Penalty points record certain motoring offences and can affect your licence, insurance quotations and the risk of disqualification.
Penalty points are added to your driving record after some motoring offences. Penalty points are recorded as part of an endorsement. The terms are closely related but are not exactly the same. A court can fine you and add points if you are convicted of a motoring offence, and the points are then shown on your driver record.
Each offence has a code. For example, SP30 is for breaking the speed limit on a public road. SP50 is for breaking the speed limit on a motorway. IN10 is for using a vehicle without third party insurance. GOV.UK lists the main endorsement codes and penalty point ranges.
Penalty points can apply to car and van drivers. They may also affect anyone named on a policy, depending on what the insurer asks.
Endorsements stay on your driving record for either 4 or 11 years. The length depends on the offence. In some cases, the period starts from the date of the offence. In others, it starts from the date of conviction.
For many 4-year endorsements, the points are valid for the first 3 years. For 11-year endorsements, they are valid for the first 10 years. GOV.UK explains how long endorsements stay on your driving record.
This can be confusing because the DVLA record period is not always the same as the period an insurer asks about. You should answer the exact question you are asked and check your driving record if you are unsure.
Yes, they can. You can be banned from driving if you get 12 or more penalty points within 3 years. This is often called a totting-up ban.
GOV.UK explains that a ban can last at least 6 months if you get 12 or more points within 3 years, subject to the court's decision and any exceptional-hardship finding. It can be longer if you have been banned before. The Sentencing Council guidance on totting-up bans says courts must usually impose a minimum ban unless there is a legal reason not to.
New drivers face stricter rules. If you get 6 or more points within 2 years of passing your test, your licence can be revoked. GOV.UK explains the penalty point rules for new drivers.
Penalty points can affect your car or van insurance because insurers use your driving history to assess risk. The impact may depend on the offence code, number of points, when the offence happened, your claims history, your vehicle, how you use it, and the insurer’s own rules.
Insurers may ask about motoring convictions, endorsements, penalty points, fixed penalties or pending offences when you get a quote or renew a policy. MoneyHelper explains that you only have to disclose convictions if you are asked. GOV.UK also says spent convictions do not have to be disclosed to insurers.
If you do not give the right information when asked, it could affect your cover. The Financial Ombudsman Service explains that customers must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation when buying or renewing insurance. The ABI also explains what the Consumer Insurance Act means for customers.
This means an insurer could charge a higher premium, add terms, restrict cover or, in some cases, cancel or avoid a policy. What happens will depend on the facts, the question asked, the policy wording and the insurer.
You can use GOV.UK to view your driving licence record. This can help you check your points, offence codes and dates before you answer insurance questions.
At Got You Covered, we arrange specialist car insurance and van insurance for a range of drivers, including people with motoring convictions, previous claims or a low no-claims bonus.
If you have penalty points, we may be able to help you look for cover through insurers who consider convicted drivers. Our convicted driver insurance service is designed for drivers with motoring convictions, but acceptance, price, excesses and policy terms depend on the insurer and your full details.
We arrange insurance through insurers. We do not underwrite every policy ourselves, and cover is always subject to the policy terms.
Penalty points are a record of certain motoring offences. They can affect your licence, may lead to a driving ban, and can affect car or van insurance.
Before you get a quote, check your driving record and answer each insurance question with care. This can help avoid problems with your policy later.
