No driving licence: does your car insurance cover you?
- Published: 28 August 2026
- Category: Insurance guides
No driving licence: does your car insurance cover you?
No driving licence: does your car insurance cover you? Looking separately at people, the other party and your own car
The shortest answer: having no driving licence does not mean “the insurance pays nothing”. Cover has to be split into 4 parts: life and bodily injury under compulsory motor insurance (CMI), the lives and property of third parties, accidents to the people in the car, and damage to the insured car. The part most clearly affected is the repair bill for your own car, when the driver has never held a driving licence, used the wrong type of licence or has been disqualified, and is at fault.
The 60-second summary
- Holds the right type of car driving licence and is not disqualified: the driving licence exclusion does not apply, but the claim must still meet the policy's other conditions, such as how the car is used, drink-driving, racing or the excess (deductible).
- Never held a licence / only a motorcycle licence / licence suspended or revoked: if the driver is at fault, the insurer may decline damage to the insured car under the standard conditions.
- No licence but not at fault: the standard conditions state that this exclusion does not apply when the damage to the car was not caused by the negligence of the driver of the insured car.
- Life and bodily injury under CMI: this is a separate contract and does not disappear because the driver has no licence, but the driver of the insured car receives no more than preliminary compensation from their own car's CMI. Anything further depends on which party is liable and is claimed from the liable party's vehicle.
- The other party's life, body and property: voluntary motor insurance still considers compensation according to legal liability and the limits in the policy schedule. Having no driving licence is not, on its own, a general exclusion in the third-party section.
- Personal accident, medical expenses and driver bail bond: if you bought these endorsements, check the number of people, the limits and the exclusions in the actual endorsements. Don't draw conclusions from the words “Class 1” alone.
The night the words “no driving licence” made everyone think the insurance was over
Imagine that “Non” drives out of a side street and hits another car. He is not drunk, he is not racing, and he calls his insurer straight away. But when the insurer's staff ask for his driving licence, Non says he has never taken a driving test.
The first thing you usually hear is “the insurance definitely won't pay for this”.
That sentence is too short and can lead to the wrong decision, because a single accident involves several groups of people who suffer loss and several sections of the policy working at the same time. Some parts cover lives, some cover the other party's property, some cover your own car, and some are endorsements for the people in the car.
So before asking “will the insurance pay?”, ask the whole question: who is paid, for what, and from which part of the policy.
Start with the law: you must have a licence to drive, but breaking the law does not wipe out every insurance right
Under the Motor Vehicle Act 1979, section 42 requires drivers to hold a driving licence, and section 64 sets the penalty for driving without one. Having no driving licence is therefore an offence under traffic and motor vehicle law, for which the driver is responsible.
However, an insurance contract does not automatically work on the principle of “break one law and lose all cover”. The insurer has to assess the claim against the insuring agreements, the exclusions, the link to the cause of the accident and the facts for each person who suffered loss.
The big table: what changes with and without a driving licence
| Area of cover | Holds the right type of car licence | Never held / wrong type / disqualified | Other points to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMI — driver of the insured car | Receives at least preliminary compensation from their own car's CMI | Also receives at least preliminary compensation | If not at fault, further entitlement is assessed under the CMI of the liable party's vehicle |
| CMI — passengers / pedestrians / third parties | Covered according to the law and the facts | Not excluded just because the driver has no licence | The actual amount depends on the type of loss and proof of liability |
| Voluntary insurance — third-party death / bodily injury | Covers the amount above CMI, up to the limit | In principle, third parties are still covered up to the limit | The at-fault driver and certain other people are not third parties under the standard definition |
| Voluntary insurance — third-party property | Covered according to legal liability | In principle still covered; not excluded for lack of a licence alone | Check the limit, the excess (deductible) and the exclusions for certain kinds of property |
| Insured car — collision damage | Covered according to the policy class | May be excluded if the driver is at fault | If your driver was not negligent, the driving licence exclusion does not apply |
| Theft / fire | Covered under Class 1, Class 2 and Class 2+, subject to conditions | Having no licence is not a specific exclusion in this section | Must be a qualifying theft or fire, not an ordinary collision |
| Personal accident / medical expenses for people in the car | Covered if the endorsement was bought | Don't assume it is excluded; check the endorsement | Check who is covered, the number of seats, the limits and the actual exclusions |
| Driver bail bond | Available if bought and the incident meets the conditions | May be available under the endorsement; it does not pay fines for having no licence | A bail limit for criminal cases, not money to pay fines |
Key point: this table only explains the effect of “licence status”. If other factors are involved, such as drink-driving, drug use, racing, using the car for a purpose other than the one declared or giving false information, the outcome for cover may change again.
