What to Expect When Applying for Car Insurance After a Ban

Once your ban has been lifted you will probably be keen to get back on the road. However, getting a company to insure you may not be as straightforward as you think. If you are considering applying for a new insurance policy following your ban, here are some of the things you should expect.

Eligibility

Insurance companies don’t like to take risks and following your ban you will be seen as more of a risk than the average driver because of your driving history. Many of the mainstream insurance companies won’t be willing to offer you a policy so you may need to look at specialist insurance companies who cater to the newly re-instated.

Cost

An insurer who is willing to offer you cover will expect you to pay a premium. This covers the extra risk they perceive they are taking. However, once you have been insured for a year or two without any further incidents you should start to see your premium coming down.

Expect to Shop Around

As with most things, shopping around for the best deal can bring the price down considerably. There are several insurance companies that specialise in convicted driver insurance and they compete to offer the best premiums. This may depend on their claims history with drivers who have been banned for the same reasons you have so you will need to do your research to see who can offer you the best convicted driver insurance.

You Will Be Asked About Your Ban

You have to disclose any material facts when applying for car insurance. The onus is on the provider to make sure they ask you the right questions to base their insurance decision on. However, you will need to tell the truth otherwise your insurance could be invalidated, and you could even receive a further conviction for insurance fraud.

Ensure that you offer your insurance provider the right code for your conviction (such as SP30 for speeding). This can make a difference to your premium as an escalation of points tends to be considered more favourably than a single event and you are likely to get a cheaper insurance quote for a series of mishaps.

It Will Be More Time Consuming

It will take longer for you to get insurance following a ban than it may have done before it. This is because the insurance company will want to carry out additional checks such as making sure your conviction is spent and checking your driving history thoroughly. They may need to liaise with third parties to do this which can take time.

Applying for car insurance is not as simple a procedure following a driving ban but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get insurance at all. Take your time, shop around, and don’t be tempted to withhold information. You will get insurance and be able to drive again and if you keep a clean driving record in the future you will eventually be eligible for standard car insurance again.