DR10 Drink Driver Car Insurance
Compare DR10 Car Insurance Quotes
Specialist cover for drivers with a drink driving conviction.
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What Is A DR10 Conviction?
A DR10 is the DVLA endorsement code for driving or attempting to drive with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. It carries 3 to 11 penalty points, a minimum 12-month driving ban, and stays on your licence for 11 years from the date of conviction.
The legal alcohol limit in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath (or 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood). Scotland has a lower limit of 22 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.
A DR10 is one of the most heavily loaded endorsements on insurer rating tables. Most mainstream providers will not quote you in the first few years after conviction, which is why specialist DR10 car insurance exists.
How To Compare DR10 Car Insurance With SimplyQuote
Three steps, around 10 minutes. You will need your licence number, vehicle registration, and the date of your DR10 conviction.
Enter your details
Fill in one form with your driver and vehicle details, including the DR10 date and any other convictions. The form is built for convicted driver applications, so the questions match what specialist insurers actually need to quote.
Compare specialist quotes
Your details are sent to our panel of specialist car insurance companies. Each insurer returns a price based on their own underwriting rules. You will typically see quotes from multiple insurers within minutes.
Choose the right cover
Compare prices, excess levels, payment options, and policy extras side by side. Buy online or speak to the broker for help with non-standard cases. No obligation to take any quote.
How Much Does DR10 Car Insurance Cost?
Expect to pay between £1,200 and £3,500 a year in the first 12 months after a DR10 conviction. The median premium for drivers with a drink driving conviction is around £870, roughly 120% more than drivers with a clean licence.
Your actual quote depends on your full profile: the car, your address, your no-claims history before the conviction, and how recent the DR10 is. The three biggest price levers are conviction age, vehicle insurance group, and your claims history since the conviction.
How do premiums change as the conviction ages?
| Years since conviction | Typical premium loading | Declaration required? |
| Year 1 | 100–200% above standard rate | Yes |
| Year 2 | 80–150% above standard | Yes |
| Year 3 | 50–100% above standard | Yes |
| Year 4–5 | 20–50% above standard | Yes (until spent) |
| Year 5+ (spent) | Near-standard rate | No (conviction is spent) |
Premiums typically reduce by 10–20% per year as the conviction ages, provided you drive cleanly. By year 5 most drivers are paying close to a standard rate again, even though the endorsement remains on the licence for 11 years.
How To Reduce DR10 Car Insurance Costs
Six practical steps can cut the cost of DR10 insurance. Each one lowers the risk an insurer sees on your profile.
Complete the drink-drive rehabilitation course
The court-approved Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) can reduce your driving ban by up to 25% and earn a 10 to 15% premium discount with insurers who recognise it. The course must be offered by the court at sentencing. You cannot apply for it later.
Fit a telematics device
A black box insurance policy monitors your driving and rewards safe behaviour with lower premiums. Telematics typically cuts 15 to 30% off the price for convicted drivers who can demonstrate good driving habits.
Increase your voluntary excess
Raising your voluntary excess from £100 to £500 can reduce the premium by 10 to 20%. Make sure you can afford it if you need to claim.
Choose a lower insurance group car
A DR10 driver in a group 5 car pays considerably less than the same driver in a group 30 car. If you are buying a car after your ban, check which insurance groups are cheapest before you choose.
Stay claim-free
Each claim-free year earns you a no-claims discount that compounds on top of the natural reduction as the DR10 ages. A conviction does not reset your existing no-claims bonus. Only a fault claim does.
Add an experienced named driver
Adding a responsible, experienced driver to your policy can reduce the overall risk profile that the insurer sees. This is not the same as fronting (where the convicted driver is falsely listed as a named driver instead of the main driver), which is illegal.
Which Insurers Cover Drivers With A DR10?
Specialist insurers and brokers are the realistic option for DR10 cover. Mainstream brands like Admiral, Aviva, Direct Line, and Hastings typically will not quote drivers with a drink driving conviction, or they return a price that is effectively a refusal.
Specialist providers access the same Lloyd’s syndicates and underwriting agencies as mainstream insurers, but they package the risk in a way the high-street brands will not. Each insurer prices DR10 cases individually, which is why comparing across multiple specialists matters more for convicted drivers than for any other type of motor risk.
SimplyQuote’s comparison tool, powered by an FCA-authorised platform, sends your details to our panel of specialist insurers in one search. You compare their prices side by side without calling each one individually.
Do You Have To Declare A DR10 To Your Insurer?
Yes, while the conviction is unspent. A DR10 stays on your licence for 11 years but becomes spent after 5 years under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, provided you were not given a prison sentence over 6 months.
