New Brunswick introduced stricter impaired-driving penalties that took effect on January 1, 2025. The province gave police a faster way to deal with many eligible impaired-driving cases at the roadside instead of sending every case through court.
This guide explains the new penalties and how an impaired-driving suspension or conviction can affect your auto insurance rates in the province.
To connect the roadside rules with possible insurance consequences, our content team reviewed New Brunswick’s current impaired-driving penalty page, the province’s October 2025 procedure changes, the Financial and Consumer Services Commission’s auto-insurance guide, and Facility Association’s consumer guidance. We also reviewed our quote database to estimate how impaired-driving convictions affect premiums.
How Can New Brunswick’s Impaired-Driving Rules Affect Your Insurance?
Having a roadside suspension or an impaired-driving conviction on your record may affect your insurance rates or limit your insurance options.
What An Impaired-Driving Conviction Can Mean For The Premium
Based on our internal database of quotes collected since the beginning of 2026, a driver with an impaired-driving conviction pays a median of 82.7% more for car insurance in New Brunswick than a driver with a clean driving record.
The difference also varies by city:
- Fredericton: $1,352 with a clean driving record compared with $2,256 after an impaired-driving conviction, an increase of 66.9%.
- Moncton: $1,460 with a clean driving record compared with $2,695 after an impaired-driving conviction, an increase of 84.6%.
Read More: See How a DUI Conviction Can Affect Car Insurance in Canada
New Brunswick’s Two Roadside Penalty Streams
| Issue | BAC 0.05 or higher, or poor SFST | BAC 0.08 or higher, or refusal |
|---|---|---|
| Legal route | Mandatory short-term administrative suspension | Police may issue an Immediate Roadside Suspension or lay Criminal Code charges. |
| Licence suspension | 7 days for a first event in five years, 15 days for a second, 30 days for a third or later event | 3 months at roadside |
| Vehicle impoundment | 3 days for a first event, 7 days for later events, at the owner’s expense | 30 days for a first suspension in 10 years, 60 days for a second suspension or conviction |
| Listed monetary amounts | $240 to $480 administrative penalty; $52 or $230 reinstatement fee | $1,200 to $2,400 motor-vehicle penalty; $230 reinstatement fee |
| Driving record | Recorded | A roadside penalty is an administrative record that does not necessarily mean a separate criminal charge was laid or a conviction occurred. |
Additional costs may include vehicle impoundment, ignition-interlock fees, storage, and towing. Check your reinstatement conditions and invoice for the exact total.
Administrative Suspension Is Not The Same As A Conviction
An administrative suspension is not the same thing as a criminal conviction. Be aware of this when answering questions on an application for insurance. A question about criminal convictions may not necessarily be asking about suspensions or cancellations of your licence. Read the questions carefully and answer them truthfully. If in doubt, contact your insurer/broker and ask them to confirm the answer in writing.
In situations where BAC is at least 0.08, or in cases of refusal, police can impose an administrative penalty or lay criminal charges. They cannot impose the administrative penalty in cases involving serious bodily harm or death, or where there was a passenger under the age of 16 in the vehicle.
What To Do After A Roadside Suspension
- Do not drive during the suspension. Arrange for someone else to drive you home or find another safe option. Follow the instructions about getting your vehicle.
- Record the date your suspension began. That determines when the 15-day deadline occurs.
- Get a New Brunswick lawyer if you may be applying for review. This should be done promptly. Grounds for review are limited. Applying for review won’t stop the suspension.
- Keep all documents: the suspension, screening/test results, impound documents/receipts, and every notice from the Motor Vehicle Branch.
- Get a copy of your driving record and ask your broker before renewing or shopping around for insurance how a suspension will be treated when a carrier considers your driving record. Compare quotes on an apples-to-apples basis, with the same drivers, vehicles, limits, deductibles, and endorsements.
- If the voluntary insurance market won’t insure you, there may be options through the Facility Association. Call a licensed insurance representative. The Association does not issue policies directly; servicing insurers do.
Read More: Review Car Insurance Options After a Licence Suspension
How To Request A Review Within 15 Days
If you are subject to a roadside suspension of seven days or more, you can ask the Registrar of Motor Vehicles for a review of the decision. To request a review, a driver has 15 days from the suspension start date. Please note that asking for a review does not stop your suspension. There is a fee of $64 in NB for a written review or $100 in NB for an oral or virtual review.
In September 2025, a court decision clarified how the legislation applies. As a result, NB updated its procedures in October 2025, and several suspensions were overturned on appeal. New cases are subject to the new process and paperwork. If you have a deadline to apply for review, use the applicable review form and speak with a lawyer about what grounds you have for review.
Additional Insurance Questions Related to Impaired Driving Convictions
| Question | Careful answer |
|---|---|
| Can an insurer call an administrative suspension a conviction? | The province does not call an administrative suspension a conviction. However, an insurer may consider the event when reviewing a person’s driving record, depending on its underwriting or rating rules. |
| Can I drive without insurance if ordinary insurers decline me? | No. FCNB says all registered vehicles that are driven in New Brunswick must be insured. If eligible owners, lessees, and licensed drivers have no other insurance options, the Facility Association provides insurance as a last resort. |
| Is collision coverage automatically denied after impaired driving? | Collision coverage is optional, and claim decisions depend on the facts, applicable law, policy wording, and endorsements. |
| Should I disclose the event? | Be accurate when answering all questions on insurance application and renewal forms. For example, don’t report an administrative suspension as a conviction. Don’t leave out information about an administrative suspension when asked about suspensions or your driver’s licence history. |
Read More: Learn About Car Insurance in New Brunswick