130,000 motorists caught without car insurance in 3 years
Wed, 20 Mar 2024
A new Freedom of Information request to UK police forces has revealed almost 131,000 motorists were caught driving without car insurance between 2021 and 2023.
The Confused.com research found that motorists paid out almost £400,000 in fines as a result.
Driving without car insurance carries fines of up to £300 and a six-point penalty on a driving licence. However, the well-publicised rise in car insurance prices means many have still chosen to take the risk.
The average cost of car insurance reached £995 at the end of 2023. That’s a rise of 58%, or £366, in just one year.
The research found that more than 4 in 10 of offences reported were committed by under-30s – a group particularly badly affected by car insurance price rises.
It’s concerning because many of them wouldn’t qualify as being able to drive another car on their comprehensive policy, due to their age.
This suggests many younger motorists may have actively driven without a policy in place.
"It’s concerning how many drivers have been caught driving without insurance in recent years," says Confused.com motoring expert Louise Thomas.
"Whether this is a deliberate decision to avoid paying for insurance, or from lack of knowing what drivers are covered for on their own policies, is unclear. With the cost of car insurance so high at the moment, it may be tempting to cancel your insurance – but this is a serious risk."
Thomas added it’s clear that there’s more need for education around ‘driving other cars’, with more than 1 in 3 being unclear whether their car insurance includes driving other cars as standard.
Surprisingly, the figures reveal the police also seized almost 166,000 vehicles – and to get them back, motorists had to pay out on top of the fine they received.
Over three years, this raised more than £16 million.
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