491

Member
I got banned in March last year, for drink driving, when i was 19. My ban ended in March this year, but i've only got around to applying for my license now. I've been looking at Insurance for a short while now, and have come to realise it's not all Doom and Gloom.

Although price-comparison sites are usually useless for convicted drivers, it always helps to tweak the information you give them, and there are simple ways you can lower your premium.

1. Employment

You should always try getting a few quotes with differtent job titles that are similar to your own. For example, if you are unemployed, tell them you are a housewife/husband. This lowers your premium significantly.

2. License

Many people tell insurance companies they've held their license since the date they got it back after a ban. This is wrong. You are supposed to tell them the date you FIRST passed your test, regardless of any ban.

3. Driving Experience

Another thing you should remember when on comparison sites is to tell them about your driving experience. It often asks if you have held insurance in your name within x amount of years. Even if you were a named driver, click yes. It will then ask you what type of experience you have, e.g Policy Holder or Named Driver. It will then ask you how many years you have been driving. Again, this will lower your quote.

4. Type of Cover

Very often, comprehensive insurance can be cheaper than third party, or third-party, fire and theft. I, a 20 year old, with a drink driving conviction, got quoted over £3000 for third party, but;

I got quoted just £1900, for a 1999 Astra 1.4 5 door, from Endsleigh.co.uk, through moneysupermarket.com

I hope these tips help someone, as i know what a pain it can be to get insured after a drink driving conviction. Don't forget to phone around for quotes aswell, as they can be cheaper if you ring them. Good Luck!!
 
Adding a named driver to the policy can also lower the quote substantially, especially for young drivers. Go for an older, more experienced person with a good claims record and a clean licence (a parent will often fit the bill nicely). Most people tend to think that adding a named driver will increase the premium rather than reducing it, so it's easy to miss out on this way to bring the cost down.
 
Adding a named driver to the policy can also lower the quote substantially, especially for young drivers. Go for an older, more experienced person with a good claims record and a clean licence (a parent will often fit the bill nicely). Most people tend to think that adding a named driver will increase the premium rather than reducing it, so it's easy to miss out on this way to bring the cost down.

Not in every case. I've tried adding my parents to my policy, and it either doesn't reduce the premium at all, or it gets more expensive.
 
Not every time, no ... but sometimes therefore worth trying. The other point is to try tesco who, at the minute, seem markedly cheaper for convicted DD than anyone else!
 
Not every time, no ... but sometimes therefore worth trying. The other point is to try tesco who, at the minute, seem markedly cheaper for convicted DD than anyone else!

Your exactly right mate.

I have a 1.2 Seat Ibiza 2003 plate and my insurance costs £2,600.

Considering im 19 and have a dd conviction I would say thats fair. Most people my age are getting quotes similar to that without a conviction!!

Nice thread though I read that with real interest. I tried Endsleigh to see whether or not I could beat my current insurance payments and got quoted £7000 :rolleyes:

Tesco beats everyone else by nearly £2000
 
Your exactly right mate.

I have a 1.2 Seat Ibiza 2003 plate and my insurance costs £2,600.

Considering im 19 and have a dd conviction I would say thats fair. Most people my age are getting quotes similar to that without a conviction!!

Nice thread though I read that with real interest. I tried Endsleigh to see whether or not I could beat my current insurance payments and got quoted £7000 :rolleyes:

Tesco beats everyone else by nearly £2000

Even though you have insurance, it's still woth shopping around for quotes when it's near your birthday. Being a year older is obviously going to affect your premium for the better. Thanks for suggesting Tesco aswell.
 
Insurance cover can be tough to find if found convicted. And generally the premiums are very high. I am getting quotes but are very high.
 
Im getting relitivly cheap quotes. but i suppose it depends on what car your trying to insure and how long youve had your licence plus your age.

My best quote at the moment is £921 Noting that ive told them that I was convicted of DR30 (Failing to provide a specimen for analysis) Now i dont know if DR10 is gonna give you a HIGHER QUOTE THAN dr30 but to me thats pretty cheap. in installments that 90 a month which is more than capible for me, someone who only works part time in a retail store.

I am going to have to tell them that im on a temp licence while i get my medical examination sorted but im hoping it wont change that good price. Ive contacted a few companies who 'deal' with drink drivers and there quote are coming up double.
 
If anybody was given a booklet at their DD course which had specialist DD insurers in, my advice is don't bother! I rang a few and almost fell off the chair with some of the prices being quoted. I went on Confused.com and later Quidco and immediately got much cheaper quotes giving the exact same details, received and accepted a quote for £885 fully Comp which increased to just over £915 when I added in a few of the extras (legal/personal cover). Considering the very cheapest I got with specialist providers was £1400 I was chuffed to say the least. I reckon my insurance this year without DD would have been about £450 so a 100% increase which isn't as bad as I feared it could have been. Also bearing in mind I have saved a lot of money on lift sharing and Public Transport throughout the ban then it is very workable indeed. DD insurance in my experience is manageable and nothing to panic over.
 
I am not sure of your convictions / circumstances, but I normally see about a 40 to 50% increase in insurance premiums for drink drivers, not the 100% that you accepted or the 300% that you got from "specialist" insurers.
We mystery shop the insurance companies that appear in our booklets to see that they are competitive, but it is right to say that different companies are more competitive for certain people than others. We always advocate going back to your own insurance company and get a quote for identical insurance, but now with a DD conviction. This gives you a benchmark. Then shop round. That is if your previous insurers will quote you, some, like NFU mutual, will not insure a person with a drink drive conviction for 5 years.
 
Enter code DRINKDRIVING10 during checkout for 10% off
Top