Guide · By Driver · Driving convictions

Convicted driver insurance UK 2026

A driving conviction adds roughly 15% to 110% to your car insurance in 2026, depending on the offence. On a typical £600 clean-licence policy that is about £690 after an SP30 speeding endorsement, £1,200 after a DR10 drink-driving conviction and £1,260 after a DD40 dangerous-driving conviction. Most convictions must be declared for 5 years, and serious ones usually need a specialist broker because mainstream comparison sites decline to quote. Here is the premium uplift by conviction, the declaration rules and the brokers that cover convicted drivers.

Specialist brokers → UK cost index

+15–110%

uplift by offence

5 years

you must declare it

8+ brokers

specialist market

Direct Answer

How much does a conviction add to car insurance?

A "convicted driver" is anyone with a motoring conviction that is still within the insurer's declaration window. The premium impact depends almost entirely on the offence code: a minor SP30 speeding endorsement typically adds 10–25%, CD10 careless driving around 25–40%, IN10 driving without insurance 50–70%, and the most serious — DR10 drink-driving or DD40 dangerous driving — roughly double your premium (+100% to +110%). On the UK's ~£600 clean-licence baseline (see our cost index), that is the difference between paying about £690 and about £1,260 a year. Two things then matter most: declaring correctly (get it wrong and the policy is void), and using the right broker, because many comparison sites simply decline serious convictions. Here is the premium by conviction type:

Typical annual premium by driving conviction — UK 2026

On a £600 clean-licence baseline: a DR10 drink-driving conviction roughly doubles the premium; a DD40 pushes it past £1,260.

Sources: ABI 2026 data, Confused.com Price Index, and specialist convicted-driver broker guidance, benchmarked to a £600 clean-licence comprehensive policy. Figures are illustrative of typical uplift, not guaranteed quotes.

Conviction	Typical premium	Uplift	Declare / on licence
Clean licence (baseline)	£600	—	—
SP30 — speeding	£690	+15%	5 yrs / 4 yrs
CD10 — careless driving	£780	+30%	5 yrs / 4 yrs
IN10 — no insurance	£960	+60%	5 yrs / 4 yrs
TT99 — totting-up ban	£1,050	+75%	5 yrs / 4 yrs
DR10 — drink-driving	£1,200	+100%	5 yrs / 11 yrs
DD40 — dangerous driving	£1,260	+110%	5 yrs / 4 yrs

Sources: ABI 2026 data, Confused.com Price Index and specialist convicted-driver broker guidance, on a ~£600 clean-licence baseline. "Declare" = years you must tell insurers; "on licence" = DVLA endorsement retention. Uplifts are typical; your quote varies by age, car and how long ago the conviction was. Refresh: 2026-10-23.

Where to Buy

Specialist convicted-driver brokers (2026)

Mainstream comparison sites often decline serious convictions, or return very few — sometimes zero — quotes. Specialist brokers run their own panels of insurers who actively price convicted-driver risk, so they are usually the cheapest and sometimes the only route for DR, DD, IN and TT codes. Eight established UK specialists:

Adrian Flux — 50+ years specialist broking, a panel of 30+ insurers covering every conviction type, and telematics options that can cut renewals for proven safe driving
Think Insurance — convicted-driver focus, strong on DR and DD codes and totting-up bans
The Insurance Factory — broad non-standard panel, competitive on mid-range convictions
Keith Michaels — specialist in high-risk and performance-car convicted cover
Sky Insurance — convicted and modified-car specialist
Autonet Insurance — large broker with a dedicated convicted-driver panel
Lifesure — niche and non-standard risks including convictions
Complete Cover Group — non-standard and convicted-driver schemes

Related conviction guides on this site: DR10 drink-driving, DD40 dangerous driving and points on your licence.

The Rules

Declaring a conviction: the rules that void policies

Declare for 5 years. For insurance, motoring convictions generally become "spent" after five years (two-and-a-half years if you were under 18 at conviction), and you must tell insurers about any conviction within that window — even if the points have expired.
The DVLA licence period is different. An endorsement stays on your DVLA record for 4 years for most offences, and 11 years for drink- and drug-driving (DR/DG codes). Penalty points stop counting towards a ban after 3 years, but the endorsement and your duty to declare can outlast them.
Non-disclosure voids cover. Failing to declare a conviction is a material misrepresentation: the insurer can void the policy, refuse a claim and record it, making future cover far harder to get. Always declare, even when a comparison site does not ask clearly.
Declare at purchase and at renewal. A conviction picked up mid-policy should be disclosed at your next renewal (some insurers require notice during the policy year — check your terms).
It stops mattering once spent. After the 5-year declaration window, you no longer have to disclose the conviction and your premium returns towards the clean-licence baseline — assuming no new claims or convictions.

