Penalty points and their impact on your car insurance
Penalty points are there to keep UK roads safe and to encourage drivers to drive cautiously and courteously. Here’s everything you need to know about what they are, how they work and how they could affect your car insurance.
Penalty points are there to keep UK roads safe and to encourage drivers to drive cautiously and courteously. Here’s everything you need to know about what they are, how they work and how they could affect your car insurance.
What are penalty points?
Penalty points, also called endorsements, are assigned to you if you commit or are convicted of a driving offence. The points will vary according to the driving offence committed.
How long will penalty points stay on my licence?
Penalty points will stay on your driving licence record for a minimum of four years. However, points for serious motoring offences can stay on your licence for up to 11 years.
What are the different types of offences and how many penalty points do they carry?
What are the different types of offences and how many penalty points do they carry?
| Offence | Number of penalty points |
| Failure to stop after an accident | 5-10 |
| Failure to report an accident within 24 hours | 5-10 |
| Driving while disqualified | 6 |
| Causing death or serious injury by driving while disqualified | 3-11 |
| Careless driving | 3-9 |
| Driving a vehicle with defects | 3 |
| Using a mobile phone while driving | 3-6 |
| Dangerous driving | 3-11 |
| Driving while under the influence | 3-11 |
| Driving without insurance | 6-8 |
| Speeding | 3-6 |
Will my licence be taken away if I accumulate too many penalty points?
Yes, it will. If you’re assigned 12 or more penalty points over a period of three years, you will be disqualified from driving. The length of the driving ban will be decided by the courts and will depend on the circumstances surrounding the situation.
Most driver disqualifications will last less than 56 days. If yours is longer than that, you’ll need to apply for a new licence once the ban comes to an end.
If you’re a new driver, the rules are more strict. You could have your licence taken away if you get six or more penalty points within two years of passing your driving test. If this happens, you’ll need to re-do both parts of the driving test (theory and practical) to get your full licence back.
How do I check my penalty points?
You can check your penalty points on the gov.uk website.
You’ll need your driving licence number, your national insurance number and the postcode on your driving licence.
How do penalty points affect car insurance?
Penalty points are bad news for your car insurance premiums. Drivers with penalty points and convicted drivers will not only pay more for their car insurance, they may also struggle to find an insurance provider willing to cover them.
Here’s a breakdown of premiums based on the amount of penalty points our customers have:
| Number of penalty points | Car insurance premium[1] |
| 0 | £774.70 |
| 3-5 | £824.67 |
| 6-8 | £1,241.21 |
| 9-11 | £1,357.36 |
| 12+ | £1,722.63 |
[1]Separating our customers by the number of penalty points in each category, 51% of our customers were quoted less than these prices for their comprehensive car insurance between February 2023 and January 2024.
Where can I find car insurance if I have penalty points?
Compare the Market can help by generating insurance quotes from a wide range of car insurance providers in the UK. We can also connect customers with insurance providers who specialise in insuring convicted drivers and drivers with penalty points. Start a quote now.
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