Whilst the number of uninsured drivers on the road has dropped over the past decade, there are still hundreds of thousands of uninsured vehicles in the UK. If you’re looking for information on what happens if you’re caught driving without insurance, read on to find out all this and more in our comprehensive guide.
Can you drive a car without insurance?
In most cases, no. If you’re planning on driving your car on public roads or parking it on the street, it will need to be covered by insurance. The minimum legal requirement for this is third party insurance, which provides cover for damage to other vehicles, people and property.
You’ll need to choose the right level of cover for your needs; if you’re driving to work or your vehicle is being used for business purposes, you’ll need additional cover for this. And if you aren’t planning on driving your vehicle, you should apply for SORN, which tells the DVLA that you’re taking your car off the road.
What if I drive to work without commuting insurance?
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If you’re driving to work, you’ll need your insurance to cover you for this as this will affect the level of risk perceived by your insurer. In the event you need to make a claim on a journey to or from work and you haven’t declared to your insurer that you use your car to commute, this could invalidate your cover. As a result, it’s always best to be upfront about what you use your vehicle for.
Can I drive a new car home without insurance?
No, you should get insurance for your drive home. Short-term cover is fine if you just want cover for the journey home before sorting out an annual policy.
Can I drive a SORN car to an MOT uninsured?
You’ll need to take out an insurance policy for your vehicle even if it has been registered as off-road and you’re just driving to an MOT. You can get temporary car insurance for just one day if you aren’t looking to get long-term cover.
Can you test drive a car without insurance?
No, if you want to test drive a car, you’ll still need to get insurance. Whilst some car dealers will cover you, most private sellers will not. It’s always best to check beforehand and take out the necessary insurance.
Can I drive someone else’s car uninsured?
You’ll need to take out insurance before you get behind the wheel of someone else’s car. If you already have cover for your own car, it’s always best to check the terms of your policy as it might include drive other car (DOC) insurance, which would cover you to drive other cars.
This is becoming less common for insurance providers to include, and most will only offer third party cover for the other person’s car. If that’s the case, our comprehensive drive any car cover can boost this up to fully comp cover.
Can you drive a car as a learner without insurance?
Learners still need to be insured. While you’ll automatically be covered by your driving instructor when you take lessons with them, you’ll need to take out insurance if you’re planning on practising with friends or family members. For this, you’ll need learner driver insurance.
What happens if I drive without insurance?
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Driving without insurance is a serious motoring offence. Depending on the severity of the case, you’re likely to get between 6 and 8 penalty points on your driving licence and a fixed fine of £300. Your car could also be seized and potentially destroyed by police. Insurance offences, i.e. those with an IN10 endorsement code, stay on your licence for 4 years, which starts on the day of the offence.
Are there any other repercussions?
Driving without insurance can have longer-term repercussions than you might expect. If you’re a convicted driver, insurance will likely be higher for the years after your driving offence.
Some insurance providers also refuse to cover drivers with convictions, so you might find that the number of insurers who will cover you is limited. This is because most convicted drivers are seen as a higher risk by insurers. In a lot of cases, you’ll have to go to a more specialist insurance broker for convicted driver insurance.
What is the maximum fine?
In the event your case is taken to court, you could face an unlimited fine for breaking this law. You could also get a driving disqualification, which would mean you wouldn’t be able to drive for the amount of time set by the judge.
What if I get a court summons?
Usually, you’ll only be summoned to court if you don’t pay your fine and comply with any other conditions set out in the letter. If you’ve received a court summons, you should attend at the specified time to prevent further action from being taken against you.
Can I report someone driving without insurance?
If you believe that someone is driving without the proper insurance policy in place, you can report them to the police.
Is driving without insurance a criminal offence?
No, it isn’t an imprisonable offence so it won’t be added to your criminal record. However, it will be on your driving record, which can impact insurance prices.
What if my insurance policy has been invalidated?
If you haven’t been completely upfront about your circumstances to your insurer, this could invalidate your insurance policy. In this case, your policy will be voided and you wouldn’t be covered by an insurance policy at all.
As a result, it’s always best to be upfront about your situation. Take a look at our blog on eight driving rules you may not be aware you’re breaking to ensure you remain road-safe.
What if I get into an accident with an uninsured driver?
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As you usually exchange insurance information when you get into an accident with another driver, this could pose a problem in the event you get into an accident with an uninsured driver. Should the other driver refuse to give you their insurance information or tell you that they aren’t insured, you should report this to the police.
In the event of an accident, you should also make a note of the other person’s number plate.
Can I drive uninsured on private land?
Driving uninsured on private land is completely fine, as long as you don’t need to use any public roads to access the land.
Are there any special reasons for driving without insurance?
There are some cases in which a special reason results in a lighter sentence for driving without insurance. However, this is on a case-by-case basis and isn’t a blanket rule for everyone.
Convicted driver insurance from Adrian Flux
If you’re looking for affordable convicted driver insurance, Adrian Flux can help. As a specialist insurance broker, we provide cover when many other insurance companies are unable to do so. Call us on 0333 252 6840 for more information.