For the wider picture on why UK premiums sit where they do — before you judge whether a convicted-driver quote is fair — see our UK car insurance cost index.

Common Questions

Convicted driver insurance FAQs

How much does a conviction add to car insurance?

It depends on the offence code. A minor SP30 speeding endorsement typically adds 10–25%, CD10 careless driving around 25–40%, IN10 driving without insurance 50–70%, and the most serious — DR10 drink-driving or DD40 dangerous driving — roughly double your premium, about +100% to +110%. On the UK's ~£600 clean-licence baseline that is the difference between roughly £690 after a speeding endorsement and about £1,260 after a dangerous-driving conviction. Your age, car, and how long ago the conviction happened all move the exact figure.

How long do I have to declare a driving conviction to insurers?

Most motoring convictions must be declared for 5 years, after which they become "spent" for insurance and no longer need disclosing (the window is two-and-a-half years if you were under 18 when convicted). This is separate from how long the endorsement stays on your DVLA licence — 4 years for most offences and 11 years for drink- and drug-driving. You must declare a conviction within the 5-year window even if the penalty points have already expired.

Why won't comparison sites give me a quote?

Comparison sites only show insurers on their panel that will accept your risk. Many mainstream insurers decline serious convictions — DR, DD, IN and TT codes especially — so the site returns few or no quotes. That does not mean you are uninsurable: specialist convicted-driver brokers run their own panels of insurers who actively price these risks and can usually cover offences the comparison sites reject. For serious convictions, go direct to a specialist broker rather than relying on the aggregators.

Which brokers cover convicted drivers?

Established UK specialists include Adrian Flux, Think Insurance, The Insurance Factory, Keith Michaels, Sky Insurance, Autonet Insurance, Lifesure and Complete Cover Group. Adrian Flux is the largest, with over 50 years of specialist broking and a panel of 30+ insurers covering every conviction type. Several offer telematics policies that let convicted drivers demonstrate safe driving and bring renewal premiums down over time. Get quotes from two or three specialists rather than accepting the first, as convicted-driver pricing varies widely between panels.

Does a conviction affect my no-claims discount?

A conviction on its own does not remove your no-claims discount — NCD is based on claim-free years, not convictions. You keep the years you have built. However, the conviction still raises your base premium through the uplift, so a driver with a full no-claims discount and a DR10 can still pay more than a clean driver with less NCD. If the conviction came with an at-fault claim, that claim is what erodes the discount, not the conviction itself.

Can I get a black box policy as a convicted driver?

Yes — telematics is increasingly offered to convicted drivers and can be one of the best ways to rebuild a lower premium. Several specialist brokers, including Adrian Flux, provide black-box policies that monitor your driving and reward consistently safe habits, with some able to reduce renewal premiums significantly for proven good driving. It suits drivers who want to show insurers a clean record going forward after a conviction, and can bridge the gap until the conviction becomes spent at the 5-year mark.

When does a conviction stop affecting my premium?

Once the conviction is "spent" for insurance — generally 5 years after conviction — you no longer have to declare it and your premium returns towards the clean-licence baseline, assuming no new claims or convictions. In practice the uplift also shrinks year by year within that window: a conviction from four years ago weighs far less than one from four months ago. Drink- and drug-driving convictions can be asked about for longer by some insurers, so always answer the exact question each insurer asks.

Do I have to declare penalty points after 4 years?

Usually no. For most offences the endorsement is removed from your DVLA licence after 4 years and the points stop counting towards a ban after 3, but the insurance declaration rule is the one that matters: you must declare convictions within the 5-year window. In practice, for a standard 4-year endorsement the licence record clears around the same time the premium impact fades. Drink- and drug-driving (11-year endorsements) are the exception — declare those whenever an insurer asks within their own disclosure period.

Our sources

ABI 2026 Motor Insurance Premium Tracker — baseline UK premium and convicted-driver market context
Confused.com Price Index — the ~£600 clean-licence average used as the baseline
gov.uk / DVLA — endorsement codes and how long they stay on your licence (4 to 11 years)
gov.uk — Rehabilitation of Offenders — the 5-year spent-conviction declaration period
Adrian Flux, Think Insurance and other specialist brokers — convicted-driver panel availability and telematics options
Car Insurance Expert composite quote data — 2026 uplift sampling by conviction code on a clean-licence baseline

Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team

Uplift figures are illustrative, compiled from ABI and Confused.com published data, DVLA and gov.uk conviction rules, and specialist-broker guidance, refreshed quarterly and reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team. Questions: editorial@carinsuranceexpert.co.uk.

Last updated: 2026-07-23

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