How New Convictions Can Alter Your Motor Trade Insurance Costs
More ways to help reduce cost.
New driving convictions can impact insurance premiums. If you’re looking for motor trade insurance, and you have questions about speeding points or driving disqualification, this page is packed with useful information.
Did you know that almost 3 million UK drivers have more than 3 points on their licence? Driving offences are common, and in some cases, they lead to convictions. Recent figures suggest that most drivers who commit offences are given fixed penalty notices, but some 341,000 cases ended up in court in 2017, according to the Police Power and Procedure Report for England and Wales. The most common reasons for fixed penalty notices, points and driver disqualification include:
- Speeding
- Drink driving
- Driving whilst using a phone
- Driving without insurance
- Careless driving
- Drug driving
- Failing to stop or report following an accident
In many cases, drivers who commit an offence will be fined or given points on their licence. Convictions relate to more serious offences, including dangerous driving and drink and drug driving. Drivers can also be banned if they amass too many points (more than 12 points in a 3-year period). This is known as totting up.
How do new convictions affect motor trade insurance?
Any business owner operating within the motor trade industry is required to have motor trade insurance. When shopping around for insurance policies, there are several factors that can impact the cost of premiums and the availability of plans. New convictions have two main effects on motor trade insurance. The first is a likely increase in the cost of insurance. The second is potential difficulties in finding an insurer.
Cost
When you take out a motor trade insurance policy, the provider calculates a fee based on the value of the vehicle or vehicles and the level of risk you pose. If you have driving convictions such as speeding points, drink drive DR10 offences or TT99 driving disqualification, you may find that your premium increases in price because you pose more of a risk. When you’re looking for motor trade insurance, it’s always beneficial to compare prices and packages, as some insurers offer better value deals than others.
Availability
Convictions can make it more challenging to find motor trade insurance. There are some providers that will not insure customers who have driving disqualifications, but there is no need to panic if you don’t have a flawless record or a clean licence. There are specialist insurance firms that offer policies for drivers with convictions and those who have served bans.
Factors that affect the cost of insurance with convictions
There are several key factors that will influence the cost of motor trade insurance for customers with convictions. These include:
- The type of conviction: some offences are more severe than others
- The size of the motor trade business
- The type of business
- The level of cover you are looking for: the more comprehensive the policy, the higher the premium
When you request quotes for motor trade insurance, you will be asked to provide information, which will enable providers to give you a tailored quote. Once you have a series of quotes, you can decide which option is best for your business.
Tips to find motor trade insurance
If you are looking for motor trade insurance, and you have driving convictions, there are steps you can take to find a policy and try to lower the cost of insurance. These include:
- Search for specialist insurance providers, which have experience in working with customers who have convictions.
- Seek expert advice: asking for help from experienced professionals can help you save money and take the stress out of finding a suitable motor trade policy.
- Enhance your driving skills to lower risks: you can present yourself as a lower-risk customer by completing driving courses and attending awareness programmes.
- Follow the instructions: if you’ve been given a court order or advised to take steps to become a safer driver, for example, undertaking a speed awareness course, it’s beneficial to follow the instructions to lower the cost of premiums and increase the chances of finding a policy that suits your needs.
- Consider paying annually, rather than monthly. This usually works out cheaper.
Summary
New convictions can increase the cost of motor trade insurance and make it more difficult to find suitable motor trade policies. If you have convictions, there’s no need to panic. There is help available from specialist insurers who have experience in working with customers with convictions. Seeking expert advice can save time, money and stress.