Penalty points, bans and your car insurance: what you must declare
Penalty points and disqualifications affect your car insurance, and getting it wrong can leave you with no valid cover. You must answer insurers' questions about points and previous bans honestly. Non-disclosure can let an insurer treat the policy as invalid, refuse a claim, or cancel cover. Expect premiums to rise, including where you kept your licence after a successful exceptional hardship argument, because the points remain on your record. Cover is usually still obtainable, as some insurers specialise in drivers with convictions.
Written by the team behind Agent Stuart, our driving ban specialist. This guide is general information about UK law, reviewed for accuracy.Disclosure comes first
A recurring worry, quite separate from the court process, is what penalty points or a disqualification do to your insurance. This matters just as much as the ban itself, because getting it wrong can leave you with no valid cover at all.
The first principle is disclosure. Insurers ask about penalty points and previous disqualifications, and you must answer honestly. Penalty points are recorded as offence codes (for example, SP codes for speeding), and a disqualification is recorded too. If you fail to declare points or a ban that you were asked about, your insurer may treat the policy as invalid, refuse a claim, or cancel cover. That in turn becomes something you have to declare in future.
Expect the cost to rise, even if you kept your licence
Expect the cost to rise. A cluster of points, and especially a past disqualification, generally pushes premiums up, sometimes substantially, because insurers price for the increased risk they associate with your record. This is true even where you kept your licence, for instance after a successful exceptional hardship argument, because the points remain on your record regardless of whether a ban was imposed.
Cover is usually still obtainable
Some insurers specialise in drivers with convictions or previous disqualifications, so a refusal from a mainstream insurer does not mean you are uninsurable. Shopping around, rather than accepting the first quote, is commonly advised.
Finally, these records do not vanish immediately. Points and disqualification markers stay relevant to insurers for a number of years, and how long you must declare them can differ from how long they remain on your DVLA record. Reading each insurer's specific question wording carefully is the safe approach.
Keep an accurate record of your points and datesStuart's drafting is built around your actual circumstances, and if you are heading to a hearing, a clear, evidenced statement is where it earns its keep. A tidy record of your points and dates also helps you answer insurers consistently.£5 launch price (normally £99.99-£149.99)Start my statementCommon questions
Do I have to tell my insurer about penalty points?
Yes. Insurers ask about penalty points and previous disqualifications, and you must answer honestly. If you fail to declare points or a ban that you were asked about, your insurer may treat the policy as invalid, refuse a claim, or cancel cover.
Will my premium go up even if I avoided a ban?
Usually yes. A cluster of points pushes premiums up, and this is true even where you kept your licence, for instance after a successful exceptional hardship argument, because the points remain on your record regardless of whether a ban was imposed.
Can I still get insured with 12 points or after a ban?
Usually yes. Some insurers specialise in drivers with convictions or previous disqualifications, so a refusal from a mainstream insurer does not mean you are uninsurable. Shopping around, rather than accepting the first quote, is commonly advised.
How long do points and bans stay relevant to insurers?
They do not vanish immediately. Points and disqualification markers stay relevant to insurers for a number of years, and how long you must declare them can differ from how long they remain on your DVLA record. Read each insurer's specific question wording carefully.