Do you have to declare spent convictions for car insurance?

Once a conviction passes its rehabilitation period, it becomes spent. Section 4 of the ROA then treats you, for most purposes, as if the offence had never been committed. Insurance isn't one of the exceptions, so you can answer 'no' to conviction questions if all your convictions are spent. Exceptions apply to certain jobs and licensing, not to buying car insurance.

Unspent convictions are different. If the insurer asks and you answer falsely, the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 lets the insurer act. If the false answer was deliberate or reckless, it can void the policy and keep the premium. If it was careless, it can apply a proportionate remedy, such as reducing a claim payment.

• Endorsement (with or without penalty points): 5 years from conviction.
• Fine only: 1 year, but where there's also an endorsement, the 5-year endorsement period applies.
• Driving disqualification: spent when the ban ends. If the ban is shorter than 5 years and there's an endorsement, 5 years still applies.
• Endorsable fixed penalty notices: treated as convictions with a 5-year period. Non-endorsable FPNs aren't convictions.

Example: DR10 conviction on 1 March 2024 with an 18-month ban → spent 1 March 2029 (5 years), but it stays on the licence until 2035. How long it stays on the licence is covered in how long do motoring convictions stay on your licence.

The month a conviction becomes spent, re-quote. You'll be answering 'no' to questions you previously had to answer 'yes' to, and the loading should disappear. In the meantime, specialist insurers (see non-standard auto insurance) and brokers such as Adrian Flux are usually the cheapest route. The car matters too: are Cat N cars more expensive to insure? Compare structural and non-structural write-offs in Cat S vs Cat N, and follow a full example in Ryan's DR10 and Cat N scenario.

US readers: there's no equivalent 'spent' concept for auto insurance. Rating depends on how far back the insurer looks at your driving record (typically 3–5 years for a DUI). See how much does car insurance go up after a DUI and SR-22 insurance. If no insurer will cover you, there's an assigned risk auto insurance plan.