Can I get car insurance with a criminal record?

Yes, you can always get car insurance, even with a criminal record. However, chances are that this is not possible with a regular insurance company. You can go to an insurance company that specializes in special risks. However, there are extra conditions attached to taking out car insurance, such as a higher premium. We explain how you can still get car insurance with a criminal past.

I have been refused car insurance because of my criminal record

An insurer asks about your criminal record to determine how trustworthy you are. When accepting or not accepting a car insurance, the insurer tries to estimate how high the moral risk is. Moral hazard is actually the risk that someone will be less careful, because they know they will receive compensation anyway. In the case of car insurance, for example, it could mean that someone drives much harder and less carefully, because they know they will be paid off in the event of a claim anyway.

Based on acceptance questions, the insurer decides whether or not they want to take out insurance. For example, they look at whether your criminal record has anything to do with the insurance you want to take out. Have you been disqualified from driving in the past, for example due to alcohol abuse? If so, you represent too great a risk for most insurance companies and there is a good chance that they will not accept you. Will the insurance company accept your application? Then there are certain conditions attached, such as a higher premium.

Am I required to disclose my criminal record when taking out car insurance?

Yes, you are obliged to mention your criminal record if the insurer asks for this. The insurer has no insight into your criminal record. So without you telling them, they know nothing about your criminal past. In that case, they also have no insight into the risk they are running. Therefore, it is important that you do not conceal information about your criminal record. If you do, you are committing insurance fraud.

What are the consequences if I do not mention it in my insurance application?

As soon as the insurance company finds out that you have withheld information, they can immediately terminate your car insurance. You then lose the right to payment in case of damage or accident. The choice should not be difficult: with a criminal record the insurance company may still accept you, depending on the type of offence on your criminal record. When you are registered as a fraudster, no regular insurance company will accept you. You will then automatically end up at the insurance company De Vereende. This does involve extra costs, such as paying the premium in advance, a deposit and a higher premium.