Home | Blog | Motorists tempted to drive without insurance

By Craig Perry, 28th November 2023

Category: Car insurance

Did you know that drivers risk fixed penalties of £300 and six points on their licences if they drive without insurance? Or that in cases where additional or repeated offences have taken place, drivers can have their vehicles seized, or receive bans on driving in certain areas?

Despite all of that, our recent research with motorists found that the rising cost of car insurance is encouraging many to take to the road with uninsured vehicles.

A significant 7% of drivers aged 18 and over admitted to having driven an uninsured vehicle due to the high cost of policy premiums within the past 12 months.

And of those drivers who have driven uninsured vehicles, a third (33%) say it was not the first time that they had done so.

Male motorists (9%) are almost twice as likely to have driven vehicles without being insured than female drivers (5%), and younger drivers (30%) are more likely to have driven uninsured vehicles than those in any other age group.

Analysis from Consumer Intelligence shows that the average car insurance premium has risen by on average 66.5% from a year ago.

Such increases are likely to fuel further risk taking in future. When asked if they would be likely to drive without insurance in the next 12 months as a result of rising premiums, 6% of all drivers said that they would, rising to 16% of younger motorists aged 18-24.

This higher figure can be explained by the fact that less experienced younger drivers are charged bigger insurance premiums compared to older motorists, especially those with a track record of safe driving. Younger drivers are also likely to have lower levels of disposable income.

But while at first sight it’s perhaps understandable that motorists suffering from the cost of living crisis want to cut their outgoings, in our view it’s a completely false economy.

We would never recommend driving without insurance, because not only are uninsured motorists risking fines and the loss of their vehicles, but they will be unable to turn to an insurer for help in the event of an accident with another party.

An alternative to risking expensive penalties is to seek out policies that bring costs down in exchange for more careful driving, which has a less harmful impact on the environment.

The policies we are offering can make a big difference to motorists by helping to reduce premiums as a result of their more careful driving habits, which will also lead to lower fuel costs and carbon emissions. Having the right insurance policy in place is not only a legal requirement – it also brings peace of mind.