Since March 2014, changes in the law mean that, in certain cases, criminal convictions need not be declared when applying for insurance. However, with some confusion on what convictions require disclosure, and the differences between spent and unspent convictions, it’s important to know exactly what the rules are. In this handy guide, we take a look at what having a criminal conviction means to you when exploring motorbike insurance options.
What your conviction means
Criminal convictions can be a real stumbling block when it comes to obtaining cover for you and your motorcycle. Despite certain convictions like fraud and drink driving hiking up prices, insurers rarely tend to build their quotes around the given nature of offence – meaning that, whatever the reason for your conviction, you may still have to dig a little deeper when it comes to securing motorcycle insurance. However, if your conviction occurred a long time ago, there may be light at the end of the tunnel…
Spent convictions
Thanks to Unlock’s online disclosure calculator, riders with criminal convictions can successfully check whether their conviction is ‘spent’ or not. As a term coined under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, a spent conviction means your sentence can effectively be ignored after a certain amount of time – so for bikers with a conviction that may have been served, this is excellent news. If your conviction is spent, you won’t be legally required to disclose any information regarding your offence, meaning that you can start looking into cheaper insurance options.
Be honest
When it comes to applying for a new motorcycle policy honesty is always important, so make sure the information you’re submitting is accurate. If your conviction is unspent and you forget to disclose it to your insurer, they may decide to increase your premium or even cancel your policy, leaving you without cover – so it’s always worth checking sites like Unlock before diving headfirst into an application.