What's worse on car insurance?

HKitten

Points or an insurance cancellation?

My partner has 9 points on his license, and insurance cancelled once for a mix-up where they didn't have the right details down and declared the policy null and void. 6 of the points will be coming off his license this year - will it likely make any difference to how much he's paying?

Quentin

The cancellation is by far the worst! It must be disclosed for life, (even when just going as a named driver), and with it on your record cannot get insured via the mainstream online companies.

HKitten

Gah that sucks.

thenudeone

Just because the points come off the licence does not mean that they don't need to be declared to insurers. for minor motoring offences, they must be declared for 5 years.

Points are classed as a conviction under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and that Act's timescales apply, not the Road Traffic Act's.

Spiderham

Quentin wrote: »

The cancellation is by far the worst! It must be disclosed for life, (even when just going as a named driver), and with it on your record cannot get insured via the mainstream online companies.

I'm inclined to disagree. While it does need to be disclosed, not all insurers are bothered by it. I imagine those that are bothered are more likely to decline than increase premiums too. Nine points on the other hand (or more correctly the convictions that led to the points) are almost certainly going to see you get a significant load from any insurers that will take you on. When you say 6 are coming off, that implies to me that they were from one conviction (so not a standard fixed penalty speeding fine) so may be a major loading factor. I'm also guessing that if they "come off the licence" this year it was 4 years ago; as has been said above most insurers ask for convictions in last 5 years to be disclosed.

mikey72

Check the wording the insurer asks, and what the original insurer has actually done. A cancelled policy is not the same as a policy that was null and voided. Voided from inception isn't cancelled, so check what actually happened, and check with a few insurers when you get quotes. Don't use the term cancelled if the insurer didn't use the term initially though.