Thanks to The Equality Act, which became a law in 2010, car insurance providers are prohibited from using any driver’s disability to quote them a higher insurance rate. However, these providers may use other reasons related to your disability to charge you more anyway.
There aren’t many factors specific to drivers with disabilities, but if these factors apply to you, they could cause you to pay a higher rate for your coverage.
Say your vehicle has undergone expensive modifications like adding wheelchair lifts, alternative steering or push-pull hand controls. If this is the case, you’re likely to get a higher rate due to the cost and increased value of your modified vehicle.
However, you’ll need to make sure your provider understands that the modifications to your car are to suit a disability, not to increase the speed or performance. Sometimes, a provider will see that you marked your vehicle as “modified” and assume the worst.
All it usually takes is a phone call to make sure the provider understands the exact nature of what’s been modified. A wheelchair lift or steering modification should elicit a much more positive or neutral response from an insurer than if you had modified your car for all-terrain racing or drift competitions.
Some drivers with disabilities, especially those with unexpected seizures or spells, can pose an issue on the road causing an accident. This makes them more of a risk to insure.
However, some conditions can be managed with medication; if your condition is along these lines, you may need written approval from a medical doctor to let your provider know you’re not at any immediate risk for a seizure, a fainting spell or any other episode that could make driving dangerous.
Your insurance provider may still increase your rates if you’re at risk for seizures, even with medical approval to drive; this can be appealed, but risk is risk, and insurance providers are naturally trying to avoid risk as much as possible. Sometimes that simply comes in the form of charging you more.
That’s a difficult situation to give a definitive action plan for, but it may be time to look for a new insurance company. Trying to work out the issues with your current provider is always a good first step — you may need to appeal a decision once and get a new set of eyes on your paperwork.
If it’s a recurring issue, or one that doesn’t seem likely to resolve soon, shopping around is your next option. You could be in for some great savings and a better line of communication with another company, and you won’t know until you look.
These standard factors are likely to come into play for your auto insurance rates, whether you have a disability or not.
It’s also worth noting that car insurers typically jack premiums up at the point of renewal (a year after you took the policy out). At that point, it’s usually time to shop around and switch.
| Response | Yorkshire and the Humber | West Midlands | Wales | South West | South East | Scotland | Northern Ireland | North West | North East | Greater London | East of England | East Midlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | 38.82% | 45.22% | 48.48% | 52.17% | 38.41% | 40.79% | 37.5% | 51.24% | 42.86% | 38.89% | 52.87% | 47.73% |
| I don't have car insurance | 30.59% | 22.61% | 19.7% | 24.64% | 27.15% | 22.37% | 33.33% | 22.31% | 30.95% | 27.78% | 17.24% | 25% |
| Yes | 30.59% | 32.17% | 31.82% | 23.19% | 34.44% | 36.84% | 29.17% | 26.45% | 26.19% | 33.33% | 29.89% | 27.27% |
While there might not be special rates or discounts for drivers with disabilities, you should keep your insurance provider informed about any needs in relation to your disability and how that affects your vehicle or your driving. If you and your agent or provider are on the same page, you’re that much closer to getting the best value possible on your auto insurance coverage.
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