Can I get car insurance with a drink driving or drug driving conviction?
Key takeaways
You can usually get car insurance with a driving conviction but it will be more expensive
Convictions must be disclosed to car insurance providers for at least five years
Penalty points from drink or drug convictions stay on your driving licence for 11 years
Can I get car insurance with a drink driving or drug driving conviction?
Yes, you can usually get car insurance, but it can be more challenging. The cost of insurance usually rises significantly if you have an unspent drink or drug driving conviction.
The difficulty and cost of securing car insurance will depend on:
the severity of the offence
the time elapsed since the conviction
any rehabilitation schemes you've undertaken
If you’re not able to get an insurance policy from a mainstream insurer, you may need to speak to a drink driver insurance specialist. These insurers offer cover for high-risk and convicted drivers.
Will car insurers know if I have a drink driving or drug driving conviction?
There are two ways car insurers can find out about past convictions when you apply for or renew a car insurance policy:
Insurers can ask you to declare any unspent convictions
Insurers can ask for your licence number and then check the DVLA database
When you're convicted of a motoring offence, your licence is 'endorsed' with a record of the offence for a certain number of years. Drink and drug driving endorsements stay on your licence for 11 years from the date of conviction.
Do I have to declare my drink or drug driving convictions?
You must declare all unspent driving convictions when asked.
If you do not, your insurance can be invalidated. That means the insurer can refuse to pay for any claims.
You do not have to pre-emptively declare convictions if an insurer doesn't ask you if you have one. This is true even if the conviction is unspent.
This is due to a 2013 change in consumer law. Before this Consumer Insurance Act came in, insurance customers had a responsibility to declare all 'material facts' that could be considered relevant.
Post-2013, insurance customers responsibility is limited to not 'deliberately, recklessly or carelessly' giving incorrect or incomplete information.
You do not have to declare a conviction you receive mid-way through your policy to your insurer, unless this is explicitly stated in your policy documents.
However, your insurer will almost certainly stipulate that you tell them about any new convictions before they renew your policy. Not informing them at this point will invalidate your insurance.
Once your conviction is 'spent' the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) states that you do not have to declare it to insurers, even if they explicitly ask about it.
YES - if your conviction is unspent and the insurer asks you about it
NO - if the insurer does not ask if you have any driving convictions
NO - if you're midway through a policy and the contract doesn't say you must
NO - if your drink driving conviction is spent
If you believe an insurer has incorrectly penalised you for not declaring a drink or drug driving conviction, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsmen Service.
Do I have to declare the drink driving or drug driving convictions of a named driver?
The same rules apply to named and main drivers. You need to declare any unspent convictions of any named drivers if the insurer asks you to.
When will my drink or drug driving conviction be spent?
Drink and drug driving convictions usually become spent five years after your conviction date.
There are some exceptions:
Drink and drug driving convictions usually become spent 2.5 years after your conviction date if you were under 18 when convicted.
Your conviction is spent once your driving ban ends.
Timelines are calculated from when the sentence you were given ends, not when you were released.
You were over 18 years old when convicted:
1-4 years: your conviction is spent 4 years after the day your sentence ends
4+ years: your conviction is spent 7 years after the day your sentence ends
You were under 18 years old when convicted:
1-4 years: your conviction is spent 2 years after the day your sentence ends
4+ years: your conviction is spent 42 months after the day your sentence ends
You were under 18 when convicted
You received a driving ban of 5+ years
You received a prison sentence
How much more can I expect to pay for car insurance if I have a drink driving conviction?
The table below shows the average prices our customers pay for car insurance.
No convictions | Driving conviction | Non-driving conviction |
|---|---|---|
£543[1] | £696[2] | £1077[3] |
Your own quotes could be higher or lower depending on your individual circumstances.
How can I get cheaper car insurance?
Downgrade to a cheaper-to-insure car
Pay a higher voluntary excess
Restrict your mileage
Add a named driver
Get ‘black box’ telematics insurance, which will charge you more for driving at night or when you drive erratically
Improve the security on your car, including garaging it
What are the rules on drink driving and drug driving in the UK?
In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, it is illegal to drive a car with an alcohol level of 80 millilitres per 100 millilitres of blood, or 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.
In Scotland the alcohol limits are lower: your blood alcohol level must be below 50ml/100ml, and your breath alcohol level below 22mg/100ml.
How many drinks can I have and still legally drive?
There is no set answer to this question because alcohol metabolises differently in different bodies. It can also metabolise differently in the same body on different days, making it difficult to tell if you’re over the limit.
The usual advice is to not drink any alcohol if you need to drive.
Alcohol stays in your body for several hours, meaning it's possible to be over the limit the morning after drinking. A rough rule is to wait one hour for every unit of alcohol you drink before getting back behind the wheel.
What are the penalties for drink driving and drug driving in the UK?
Drink driving and drug driving in the UK attracts severe penalties, including points on your licence, driving bans, fines, and prison sentences.
If you are caught driving or attempting to drive while above the legal alcohol limit, you could receive:
6 months’ imprisonment
an unlimited fine
a ban from driving for at least 1 year (3 years if convicted twice in 10 years)
If you are caught in charge of a vehicle (for example, while supervising a learner driver) while above the legal alcohol limit, you could receive:
3 months’ imprisonment
up to £2,500 fine
a possible driving ban
It is illegal to drive while taking medicines which could impair your driving. Potential penalties for drug driving include:
a minimum 1 year driving ban
an unlimited fine
up to 6 months in prison
a criminal record
Your doctor can advise whether you should drive while taking a medicine you've been prescribed.
Some medications to be cautious of include:
amphetamine, for example dexamphetamine or selegiline
clonazepam
diazepam
flunitrazepam
lorazepam
methadone
morphine or opiate and opioid-based drugs, for example codeine, tramadol or fentanyl
oxazepam
temazepam
You can be convicted for drug driving just for having illegal drugs in your system: they do not need to be impairing your driving. The possible penalties are:
a minimum 1 year driving ban
an unlimited fine
up to 6 months in prison
a criminal record
If the police suspect that you are driving under the influence, they will ask to test your blood, breath or urine for the presence of alcohol or drugs. If you refuse this test, you can be prosecuted.
You may get:
6 months’ imprisonment
an unlimited fine
a ban from driving for at least 1 year (3 years if convicted twice in 10 years)
If you drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and your careless driving kills somebody, you are likely to receive severe penalties. These could include:
life imprisonment
an unlimited fine
a ban from driving for at least 5 years
an extended driving test before your licence is returned
Driving under the influence of alcohol
Being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence
Driving under the influence of prescription drugs
Driving under the influence of illegal drugs
Refusing a blood, breath or urine test
Causing death by driving under the influence
If you are disqualified from driving you will need to pay a fee to regain your licence. As of 2025, these fees were:
£90 if you were disqualified for drink driving and are required to pass a DVLA medical exam before getting your licence back
£65 if you were disqualified for drink driving and do not need to pass a medical exam
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), about 300 people die in the UK every year because of road accidents where a driver was over the limit. The number of these deaths in 2022, the latest year statistics have been released for, was the highest recorded since 2009.
Can I reduce my drink driving penalties?
If you are convicted of drink driving and receive a driving ban for a year or more, you can reduce the length of your ban by taking the Drink Driving Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) course.
The course focuses on the impact of alcohol on driving and discouraging you from driving while under the influence. The course lasts 16 hours which are generally spread out over three weeks.
A similar drug rehabilitation training course is currently being piloted.
