Can I Get Car Insurance After Speeding Offences?
Caeva O'Callaghan | May 13th, 2024
So you’ve been caught speeding – how does that affect your car insurance? And will you still be able to renew your policy?
Yes, you’ll be able to get car insurance if you commit a speeding offence, in most cases. As long as your conviction does not prevent you from driving a car, you should not have too much of a problem getting insured.
In this article, we’ll go over the following queries:
- Will a speeding offence stop me getting car insurance?
- Does my car insurance premium go up if I have a conviction?
- Do I have to tell my insurance company about a speeding offence?
At QuoteMe.ie, we have experts on hand who specialise in getting car insurance for those with prior convictions. If you’re confused about the process, just get in touch and we can help you through the process.
Will a speeding offence stop me getting car insurance?
As long as you’re still allowed to drive, a speeding offence won’t stop you getting car insurance.
In Ireland, speeding offences come with a fine and three penalty points as a minimum. Three penalty points will not affect your ability to get car insurance, or even the cost of your monthly premium.
However, once you start to rack up offences, it starts to get more expensive, Six points on your license will affect the price of your car insurance, and nine points will make it even more costly to insure your vehicle.
We have access to a few insurers who have specialist products for drivers with multiple speeding offences. To get a car insurance quote, it is best to give us a ring – we will ask you about the dates of your speeding offences and the dates that either you received your penalty points or the date on which you expect them to be expired.
It may take us a couple of hours to secure a competitive and guaranteed quote, but we will work hard to secure you the best price on the market.
Does my car insurance premium go up if I have a conviction?
Possibly – again, it depends on your provider, what offence you committed, and how many points you have on your license.
Many car insurance providers will not cover you if you have convictions for more than one of the same type of offence. If your offence was for speeding, you will still be able to get insurance, but it may be a lot more tricky if you were convicted twice or more.
During the application process, we will need extra information about your conviction such as the date of the offence and the penalty you received. This is to give the insurance provider the most accurate risk assessment they can use for their quote.
Since 2011, your penalty will reflect the offence: which means we no longer need to know the statistics around your blood/alcohol levels at the time of your offence.
The penalty you face will be a major factor in determining the cost of your car insurance policy. For instance, if you were disqualified from driving for more than 2 years, you will have lost your no claims bonus, which won’t cost you extra but will mean you miss out on future savings.
Do I have to tell my insurance company about a speeding offence?
Absolutely, yes you do. It benefits nothing and no one if you deliberately hide important information from your insurance provider, and will only land you in hot water later on down the line. In the worst case scenario, you may get into an accident and need to make a claim, and be unable to because you deceived the insurance provider by not disclosing your driving history.
Where there are driving convictions, disqualifications and/or penalty points declared we may require written confirmation of your driving record from the NDLS. This document can be requested by sending an e-mail to info@ndls with your relevant Driver Number. As long as you ask for a reply by email, the NDLS will respond at no cost.
Any convictions spent under the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 do not need to be disclosed. Further information on spent convictions is available on www.citizensinformation.ie. Or, you can check with your local Garda station if your conviction is considered spent under the Criminal Justice Act 2016.
Confused about car insurance with convictions? If you’ve been caught speeding and don’t know where you stand with your insurance, give us a call. We can help you renew your policy or find a new one. You can call us Mon-Fri between 8.30am and 5.30pm on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.