1. CMI covers lives and bodily injury, not cars
CMI, or the road accident victims protection policy, is meant to help people who are injured, lose a limb, are disabled or die because of a vehicle. It is not insurance for car repairs and does not pay for damaged property.
Under the policy schedule for policies in force from 1 January 2026, the main limits are as follows.
| Item | Maximum limit under the standard schedule |
| Bodily injury or harm to health | THB 80,000 per person |
| Death or total permanent disability | THB 500,000 per person |
| Dismemberment or permanent disability | THB 200,000–500,000 per person, depending on the conditions |
| Daily compensation for a hospital stay | THB 200 per day, up to 20 days |
| Total for injury / death / dismemberment / daily compensation | Up to THB 504,000 per person, and up to THB 20 million in total per accident |
Preliminary compensation, which is paid without waiting for proof of who was at fault, works as follows.
| Preliminary compensation | Limit |
| Medical expenses for injury | Up to THB 30,000 per person |
| Dismemberment / permanent disability | THB 35,000 per person, or as prescribed by law |
| Death | THB 35,000 per person, or as prescribed by law |
For the driver of the insured car, the standard schedule limits cover from the CMI of the car they were driving to preliminary compensation. If the driver was not at fault, further entitlement can be assessed under the CMI of the liable party's vehicle.
So “no driving licence” is not the only factor that decides CMI entitlement. You also have to look at whether the injured person is the driver, a passenger or a third party, and which vehicle is liable.
2. Third parties' lives and bodily injury: voluntary insurance covers the amount above CMI
The standard voluntary motor policy requires the insurer to pay for legal liability for the death, bodily injury or harm to health of third parties, but only for the amount above the CMI maximum and up to the per-person / per-accident limits in the policy schedule.
The general exclusions in the third-party section do not list having no driving licence, on its own, as an exclusion. So if your car is at fault, the insurer will still consider compensating third parties within the limits, even if the driver has never held a licence.
But “third party” has limits. It does not include the driver who is liable and, under the standard wording, the death and bodily injury cover in this section also leaves out the at-fault driver's employees acting in the course of their employment, and the at-fault driver's spouse, father, mother and children. These people should therefore also check CMI and the personal accident / medical expenses endorsements.
3. The other party's property: still considered for payment according to liability and limits
If your car hits the other party's car, a fence, a post or other third-party property, Class 1, Class 2+, Class 3+, Class 2 and Class 3 voluntary insurance all have a third-party property liability section, up to the limit in the policy schedule.
Having no driving licence is not a specific exclusion in this section, but you still need to check:
- Whether the driver had the insured's permission to use the car
- Whether the car was being used as declared
- Whether the damaged property belongs to the driver, the insured or a family member, or is in the possession of an excluded person
- Whether the schedule has an excess (deductible), or it is a named-driver policy and the driver was not named
- Whether other factors are involved, such as drink-driving, drugs or using the car to commit a crime
4. Your own car: where the licence matters most
Registrar's Order No. 46/2567 (2024), which sets the standard motor policy wording, includes an exclusion in the own damage section for drivers who have “never held any driving licence”, people who are disqualified by law, and people who “use a motorcycle licence to drive a car”.
In practice, this means:
- If the driver falls into one of these groups and is at fault, the repair bill for the insured car may be declined, even with Class 1 insurance.
- If the damage to the car was not caused by your driver's negligence, the standard conditions state that the driving licence exclusion does not apply.
- With Class 2+ or Class 3+ insurance, the claim must also meet the conditions of the specific-peril cover, such as a collision with a land vehicle where the other party is identified, according to the plan you bought.
What many articles leave out: named-driver policies
The current standard wording has a specific paragraph for named-driver policies, stating that the driving licence exclusion does not apply if the person driving at the time of the incident is a driver named in the policy.
