First: Convictions Don't Automatically End Your Taxi Career
Plenty of working taxi drivers carry points or past convictions. What changes is how you arrange insurance: mainstream insurers apply blanket rules and load premiums heavily or decline outright, while specialist insurers assess the actual circumstances — what happened, how long ago, and what your record looks like since. That is exactly the situation where a broker who knows each insurer's appetite earns their keep.
Motoring Convictions: How Insurers See the Codes
Insurers rate motoring convictions by DVLA code, recency, and accumulation:
- SP30 and other speeding codes — the most common. A single SP30 with 3 points typically has a modest impact; multiple speeding offences compound quickly.
- CU80 (mobile phone use) — treated more severely than a single speeding offence by many insurers, as it signals distraction risk.
- IN10 (driving uninsured) — a serious flag for any insurer, and doubly so in the hire and reward market.
- DR codes (drink/drug driving) — the most heavily rated. Many mainstream insurers decline; some specialists will consider cover once time has passed, at a higher premium.
- TT99 (totting up / disqualification) — a past ban must be declared while it remains relevant; expect fewer markets and higher pricing.
Most motoring convictions must be declared while they are "unspent" — for insurance purposes insurers typically ask about the last 5 years. Points also matter for your taxi licence itself: many councils review or refuse driver licences above certain point thresholds, so protecting your licence protects your livelihood twice over.
Criminal Convictions and the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act
For non-motoring convictions the key concept is spent vs unspent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. In general:
- Unspent convictions must be declared when an insurer asks. Failing to declare one can invalidate your policy entirely — meaning claims refused and premiums lost.
- Spent convictions do not need to be declared to an insurer, and an insurer cannot refuse cover based on a spent conviction that you were not required to disclose.
Bear in mind your taxi licence is separate: licensing authorities use enhanced DBS checks and apply their own "fit and proper person" tests, which can consider matters insurers cannot. Insurance and licensing are two different hurdles.
The Golden Rule: Declare Everything You're Asked About
It is tempting to leave an old offence off the form to get a better price. Don't. Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act, careless or deliberate misrepresentation lets the insurer reduce, or in serious cases refuse, a claim — and cancel the policy. For a professional driver, a cancelled policy is a disaster: you must declare policy cancellations on every future application, and they are rated more harshly than most convictions. One honest, higher premium is always cheaper than a voided claim.
How to Get a Better Price With Convictions on Your Record
- Use a specialist broker. Insurer appetite for convictions varies enormously and is not published anywhere. Brokers know which markets will consider an SP30, which will look at an old DR10, and which decline anything at all.
- Time is your friend. Premium impact fades as convictions age. If you were quoted badly last year, the market may treat you differently this year.
- Present the full picture. Years of claim-free driving since an offence, a clean licence otherwise, and steady taxi experience all help a broker argue your case with underwriters.
- Consider telematics. Letting the insurer see your actual driving can offset a paper record.
- Keep everything else clean. Secure parking, sensible vehicle, higher voluntary excess — the standard levers still work (see our guide to reducing taxi insurance costs).
What About Passengers' and Councils' Requirements?
If you drive for an operator or platform, they may run their own checks in addition to the council's DBS requirements. None of this changes the insurance position — but it is worth knowing the whole landscape before investing in a licence application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get taxi insurance with 6 points?
Usually yes. Six points from two speeding offences is common and most specialist markets will quote, with some loading. Six points from a single serious offence is rated more heavily.
Can I get taxi insurance after a drink driving ban?
Some specialist insurers will consider cover once the disqualification has ended, typically at a significantly higher premium that reduces over time. Your licensing authority's view is a separate matter.
Do I need to declare a conviction from 10 years ago?
If it is spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and the insurer's question is limited to unspent convictions (or the last 5 years for motoring offences), no. Read each question carefully and answer it exactly.
Will one speeding ticket raise my taxi insurance much?
A single SP30 typically has a modest effect with most specialist insurers — often less than drivers fear. Multiple offences are where premiums climb steeply.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. Cover is subject to underwriting, insurer terms, conditions, and acceptance. My Taxi Insurance is a trading style of Captios Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 717691).
