Driving offences
Court guidelines for common driving offences
Summary: Each page uses the offence's current Sentencing Council guideline and a current official fixed penalty source. The calculators report the guideline, not a predicted sentence.
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- Drink driving sentence calculatorThe alcohol reading selects the guideline row. A court must disqualify for at least 12 months and decides the final sentence after all case factors.
- Drug driving sentence calculatorThe guideline combines culpability and harm. It says a drug level cannot be directly connected to harm, so the calculator does not ask for one.
- Mobile phone driving offence sentenceThe fixed penalty is £200 and 6 points. In court the ordinary starting point is a Band B fine, raised to Band C for the factors stated in the guideline.
- Driving without insurance sentence calculatorThe fixed penalty is £300 and 6 points. A court uses culpability and harm to select one of three categories and can impose an unlimited fine or disqualification.
- Careless driving sentence calculatorThe guideline has three culpability levels and two harm levels. Their combination selects a fine from Band A to Band D and the points or possible ban.
- Seat belt offence fine calculatorThe starting point is a Band A fine and the offence is non-endorsable. The published fixed penalty is £100 and the court maximum is £500.
- Driving without an MOT fine calculatorA driver normally starts at a Band A fine. A business owner and driver receives at least a 25 per cent uplift, while an owner company starts at Band B.
- Defective tyre offence fine calculatorThe ordinary starting point is a Band B fine and 3 points. The fine is imposed per tyre, with one set of points normally used for offences on the same occasion.
Fixed penalties and court starting points
| Offence | Fixed penalty | Fixed points | Court starting point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drink driving sentence calculator | Not published | None | Band C fine; Medium level community order; 12 weeks custody |
| Drug driving sentence calculator | Not published | None | 12 weeks custody; Medium level community order; Band C fine |
| Mobile phone driving offence sentence | £200 | 6 | Band B fine; Band C fine |
| Driving without insurance sentence calculator | £300 | 6 | Band C fine |
| Careless driving sentence calculator | £100 | 3 | Band D fine; Band C fine; Band B fine; Band A fine |
| Seat belt offence fine calculator | £100 | None | Band A fine |
| Driving without an MOT fine calculator | £100 | None | Band A fine; Band A fine with at least 25 per cent uplift; Band B fine |
| Defective tyre offence fine calculator | £200 | 3 | Band B fine; Band B fine with at least 25 per cent uplift; Band C fine |
What can change the sentence?
- The offence guideline selects a category or starting point from its own stated inputs.
- Aggravating and mitigating factors can move the sentence within the published range.
- A guilty plea can reduce the substantive sentence under the separate guilty plea guideline.
- The court decides the sentence and any disqualification.
Common questions
- Does the calculator predict a court sentence?
- No. It reports the Sentencing Council guideline. The court decides after considering the full case and the offender's circumstances.
- Why are drink and drug driving fixed penalties not shown?
- No fixed penalty is published for either offence. Both are dealt with by a court.
- How is a court fine calculated?
- The guideline states a fine band as a percentage of relevant weekly income. The offence calculator applies that published percentage to the weekly income entered.
Related pages
Sources
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Excess Alcohol (drive or attempt to drive) (Revised 2017) (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Driving or attempting to drive with a specified drug above the specified limit (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Use of mobile telephone while driving (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, No insurance (Revised 2017) (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Careless Driving (drive without due care and attention) (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Seat belt offences (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, No test certificate (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Tyres defective (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Approach to fines: fine bands (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Out of court disposals (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Drink driving penalties (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Drugs and driving: the law (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Vehicle insurance: driving without insurance (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, New penalties for careless driving come into force (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Seat belts: the law (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Report a vehicle with no MOT (as of 10 September 2026)