However, don't use this wording as a reason to drive without a licence. Driving without one is still against the law, and you would have to prove that the policy really is a named-driver policy, that the driver's name really is in the schedule, and that no other facts affect the cover. Have the insurer or an expert read the actual policy before drawing any conclusion.
5. Theft or fire: not the same as collision repairs
Theft and fire cover sits in a different section from collision damage. In the standard form, the “never held a driving licence” exclusion is placed in the own damage section; it is not a specific exclusion in the theft / fire section.
So you should not conclude that a theft or fire claim will be declined automatically because there is no driving licence. But the incident must genuinely meet the theft or fire conditions, and no other exclusion may apply, such as fraud or embezzlement of a kind the policy excludes.
6. People in the car: the driver and passengers are treated separately
The driver
- Own car's CMI: no more than preliminary compensation
- If not at fault: consider claiming further from the liable party's vehicle
- Personal accident / medical expenses: check whether you bought endorsements RY.01 and RY.02, and what the limits are
- Driver bail bond: check endorsement RY.03, which provides bail security in criminal cases; it does not pay fines on your behalf
Passengers
- CMI covers them as road accident victims under the law.
- If the insured or the driver is liable, passengers may be entitled to compensation from voluntary insurance above the CMI amount, but check the definition of third party, especially if a passenger is the at-fault driver's spouse, father, mother, child or employee.
- If you bought personal accident and medical expenses cover for passengers, they can also claim under it, according to the number of seats and the limits in the schedule.
How each class of insurance responds when there is no driving licence
This table assumes the driver has never held a car driving licence and is at fault, with no drink-driving, drugs or other exclusions involved.
| Class | Third-party life / property | Collision damage to your car | Theft / fire | Notes |
| CMI | Covers only death and bodily injury as provided by law | Not covered | Not covered | The driver of the insured car receives no more than preliminary compensation from their own car |
| Class 1 | Covered up to the limit | May be excluded because the driver has no licence and is at fault | Covered, subject to conditions | Also check the endorsements for people in the car |
| 2+ | Covered up to the limit | May be excluded; normally the collision-with-a-land-vehicle condition must also be met | Covered, subject to conditions | Depends on whether the other party can be identified |
| 3+ | Covered up to the limit | May be excluded; normally the collision-with-a-land-vehicle condition must also be met | Not covered | Product conditions may differ between insurers |
| Class 2 | Covered up to the limit | There is no collision cover for your car anyway | Covered, subject to conditions | A licence does not create a right to collision repairs you never bought |
| Class 3 | Covered up to the limit | There is no collision cover for your car anyway | Not covered | Focuses on third-party liability |
“No driving licence” comes in several forms, with different outcomes
| Status | Effect on cover for your car |
| Holds the right type of licence but forgot the card | A matter of showing proof, not of “never having held” a licence; the insurer can check the status afterwards |
| Expired licence | Under the standard wording this is not the same as “never held”, but check whether the driver has been disqualified or the licence suspended or revoked |
| Never took a test or never held any driving licence | Falls within the own damage exclusion when the damage was caused by the driver's negligence |
| Holds only a motorcycle licence but drives a car | Named directly in the own damage exclusion |
| Licence suspended / revoked / disqualified | In a group for which the standard conditions exclude own damage |
| No licence but not at fault | The driving licence exclusion does not apply to damage not caused by your driver's negligence |
What to do after an accident so that “no driving licence” does not bury your other rights
- Stop the car and make sure everyone is safe first. If anyone is injured, call 1669 and inform the police.
- Call your insurer straight away. Give the facts plainly, don't guess at the cause, and don't admit to more than what actually happened.
- Take photos and video from every side: the positions of the cars, the impact marks, number plates, road conditions, traffic lights and witnesses.
- List each person and each item of property that suffered loss separately. The driver, passengers, pedestrians, the other party's car and your own car may each fall under a different section of cover.
- Prepare 3 sets of documents: the policy schedule page, the endorsements and proof of the driver's licence status.
- If the claim is declined, ask for the decision in writing, stating the policy clause the insurer relied on. Don't accept just a phone answer that “there is no licence, so nothing will be paid”.
- If you feel you have not been treated fairly, call the OIC (Office of Insurance Commission) hotline on 1186 or file a complaint through the OIC complaints system.
