How Your Driving History Affects Car Insurance

What forms part of your driving history?

Insurers may ask about accidents, claims, driving convictions, penalty points, bans and policy cancellations. They may also ask how long you have held your licence and whether it is full, provisional, UK or foreign. Each insurer assesses this information differently, which is why a difficult history does not necessarily produce the same result everywhere.

You can begin with our guide to checking your driving record.

Claims and accidents

You normally need to disclose incidents within the period requested, including accidents where you did not make a claim or were not considered at fault. Wording differs between quotation forms, so read the question rather than relying on memory of what a previous insurer asked.

See how a claims record affects insurance, requesting your claims history and how a claim may affect no-claims bonus.

Penalty points and convictions

Points can increase the premium, although the effect depends on the offence, number of points, when it happened and the insurer. A driving conviction and the endorsement shown on a licence do not always have identical disclosure periods. Give the information requested and do not assume an old offence can be omitted without checking.

Our detailed pages cover penalty points and premiums, how long points remain on a licence and how long convictions may affect costs.

Driving bans and serious offences

Finding cover after a ban or serious conviction can take more effort, and a specialist insurer may be more suitable. Make sure dates, offence codes and penalties are correct before starting a quotation. Guessing can cause trouble later if the policy is based on inaccurate information.

Read about convicted-driver insurance, insurance after a driving ban and insurance following a DR10 conviction.

No-claims bonus

A no-claims bonus reflects claim-free insurance history, not simply the number of years you have driven. Insurers may cap the discount, ask for proof and apply their own rules when a policy has lapsed or a bonus is transferred. Protection does not prevent the underlying premium from rising.

See how no-claims bonus works and how to provide proof.

Getting an accurate quotation

Have your driving licence, dates of incidents and no-claims evidence ready. Declare what the question asks, even if an incident seems minor. If you are unsure whether something must be included, ask the insurer before buying and keep a record of the answer.