Car insurance with a criminal record

Insurers who will cover those with a criminal record

We got quotes from 55 different car insurers in Australia. When asked questions about criminal activity or if we'd ever had a criminal conviction, we answered yes. Some providers asked for additional details, mainly if the charge was related to: fraud, theft, burglary, drugs, arson, or criminal, malicious, or wilful damage. If the answer to this was no, you could move to the next part of the quote questionnaire and potentially get a car insurance policy. Read mroe about that further down the page.

If the answer was yes, only the below 3 returned a quote.

You can potentially get cover from 2 other insurers; RACQ and CommBank. When we answered "yes" to criminal conviction questions, the provider would end the online quote and refer us to a customer support agent over the phone. They'll likely gather further information about your criminal record and then decide if they'll offer cover to you.

Type of criminal conviction and getting car insurance

The type of charge you have plays a big role in whether you'll be able to get insurance or not. A lot of car insurers ask criminal conviction questions specifically in relation to: arson, theft, fraud, burglary, drugs, or criminal, malicious or wilful damage and driving under the influence. If your criminal conviction isn't related to these, then you can often move onto the next part of the quote. Other times, they'll ask you to specify the details and then your application will be assessed.

How difficult it is for you to get cover will really depend on the type of criminal conviction you hold.

Car insurance premiums for those with a criminal record

Unfortunately, if you are able to get car insurance, your premium is likely to be expensive. The insurer does this because they see you as a risky driver and therefore are charging you more to cover the cost of them taking on that risk when they give you a policy.

Fortunately, some insurers don't ask any questions about a criminal record. This means you can't be penalised for it, because you never had to supply the information. Of course, this only works for the insurers who don't ask. It's not an option to lie if you are asked.

As far as our research shows, there's just 2 insurers who don't ask any criminal record related questions; RACV (operates in Victoria only) and RAC (operates in WA only). In our research of 55 brands, there were no Australia-wide operating car insurers who don't ask questions about a criminal record.

Car insurance and past criminal convictions

If your criminal conviction is more than 3 or 5 years old, you may find it easier to get car insurance. A lot of insurers will ask about criminal convictions that have occurred in the last 3 years, or some ask about the last 5 years. If your charge is older than the time period they're asking about, you can breeze through these questions.

If your criminal conviction is recent (within the last 2 or 3 years) then unfortunately, there's not much you can do about your car insurance woes. Insurers will likely decline you until more time has passed and those who do give you a policy might do so at a high price.

FAQs

• Can you get car insurance with a criminal conviction?

  Sometimes. It depends on what your criminal charge is for, how recent the charge is and if the insurer asks questions about your criminal record.

• Do insurance companies check criminal records?

  We haven't been able to find any information to confirm or deny this. Regardless, the best way to not get caught is to just be truthful from the beginning. You have to be honest when filling out your car insurance application.

Written by

Peta Taylor

Publisher of Insurance

Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio