Insurance Renewal - FPN(?) declaration?

konn1ch1ha

Hi all,

My insurance is up for renewal. Looking through the small print it says “any convictions, FPNs, points on license etc. ‘No’”

However, I remember getting a £50 fine for a defective brake light in 2020 or 2021 (no record of specific date). I’m not sure if it was an FPN per se but I did not get any points and I’m quite sure it was:

“Use a Motor Vehicle on a Road Fail to [Maintain Lamps / Reflectors / Rear Markings / Devices in Working Order / Clean]” offence code RL89161

Again, I received a letter through the door and not something that was given to me on the spot. I don’t still
have this letter, but I paid the fine and that was that. I have brought this up with a previous insurance and it didn't affect my premium. If I bring this up with my current insurance, would they punish me for not previously mentioning it (the code does not show on their website or comparison website)? 

I’ve even checked and viewed my license on the Gov website and it does not show anything regarding points/FPNs etc. 

I want to be honest with the insurance company but not sure if it’s even going to change anything if I don’t even know when I got it and it doesn’t show anywhere. 

Summary:

I don’t know what the fine was (FPN or not though quite sure it wasn’t labelled as an FPN), I don’t have the exact date, it was £50, no points, there is no record of it on my license. 

TIA

Aretnap

It is a fixed penalty notice, just not an endorseable one. In other words, the offence carries no penalty points (unlike speeding, going through a red light etc).

RL89161 will be a code used by the local police force - it won't mean anything to insurers. If it was an endorseable offence there would also be a DVLA endorsement code like SP30 or TS10 which is what the insurers would ask for - but there-s no endowment code for a non-endorseable offence.

If you look at any insurer's website when it asks you to select the offence from a drop down list you will find that the list only contains offences with endorsement codes, and there is no option to select for "non-endorseable offence". I think you are therefore fully justified in assuming that the question only refers to endorseable offences - even though by its strict wording it should include non-endorseable ones too.

Also on a practical level there is no way for an insurer to find out about a non-endorseable FPN unless you tell them, because the DVLA don't keep records of them. Perhaps that's why they don't ask about them.

tl;dr you almost certainly don't have to tell them, but if you're worried and want to be absolutely certain you could call them and confirm.

konn1ch1ha

This is really helpful, thanks. Also pretty much what I was thinking. 

I had to go on the insurer’s website to do a fake “get a quote” to see if they have the codes to which they had an option for “non-endorseable offence”, selected it and it couldn’t give me a quote. 

If I tell them now for the renewal would they change me/punish me with a back payment?

binao

A "failure to disclose" may justify claim rejection.

Many years ago, "if you can't afford the insurance, you can't afford the car ".

I do like my Merc.