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Can DUI offenders get car insurance?

We checked 55 different insurers in Australia and were able to find cover from just 4 providers.

Peta Taylor's headshot

By

Peta Taylor

Edited by

Moira Daniels

Updated

Fact checked

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If you've been charged with a DUI in Australia then finding a car insurer who will cover you can be incredibly challenging. This is because driving under the influence is usually considered a criminal offence and therefore insurers will deem you too high a risk.

We know it's a frustrating process so we've done what we can to help you out.

Given that you have to be honest in your application, the key is to find insurers who:

  • Don't ask about criminal convictions.
  • Who ask about specific offences only, like theft or fraud.
  • Who ask about recent convictions rather than any convictions ever. This is only helpful for people who had the DUI charge over 3 or 5 years ago.

Insurers who will cover DUI offenders

Of the 4 insurers who will cover DUI offenders, only 1 of them is an Australia-wide provider.

To find out if these providers will offer cover, we answered "yes" when asked about criminal convictions and specified DUI when prompted. If the provider let us proceed and returned a quote, we marked it as one that offers insurance for DUI offenders.

We did this for 55 different insurers across Australia and only the below 3 returned a quote.

ProviderStates it operatesOffers insurance for DUI offenders?
NRMA
All except VIC
RACV
VIC only
RAC
WA only

In some instances, we would answer "yes" to criminal conviction questions and then the provider would end the online quote and refer us to a customer support agent over the phone.

This was done because they wanted to gather more information about our history before they decide if they'll offer cover or not.

So with this in mind, it's possible you may be able to get cover from the following providers, following a phone call to discuss your history.

ProviderStates it operatesOffers insurance for DUI offenders?
RACQ
QLD only
Maybe
Commonwealth Bank
Australia wide
Maybe

What questions will an insurer ask about DUI offences?

The questions vary between insurers and can be worded in a way that's sometimes difficult to understand. Here's some examples and how you should be answering them if you've been charged with a criminal offence as a result of your DUI charge.

QuestionYour answer
Have any of the drivers listed below ever been convicted of a criminal offence? We do NOT want to know about convictions or offences that the law permits you NOT to disclose.
Yes
In the past 3 years has this driver been charged with, or convicted of, any criminal offence?
Yes
Have you been convicted of, or had any fines or penalties imposed for any criminal activity?
Yes
Have any insureds, drivers or any person to be covered by this policy been convicted of fraud in the past 3 years?
Yes
Have you been convicted of, or had any fines or penalties imposed for any criminal activity?
No

Frequently asked questions

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Moira Daniels as part of our fact-checking process.
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Written by

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

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