What Happens if You Drive Without Car Insurance?
Ellie Dyer-Brown, 3 months ago
5 min read
- Car ownership
FixMyCar discusses the penalties you could face for driving without car insurance.
Driving without valid car insurance is illegal, and the penalties are severe, so you shouldn’t ever use a vehicle without checking beforehand that you are fully insured.
This guide explains why insurance is a legal requirement and what can happen if you drive without it.
Contents
Is it illegal to drive without insurance?
What happens if you drive without insurance?
What is the penalty for driving without insurance?
Will I get a criminal record for driving without insurance?
Does comprehensive insurance insure me to drive any vehicle?
How can police tell if a vehicle is uninsured?
What are 'special reasons' for driving without insurance?
Is accidental policy lapse a legitimate defence for driving without insurance?
Is it illegal to drive without insurance?
It’s illegal to drive on public roads without having at least third-party insurance, which is the most basic level of coverage. If the land you’re driving on is private (can’t be accessed by the public), you don’t need insurance.
Third-party insurance covers you if you’re deemed responsible for an accident that injures other people or damages their property. It is the minimum level of cover required to use public roads, but other options are available. You can add protection against fire and theft or opt for comprehensive insurance, which covers damage to your car and anyone else’s.
What happens if you drive without insurance?
What happens if you drive without insurance all depends on whether you’re caught. AA Insurance Services estimates the total number of uninsured drivers on the road to be close to one million - but only 400,000 drivers were convicted of driving without insurance from 2019 to the end of 2023.
Unfortunately, driving without insurance impacts all road users because it increases insurance premiums and makes the roads less safe. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates that uninsured drivers add an extra £53 to the cost of every insurance premium.
The latest police cars have Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, allowing them to identify uninsured vehicles quickly. If you are pulled over, you will be asked to present your documents (driving licence and proof of insurance), and you’ll have seven days to do so.
Your insurance must be valid when pulled over - you can’t buy insurance afterwards to avoid prosecution.
If you think you’ve been pulled over in error because you have valid insurance, check your documents for mistakes. If your policy has been cancelled without your knowledge, you might be able to use this as a defence - it depends on whether the insurance provider took reasonable steps to inform you of the cancellation.
Getting caught without car insurance will significantly impact the cost of future premiums.
What is the penalty for driving without insurance?
If you’re caught driving without insurance in England, Scotland or Wales, you could:
Get points on your licence - you could receive six to eight penalty points, which stay on your driving record for four years.
Be fined - the police could give you a fixed penalty of £300, and if the case goes to court, there is no limit on the fine you could receive.
Have your car seized - the police can seize uninsured vehicles and remove them from the road.
Receive a driving ban - you could be disqualified from driving if the case goes to court, and the court will decide how long the ban lasts. Repeat offenders disqualified for more than 56 days must apply for a new licence and may need to retake their test.
If you are the registered keeper of an uninsured car that hasn’t been declared as off the road and it is on a public road, whether in use or parked, you could:
Have your vehicle impounded, wheel-clamped or destroyed
Receive a £100 fine
Be taken to court, where you could be fined up to £1,000
What is the maximum fine for driving without insurance?
There is no limit to the amount you can be fined for driving uninsured. Standard fixed fines start at £300, but if the case is more serious - for example, driving uninsured and without a licence - then the fine can be unlimited.
According to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), injuries caused by uninsured and hit-and-run drivers cost the UK economy nearly £2.4 billion per year in emergency services, loss of productivity, medical care and human costs.
Will I get a criminal record for driving without insurance?
Driving uninsured is not an offence for which you can be imprisoned, which means you won’t get a criminal record. However, your licence will have an IN10 endorsement for four years, and you’ll have to disclose it to insurance providers for a further year.
Does comprehensive insurance insure me to drive any vehicle?
DOC (driving other cars) cover is often included in comprehensive car insurance policies. However, it’s always subject to terms and conditions, such as experience and age, so you should read through your policy documents carefully to find out if you can drive other vehicles.
Many drivers have fallen foul of the law by believing their insurance covered them for driving someone else’s car. Crucially, the owner of the vehicle in question has also committed an offence by allowing an uninsured driver to use it. You could both receive points and a fine.
How can police tell if a vehicle is uninsured?
The details of all insured cars in the UK are stored by The Motor Insurance Database (MID) and shared with police forces. Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras (ANPR) only take a matter of seconds to determine whether a vehicle is insured.
If DVLA records show that your car is taxed but doesn’t show up on the insurance database, you’ll receive an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL). You must respond to this letter; otherwise, you will be penalised by the DVLA.
Here’s what to do if you receive an IAL:
If you’re not insured, you must declare your vehicle off the road with a statutory off-road notice (SORN) or pay for valid insurance.
If you think you’re insured, get in touch with your insurance provider, who can correct or update your record on the MID.
If your car has a SORN, contact the DVLA to confirm that your SORN is being processed. Your details might still need to be updated in the database.
The MIB also has a police helpline that can be used to check the validity of a driver’s insurance.
However, you don’t have to be stopped by the police to be caught without insurance. The DVLA and MIB work together on Continuous Insurance Enforcement, which systematically compares vehicle records with those held in the Motor Insurance Database.
What are ‘special reasons’ for driving without insurance?
‘Special reason’ arguments are essentially mitigating circumstances that can sometimes be used to reduce the severity of your punishment.
Examples include:
Having a genuine reason to believe you are insured
Your insurance provider cancelling your policy without notifying you
Being told by the owner or policyholder that you can drive the vehicle legally
Your policy not being in force due to faults on behalf of the provider
Is accidental policy lapse a legitimate defence for driving without insurance?
It doesn’t matter if you drove without insurance by accident - it’s your responsibility to make sure you are insured to drive a car before you get behind the wheel. It might be possible to argue mitigating circumstances, but you’d still be guilty.
What happens if I’m hit by an uninsured driver?
If you’re involved in a road accident, you should:
Gather as much information and evidence as possible, including the vehicle registration number and photographs of the damage.
If the other driver refuses to give you their details or is uninsured, make a formal complaint to the police.
Contact your insurer as soon as possible. They can use the MID to determine whether the other driver has insurance.
If you have a comprehensive insurance policy, it might include an uninsured driver promise, which protects your no-claims discount and excess.
Read this guide for more information about what to do after a car accident.
Frequently asked questions
You always need insurance to drive a car, even if it’s just a test drive. Temporary car insurance policies are perfect for this. They give you cover for a short time, such as an hour or a day, rather than a full year.
All vehicles parked on public roads, even if not driven, must be insured, as outlined in section 143 of the Road Traffic Act. Your car must be covered because it could be hit by another vehicle.
If the land you’re driving on doesn’t have public access, you don’t need insurance. Examples might include campsites, private car parks and private estates.
The vast majority of vehicles must be insured. However, there are some exceptions. A car doesn’t need insurance if it’s: - Been stolen, scrapped or exported with notice - Been declared off the road using the SORN procedure - Between dealers or registered keepers - Registered as ‘in trade’ with the DVLA
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Written by Ellie
Ellie is FixMyCar's Content Writer. She has over three years of experience writing about cars and regularly collaborates with automotive experts to provide trustworthy advice for drivers that is easy understand. Her work has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, iNews, The Daily Express and The Sun. She has a BA in English literature and an MA in creative writing from Durham University. Outside of work, Ellie follows F1 and eagerly awaits Ferrari's next era of dominance in the sport. She drives a Suzuki Swift.