Can I Get Impound Insurance If I Have Driving Convictions?

Susan Difford - Clean Green Compare Personal Lines Insurance Expert
Written by Susan Difford
Updated 9 April 2025
2 min read

If your car has been impounded, then you’ll need to get impounded car insurance in order to have it released. If you have driving convictions, then you might be worried that you won’t be able to get cover but the truth is that many impounded car insurance providers cater to drivers that may have convictions. Read on for more information.

Key points

What Do I Need To Know About Getting Impounded Car Insurance With Convictions

  • It may be more expensive: While you should be able to find cover, it might be more expensive than if you didn’t have convictions.
  • You might not be offered cover by all providers: Depending on how many convictions you have and their severity, you may not be offered cover by all providers of impounded car insurance.
  • You’ll be typically covered for 30 days: You’ll usually be covered for 30 days with this type of insurance, so you’ll want to arrange full time cover within that period.

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What are the most common types of driving convictions in the UK?

The most common types of driving convictions are:

  • Speeding: Speeding is a very common driving offence. Whether or not your car is impounded as a result while depend on the severity of the incident.
  • Careless driving: Careless driving is another common offence and usually involved endangering other road users or pedestrians by not driving with due care.
  • Drink/drug driving: This one is self-explanatory and can carry a heavy punishment, including your car being impounded.
  • Driving while using a mobile phone: If you use a mobile phone without using a hand-free device then this is also an offence.
  • Driving without insurance: Driving without proper insurance can also result in fines, penalty points and your car being impounded.

Click here for a full list of driving offences in the UK including the penalty points they carry.

Do I always have to declare my convictions to insurance providers?

Whether or not you need to declare any convictions to insurance providers will depend on whether they’re “spent” or “unspent”. Most convictions become spent after a certain period of time and once they have, you no longer need to declare them.

You can find more information here.

Is there any way to reduce the cost of impounded car insurance?

If you’re getting impounded car insurance and you have driving convictions, then the best way to save money is by shopping around when you’re getting quotes. Luckily this is now a very easy process (just click the green button to get quotes now).

In Summary

  • You should be able to find impounded car insurance with driving convictions although it may be more expensive
  • You don’t need to declare convictions if they’re considered spent
  • You’ll be covered as third party only and for 30 days under most impounded car insurance policies

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