How Much Do Penalty Points Affect Car Insurance?

police officer pulling over car on uk road

If you commit a driving offence such as speeding, driving while disqualified or careless driving, you can very well expect to receive penalty points on your driving licence.

The number of penalty points that you’ll receive depends on the severity of the offence that you commit and whether you have any previous driving convictions.

It’s also important to note that having points on your licence can affect the cost of your car insurance and in our guide below, we discuss the effect they can have on your car insurance policy.

If you have points on your licence and want to see how it could affect your premium:

Do penalty points affect car insurance?

In the simplest terms, having penalty points on your driving licence can certainly have an impact on the amount of money you pay for your car insurance.

The number of points that you have on your licence will depend on how much your insurance is increased. Take a look below at some of the statistics and figures provided by MoneySuperMarket to see how much your car insurance will go up or down if you have points on your licence.

If you had 0 points on your licence and then receive 3 points as a result of a driving offence, the cost of your car insurance will go up by a median price of £160.

If you had 3 points on your licence and then receive 3 further points (a total of 6 points) as a result of a driving offence, the cost of your car insurance will go up by a median price of £110.

If you had 0 points on your licence and then receive 6 points as a result of a driving offence, the cost of your car insurance will go up by a whopping median price of £552.

Of course, once your penalty points are removed from your driving licence after a certain period of time, the amount you pay for your car insurance is also likely to go down.

When it comes to renewing your car insurance or applying for a new policy, it’s important that you tell your insurance provider if you’ve been convicted of any driving offences or if you’ve received points on your licence.

While it may mean that the cost of your car insurance is significantly increased, it’s important that you’re transparent about any points you’ve obtained. This is because car insurers will determine how much you pay for your car insurance based on several ‘risk’ assessments and if you have points on your licence and previous convictions, they will see that you’re more at risk than drivers without penalty points.

You should also bear in mind that some insurers require you to declare any points you receive straight away, whereas some only ask that you inform them of new points when you come to renew your insurance policy or apply for a new one.

When it comes to searching for a new car insurance provider on comparison sites, you may notice that there are fewer insurers available when you search for quotes if you have points on your licence.

This is because according to MoneySuperMarket, the range of car insurance policies is more limited the more driving offences and points you have. They suggest that people with no points on their licence return around 70 to 80 car insurance results on comparison sites compared to 61 to 70 results if you have at least two offences on your licence.

How long do points stay on your driving licence?

The majority of penalty points stay on your driving licence for four years from the date of your driving offence, but they usually only remain active for the first three years.

However, if you commit a more serious offence such as if you cause death by dangerous driving or drunk driving, your points will stay on your driving licence for 11 years.

How many penalty points can you have on your driving licence?

You are usually permitted to have up to 12 penalty points on your driving licence before you will be disqualified from driving.

However, if you receive 6 points within the first two years of passing your driving test, your driving licence will be revoked immediately and you will be required to apply for a new licence.

What type of driving offences can you get penalty points for?

There are several things that you can receive penalty points for, including:

Driving while disqualified - 6 points
Speeding - 3 points and £100 fine in most cases
Careless driving - 3 to 9 points
Causing death by dangerous or drunk driving - 3 to 11 points
Driving an uninsured car - 6 to 8 points
Driving without a valid licence - 3 to 6 points

Car insurance with convictions

It may seem nigh on impossible to get cheap car insurance whilst you have a vehicle related conviction – the truth is, it probably is. Insurers will see you as a higher risk when you have points on your driving licence which is why they won’t be willing to offer you their best deal – even if you have a criminal conviction for a non-vehicle related incident, your insurance will rise.

If you have just a few points on your licence, your best option is to just shop around using price comparison websites or right here at Compare UK Quotes to find the best deal under your circumstances – be prepared to bite the bullet and accept a price increase though, because it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to beat (or even match) your existing premium.

For more serious, driving-related convictions like drink driving (which itself comes with a 12 month ban and fine of up to £5,000) you may be better off getting a car insurance quote geared specifically towards convicted drivers.

How many points do I have on my licence? – Driving licence points check

If you are unsure whether or not you have unspent points on your driving licence, it is a good idea to check – you don’t want to be paying more than you have to or, even worse, have invalid insurance!

To check if you have points on your driving licence (and if so, how many), you can visit the gov.uk website. Just enter you driving licence number, national insurance number and the postcode stated on your licence and you will be given a complete overview of your driving record, including any previous or outstanding penalty points and disqualifications.

If you need to share this information with somebody (like a car hire company), you can create a driving licence ‘check code’ which remains valid for 21 days and allows you to give others access to your records.

How to get cheap car insurance with penalty points on your licence

While it might make it much more difficult to find a cheaper car insurance policy if you have penalty points on your driving licence, there are several things you can do to try and obtain a more affordable premium.

Consider taking out Black Box insurance. These types of car insurance policies work by measuring how well and safe you drive and then calculating the cost of your car insurance based on how good you are at driving. So, the better driver you are, the cheaper your car insurance will be.
Ensure that your car is safe and secure at all times. This includes ensuring that it’s locked and parked in a safe location at night.
Consider increasing your voluntary excess (the amount that you’ll have to pay if you have to make a claim on your car insurance). It’s important to ensure that you’ll be able to pay the cost of the voluntary excess if you need to make a claim.
Ensure that you choose the right level of cover for you and your vehicle. While you might think that third-party only cover might be the cheapest type of cover you can get, comprehensive cover can actually be the most affordable option in many cases.