Failing to declare an unspent DR10 invalidates your policy and any claims you make. Insurers can check the DVLA database, so there is no benefit to omission. Once the conviction is spent, you only need to declare it if the insurer specifically asks about all convictions on your licence.
How do you check when your DR10 was issued?
You can view your driving record online at gov.uk. You will need your driving licence number, National Insurance number, and postcode. Your record shows the conviction date, the court, the disqualification period, and the date the DR10 will be removed from your licence.
Can You Get Insured With A DR10?
Yes. If your ban has ended and you have a valid licence, specialist insurers will quote you. Cover is also available with a future start date if you are approaching the end of a ban.
Driving uninsured carries a 6 to 8 point IN10 endorsement, an unlimited fine, and possible disqualification. That would make the next renewal far worse. There is no scenario in which driving uninsured is the cheaper option.
If you need short-term cover while you arrange a full policy, temporary convicted driver insurance is available from as little as one day.
What Does DR10 Car Insurance Cover?
DR10 policies offer the same three levels of cover as standard car insurance: third-party only, third-party fire and theft, and fully comprehensive. The difference is the premium loading, not the cover itself.
Optional extras like breakdown cover, courtesy car, and legal expenses are usually available at additional cost. Always read the policy documents before buying and check the excess, both compulsory and voluntary, as these are often higher on convicted driver policies.
What Are The Other Drink Driving Conviction Codes?
The DR10 sits within a family of drink and drug driving codes. All carry the same 11-year endorsement period on your licence. The full list is available on the gov.uk endorsement codes page.
| Code | Offence | Points |
| DR10 | Driving or attempting to drive with excess alcohol | 3–11 |
| DR20 | Driving or attempting to drive while unfit through drink | 3–11 |
| DR30 | Failing to provide a specimen for analysis (driving) | 3–11 |
| DR31 | Refusing permission for blood sample analysis (driving) | 3–11 |
| DR40 | In charge of a vehicle while alcohol level above limit | 10 |
| DR50 | In charge of a vehicle while unfit through drink | 10 |
| DR60 | Failure to provide a specimen (in charge) | 10 |
| DR61 | Refusing permission for blood sample analysis (in charge) | 10 |
| DR70 | Failing to provide a specimen for breath test | 4 |
Insurers treat all DR codes similarly for underwriting purposes. If you have any drink driving conviction, you will need specialist convicted driver insurance. Read our full guide to driving offence codes for more detail on how endorsements affect your record and insurance.
What Is The Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Course?
The Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) is a court-approved course for drink driving offenders. If the court offers you a place (it must be offered at sentencing, you cannot apply later), completing the course reduces your disqualification period by up to 25%.
The course typically involves 16–30 hours of group sessions covering the effects of alcohol on driving, the law, and strategies for avoiding reoffending. It costs up to £250 and is self-funded.
From an insurance perspective, completing the DDRS is worth doing. Some specialist insurers offer a 10–15% premium discount for course completion, and it signals to underwriters that you have taken active steps to address the behaviour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually not. Mainstream insurers like Admiral, Aviva, Direct Line, and Hastings typically refuse DR10 quotes or return prices that are effectively a refusal. Specialist insurers are the realistic option in the first 5 years after conviction.
Premiums are heavily loaded for the first 5 years, then ease as the conviction approaches its spent date under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. By year 5 your premium should be close to a standard rate again, even though the endorsement remains on your licence for 11 years.
Yes. You can arrange a policy with a future start date that begins on the day your licence is returned. Specialist brokers handle this regularly. Do not wait until the day your ban ends to start looking.
Yes, with some specialist insurers. The DDRS can earn a 10–15% premium discount with providers who recognise it as a risk-reduction signal. The course also reduces your driving ban by up to 25%.
Some specialist providers will quote DR10 drivers for short-term cover, though the daily rate is higher than standard temporary insurance. This can bridge a gap while you arrange a longer-term policy.
No. A conviction alone does not reset your no-claims discount. Only a fault claim does. You keep your full no-claims bonus even with a DR10 on your licence, which helps offset the higher base premium.
If you commit another drink driving offence within 10 years of the first, you are classified as a high-risk offender and face a minimum 3-year driving ban. You will also need to pass a medical assessment before your licence is restored. Insurance will be significantly harder to find and more expensive.
You face a £300 fixed penalty and 6–8 penalty points (IN10 endorsement). If the case goes to court, you could receive an unlimited fine and a further driving ban. Your car can also be seized, and you will need impound insurance to get it released. Adding an IN10 on top of a DR10 makes future insurance far harder to find.
