Day-one level coverage
Past two years, published guides return most applicants to their best classes. Inside two years, NewBridge doesn’t ask about a single DUI, and United Home Life’s Deluxe plan isn’t its graded plan.
Health & coverage · Driving record
Life insurance with a DUI or DWI: a short clock, not a life sentence
A DUI shows up in underwriting as a lifestyle question with a time window — usually two years. Inside the window, graded plans and a few day-one paths exist; past it, most carriers treat you like anyone else. Here’s exactly how the published guides draw the lines, with no judgment.
The honest landscape
How carriers actually see a DUI or DWI
Carriers ask about DUIs because driving history is part of how they price risk — and the published windows are short. Transamerica’s FE Express Solution places a DUI, DWI, or OWI within two years at its Graded tier and anything older at its top Premier class. United Home Life routes a DUI within two years to its Deluxe plan rather than its graded one, and gives its best Premier plan once the DUI is more than five years old. Accendo’s published grid sends a DUI within two years to its Modified plan.
The strictest published rule is Transamerica’s older Immediate Solution guide: a DUI or reckless-driving offense within two years is a decline there, two to five years is Standard, past five years is Preferred — and multiple offenses in five years decline. The most lenient is NewBridge, whose question only asks whether you’ve been convicted of driving under the influence “more than once.” A single DUI isn’t asked, and even repeat convictions route to its Modified plan inside two years and to Preferred after that. A suspended or revoked license is usually its own question with a similar two-year line.
How carriers find out: Mutual of Omaha’s simplified-issue term requires a motor vehicle report for every applicant aged 18–35, and Royal Neighbors orders one on all Jet Term and Jet Whole Life applicants. Whatever the product, a truthful answer is the only safe one — a misstatement discovered during the contestability period can put a claim at risk. And if a DUI sits alongside health history that closes the simplified-issue doors, guaranteed-issue whole life asks no health questions at all.
Your realistic paths
The three doors, honestly labeled
Graded coverage
Transamerica FE Express (Graded), Accendo (Modified), and NewBridge for repeat DUIs (Modified) keep permanent coverage available, with a limited benefit for the first two years and accidents covered in full.
Guaranteed acceptance
A DUI alone rarely sends anyone here. But if health history closes the other doors, guaranteed issue asks no health questions — Mutual of Omaha to 85, Corebridge and Americo to 80.
What moves the needle
Climbing the ladder
The 24-month mark
Transamerica FE Express moves from Graded to Premier, NewBridge from Modified to Preferred for repeat DUIs, and Accendo’s Modified window closes. Two years is the line almost every published guide uses.
Five years opens the rest
United Home Life gives its best Premier plan to a DUI more than five years old, and Transamerica’s Immediate Solution guide reaches Preferred past five years.
One offense vs. several
Repeat offenses are what tighten the rules: Transamerica’s older guide declines multiple offenses within five years, while NewBridge’s question exists only for more than one conviction.
Inside the application
What carriers actually ask
- NewBridge’s lifestyle question: “Convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs more than once” — last 24 months routes to Modified; more than two years, Preferred.
- Transamerica’s Immediate Solution chart: “Driving (reckless, DUI/DWI/OWI)” — within 2 years decline; 2–5 years Standard; over 5 years Preferred; multiple offenses in the last 5 years decline.
- United Home Life’s non-medical table lists “DUI within 2 yr” (Deluxe), “DUI >5 yr” (Premier), and “Suspended license within 2 yr” (Deluxe) — the license question is separate from the DUI question.
- Mutual of Omaha’s Express term requirements list an MVR — a motor vehicle report — as mandatory for ages 18–35.
Where the doors are
Panel niches worth knowing
Every carrier draws its lines differently — these documented niches are why we shop your exact situation instead of accepting the first answer. Sources labeled; guidelines change without notice.
NewBridge (Continental General)
carrier underwriting guideAsks only about more than one DUI conviction: within 24 months → Modified; after two years → Preferred. A suspended or revoked license follows the same two-year line. Not sold in California, Florida, New York, or South Carolina.
Transamerica
carrier underwriting guideFE Express Solution: DUI/DWI/OWI or reckless driving within 2 years → Graded; older → Premier. The older Immediate Solution guide is stricter — decline inside 2 years, Standard at 2–5, Preferred past 5.
Our full Transamerica reviewUnited Home Life
carrier underwriting guideDUI within 2 years → Deluxe plan, not the graded plan; DUI more than 5 years old → Premier; suspended license within 2 years → Deluxe.
Aetna (Accendo)
FMO-published guideA DUI within 2 years routes to the Modified plan — permanent coverage that returns 110% of premiums for a non-accidental death in the first two years, with accidents covered in full from day one.
Our full Aetna (Accendo) reviewAmerican Amicable
carrier underwriting guideFamily Choice (ages 0–49): a DUI or license suspension within the past 24 months is a knockout question on the application map — worth knowing for younger buyers.
Our full American Amicable reviewStraight answers
A DUI or DWI & life insurance — FAQ
Can I get life insurance with a DUI?
Yes. A DUI is a lifestyle question with a time window, not a permanent mark. Past two years, most published guides return you to their best classes. Inside two years, options include NewBridge (which only asks about more than one DUI), United Home Life’s non-graded Deluxe plan, and graded plans at Transamerica FE Express and Accendo.
How long does a DUI affect life insurance?
Most commonly two years — that’s the line at Transamerica FE Express, NewBridge, Accendo, and United Home Life’s first step. United Home Life and Transamerica’s Immediate Solution reserve their best classes until a DUI is more than five years old. After that, a single old DUI typically stops affecting your tier.
Will the insurance company check my driving record?
Some do directly: Mutual of Omaha’s simplified-issue term requires a motor vehicle report for applicants 18–35, and Royal Neighbors orders one on every Jet Term and Jet Whole Life applicant. Either way, answer honestly — a misstatement discovered during the two-year contestability period can put the claim at risk.
I have two DUIs — is that a problem?
It narrows things, but it isn’t the end. Transamerica’s Immediate Solution declines multiple offenses within five years; NewBridge routes more than one DUI within 24 months to its Modified plan and to Preferred once they’re more than two years old. Matching your dates to the carrier whose question fits is the whole game.
One search, every door
See your real options in about 60 seconds
A few basic questions — age, state, and your honest health picture — are exactly what lets us quote you accurately across the whole panel. A decline somewhere else is the start of our search, not the end. No exam to look, no spam, no pressure.
- We know which carriers treat a DUI or DWI best — that's the whole job
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