Examples of answers more accurate than “pays” or “doesn't pay”
Case A: never held a licence and rear-ends the car in front
- CMI: death and bodily injury are still assessed according to each person's entitlement
- The other party's car and life: voluntary insurance assesses according to liability and limits
- Your car: Class 1, Class 2+ or Class 3+ may decline your repairs because the driver had no licence and was at fault
- Endorsements for people in the car: check whether they were bought and what they exclude
Case B: never held a licence, but stopped at a red light and hit from behind
- The damage was not caused by your driver's negligence
- Under the standard wording, the no-licence exclusion should not be applied to your car's repairs in this case
- You still need evidence that you were not at fault, and with Class 2+ / Class 3+ the conditions of the product you bought must be met
Case C: expired licence
- Not the same fact as “never having held a driving licence”
- Check whether there is a suspension or revocation order, or a disqualification
- If the insurer declines solely because the licence has expired, ask for a written refusal and the policy clause relied on
What to check before you buy, so there are no problems when you claim
- Does everyone who regularly drives the car hold the right type of car licence?
- Is the policy a named-driver policy, and are the names and licence numbers correct?
- What third-party limits and excess (deductible) does the policy schedule show?
- Do you have RY.01 personal accident, RY.02 medical expenses and RY.03 driver bail bond?
- For Class 2+ / Class 3+, what does the policy require regarding the other party and the type of collision?
- Does the car's actual use match what you told the insurer, such as private use, hire or goods delivery?
Let Prakanthai.com read your policy before you decide whether you can claim
When there is no driving licence, no single answer fits every incident, because the answer depends on the driver, who was at fault, the policy class, the schedule of limits and the endorsements.
Send these 3 things and the Prakanthai.com team can help you sort out the issues as a first step:
- A photo of the policy schedule page (you can cover your national ID number or any personal details we don't need)
- A photo of the endorsements or the coverage list page
- A short account of who was driving, the status of their licence, and which party has been named as at fault
LINE Official: @prakanthai
Website: Prakanthai.com
Prakanthai.com has provided non-life insurance broking services since 2004, broker licence no. 5104000004. This content is written to help consumers read their policies; it is not a ruling on any dispute or legal advice on a specific case.
Frequently asked questions
If I have no driving licence, will Class 1 insurance pay?
It pays some things; it does not refuse everything. The insurance still considers liability for third parties' lives and property, while repairs to your own car may be excluded if the driver has never held a licence, used the wrong type of licence or was disqualified, and was at fault.
No licence but not at fault: can I claim for my car?
Under the standard conditions, the driving licence exclusion does not apply when the damage to the car was not caused by the negligence of the insured car's driver. But you need evidence of who was at fault, and the claim must meet the conditions of the insurance class you bought.
Will insurance pay if my licence has expired?
Under the standard wording, an expired licence is not the same as “never having held a driving licence”, so repairs should not be declined solely because the licence has expired, unless it has been suspended or revoked or the driver disqualified. The other facts of the incident still need to be checked.
If I only have a motorcycle licence and drive a car, does Class 1 insurance cover my car?
The standard wording lists using a motorcycle licence to drive a car among the own damage exclusions. If the driver is at fault, the repairs to the insured car may not be paid for.
Does CMI cover a driver with no licence?
The driver of the insured car receives no more than preliminary compensation from their own car's CMI. Having or not having a licence does not take away preliminary compensation. If the driver was not at fault, further entitlement is assessed under the CMI of the liable party's vehicle.
Will the insurance still pay for the other party's repairs if the driver of my car has no licence?
In principle it is still considered for payment according to legal liability and the third-party property limit, because having no licence is not, on its own, a specific exclusion in this section. But other factors and the excess (deductible) also need to be checked.
Are the passengers in my car still covered?
Passengers are entitled under CMI and may also be entitled under voluntary insurance or the endorsements for people in the car. This depends on their relationship to the at-fault driver, the definition of third party, the number of seats and the limits you bought.
The insurer has declined everything because there was no licence. What should I do?
Ask for a written refusal that cites the policy clause. Separate the losses into third-party death / bodily injury, the other party's property, your own car and the endorsements. If you still disagree, consult your broker or call the OIC on 1186.