UK hotspots for licence penalty points
Across the UK, there are more than 40 million drivers and over 2.6 million have penalty points on their licence.
You can get licence points for various driving offences, including speeding and driving without insurance. Depending on the offence, you can be issued with as many as 12 points, which if gained outright or within a three-year period, means you’ll be disqualified from driving. These points can also remain on your licence for four or 11 years. Our research reveals the locations where drivers are most likely to have points on their licence.
Which cities have the most drivers with points on their licence?
Almost two million UK drivers have three points on their licence, but where exactly are the drivers with points to be found? The top three locations are in Yorkshire, as Bradford takes the top spot with 119 drivers per 1,000 licences held, followed by Leeds and Wakefield, according to our research.
| Location | Total Drivers with at least three Licence Points | Drivers with at least three penalty points, per 1000 Licences Held |
|---|---|---|
| Bradford | 31,993 | 118.8 |
| Leeds | 47,255 | 99.1 |
| Wakefield | 20,251 | 94.8 |
| Liverpool | 29,037 | 88.8 |
| Sunderland | 13,466 | 86.3 |
When looking at the cities where drivers have more than ten points on their licence, Bradford sits in the top position again (with one driver per 1,000 licences held), along with Liverpool and Wakefield also still featuring in the top five.
UK cities with the fewest number of drivers with points on their licence
On the other end of the scale, Canterbury is the city with the fewest number of drivers with at least three points on their licence, with 41 drivers (per 1,000 licences held), compared with Bradford which has more than double this. London also makes it into the top five at 47 drivers (per 1,000 licences held).
| Location | Total Drivers with at least three Licence Points | Drivers with at least three penalty points, per 1000 Licences Held |
|---|---|---|
| Canterbury | 668 | 40.9 |
| Cambridge | 7,579 | 43.0 |
| Ely | 2,044 | 43.0 |
| London | 256,082 | 47.3 |
| Exeter | 16,004 | 48.5 |
There were more 50-year-old drivers with points on their licence than any other age in 2021
50-year-old drivers are most likely to have points on their licence, according to the data. And 50-year-old men are 2.3 times more likely to have penalty points than women of the same age, further research revealed.
The ages with the largest number of drivers with points on their licence
Given that younger drivers tend to have a negative reputation when it comes to driving, the research showed that when looking at the top five ages with the highest number of drivers with points, the youngest is only 33, with almost 60,000 drivers.
In fact, 17-24-year olds are the overall age group with the fewest number of drivers with points on their licence. In 2021, there were 161,940 17-24-year-old drivers with points compared to 577,054 45-54-year-olds. Maybe they haven’t yet had time to develop poor driving habits.
2022 licence points predictions
| Age | Number of drivers with licence points in 2020 | Number of drivers with licence points in 2021 | Predictions of licence points in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17-24 | 155,014 | 161,940 | 168,866 |
| 25-34 | 531,867 | 532,180 | 532,493 |
| 35-44 | 562,621 | 564,134 | 565,647 |
| 45-54 | 596,600 | 577,054 | 557,508 |
| 55-64 | 447,146 | 329,531 | 211,916 |
Looking ahead at 2022, our trends forecast shows that the number of drivers with points on their licence will increase across all age groups, except for 45-54 and 55-64-year-olds.
The effect of licence points on your insurance premium
Avoiding getting points on your licence can also be beneficial when it comes to how much you pay for your car insurance.
Alex Hasty, director at comparethemarket.com adds:
"Having three points on your licence increases your average yearly car insurance cost by £60 per year, and it could go up by as much as £615 if you were to get nine points, according to our data. It’s important when looking for a car insurance provider that you’re honest about any existing points on your licence, as it can put you at risk of invalidating your car insurance."
How to avoid getting points on your licence
Regardless of how confident you are on the road, it’s easy to pick up bad driving practices which can lead to those unwanted points. Some of the key laws to be aware of include:
- Speed limits
By not observing speed limits, you not only put others at risk, but you will likely receive a fine (up to £1,000), and gain between three and six points on your licence, which will last for four years. - Using your mobile phone while driving
Using your mobile phone or a handheld device when driving the car is illegal and can lead to a £200 fine or six points on your licence. If you need to make a call in an emergency, pull over in a safe spot. - Driving with defective brakes or bald tyres
Having worn brakes or bald tyres will not only give you three licence points but will also lead to slower response times, both when stopping and in the case of an accident. Make sure you’re getting your car serviced and its MOT completed every year to avoid this wear and tear. - Driving with no insurance
It is illegal to drive on the road without at least third-party insurance and will land you with between six and eight points on your licence and a fine of up to £300.
Brought to you by car insurance experts at comparethemarket.com
Methodology:
Government data (October 2021) determined the number of UK drivers with full licences and penalty points by age, gender, and postcode district.
We applied postcode district terminology to the postcodes listed in the raw data to identify locations on a name basis rather than postcode. These were then aggregated, and the results made proportional against the local population.
To find 2022 predictions for the number of drivers with licence points per age group, a forecast formula was applied to the historical 2020 and 2021 data.
All data refers to drivers with at least one penalty point on their licence, and the Government website was used for number of penalty points for different offences.
Average increase in annual car insurance costs are based on comparethemarket.com data from March 2021 to February 2022.