What is a AC10 endorsement?

AC10 is the DVLA code for failing to stop after an accident. It carries 5 to 10 points and stays on the driving record for 4 years from the date of the offence. The points count towards the 12 point totting total for 3 years from the offence date, which is a different clock from the 4 year print period. Use the number on your record, which will sit inside the published range. The code is what a licence check shows an insurer or an employer.

How many points does AC10 carry?

5 to 10 points, which is the range DVLA publishes. A fixed penalty, where one exists for the underlying offence, uses a single number inside that range. A court can use any number in the range, or can disqualify instead of points where the offence guideline allows it. A new driver is revoked at 6 points, so a code at the top of its range can cancel a new licence on its own.

How long does AC10 stay on a licence?

4 years from the date of the offence. It counts towards totting for 3 years from the offence date. After that it can still be visible until the 4 year point. Drink and drug codes use conviction as the start of the 11 year stay. Most other codes, including this one if it is a 4 year code, use the offence date. Insurers ask about unspent convictions, which is not the same clock.

What does AC10 do to insurance?

No official code specific premium change is published. The Highway Code says insurance costs are likely to rise considerably after conviction for a serious driving offence.

Why does AC10 start at 5 points?

Because DVLA publishes 5 to 10 for failing to stop after an accident. It is not in the 3 point family with TS10 and a typical SP30. An AC10 at 6 points cancels the licence of a new driver with no other points. A 10 point AC10 tot a driver who already holds 2. Read the range. Do not treat it as a 3 point ticket.

Is AC10 the same as AC20?

No. AC10 is failing to stop. AC20 is failing to give particulars or report within 24 hours. Both carry 5 to 10 points and stay 4 years from the offence. You can be dealt with for both. Use the letters on the record. Stopping but not reporting can be AC20 rather than AC10.

Will AC10 put my insurance up?

No official AC10 premium percentage is published. Fail-to-stop after a collision is a serious conviction in the sense the Highway Code warns about, and it sits next to a claim. Answer unspent-conviction questions. Give the letters, the date and the points. Do not describe it as 'a mix-up about details' on a form that asks for the code.

Does AC10 apply in Scotland?

The AC10 letters and points are held on a GB licence. A Scottish fail-to-stop case is a Scottish court matter. The 3 year totting test and the 6 point new driver rule are unchanged in Scotland. Northern Ireland uses DVA. The duty to stop after an accident is not an England-only idea.

Endorsement code

AC10: Failing to stop after an accident

Summary: AC10 carries 5 to 10 points and stays on the driving record for 4 years from the offence.

5 to 10 points

Published points

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Penalty points endorsements: endorsement codes and penalty points (as of 10 September 2026)

4 years

From offence

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, How long endorsements stay on your driving record (as of 10 September 2026)

Not published

Official code specific premium change

Department for Transport, The Highway Code: Annex 5, penalties (as of 10 September 2026)

Checked on 10 September 2026.

When must AC10 be declared?

Answer an insurer's questions about unspent convictions. A road traffic endorsement may become spent after 5 years for an adult or 2 years 6 months if under 18, but another sentence can make the period longer.
The time an endorsement remains on the licence is not a universal insurance declaration period.
If an insurer asks about unspent convictions, answer the question accurately.

How can AC10 affect insurance?

No official code specific premium change is published. The Highway Code says insurance costs are likely to rise considerably after conviction for a serious driving offence.
No official source publishes a fixed premium increase for this code, so no percentage is shown.

What does an AC10 mean on a driving licence?

AC10 is failing to stop after an accident. DVLA publishes 5 to 10 points and a stay of 4 years from the date of the offence. The range starts at 5, not 3. A 5 point AC10 on a clean new licence leaves 1 of room. A 6 point AC10 revokes a clean new driver. A 10 point AC10 tot a driver who already holds 2 live points. This is not a 'minor paperwork' code.

AC20 is failing to report within 24 hours. AC10 is the stop. They can both be charged. Use the letters on the record. Leaving the scene of a collision is how people turn a 3 point careless case into a 5 to 10 point AC10 as well.

Insurers treat fail-to-stop as serious. No official percentage is published. The Highway Code's wording about serious convictions is the published steer. Answer the questions. A collision plus AC10 is both a claim and an endorsement.

AC10 stays 4 years from the offence and counts for 3. At 5 to 10 points it is a new-driver and totting code, not a 3 point slap.

Example

A 6 point AC10 on a new driver with no previous points

Code: AC10, 6 points
First pass: Inside 2 years
Existing points: None

AC10's published range is 5 to 10.
6 points meets the new driver threshold on a clean licence.
DVLA revokes.
A 5 point AC10 would have left 1 of room. 6 does not.
A separate CD10 from the same collision can add more points if it is a different offence on the same facts, which is how 9 or 12 is reached for a full-licence driver.

AC10 starts at 5 points. It can revoke a new driver on its own at 6 or more. Stopping and exchanging details is cheaper than this code.

What must I do after a collision so I do not collect AC10?

The Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act duties to stop, exchange details and report sit behind this code. This page does not invent a script. Stop, give your details, and report to the police if you are required to. 'I panicked' is mitigation people raise. It is not a published 'not guilty'.

A car park collision can still be an accident for this duty. A scratched bumper you drive away from is how AC10 starts. A hire car and a company van still require the driver to stop. The owner can be told later. The stop is now.

A Scottish fail-to-stop conviction is recorded as AC10 on a GB licence. Northern Ireland uses DVA. A GB AC10 still counts towards 12.

Published range 5 to 10 points, stay 4 years from the date of the offence.
Starts at 5 points, not 3.
6 or more revokes a clean new driver.
Often sits next to CD10 from the same collision.

What do people get wrong about AC10?

That you only have to stop if someone is hurt. The duty is wider than that. That a note under a wiper is always enough. Report when you are required to. That AC10 is 3 points. It starts at 5. That a car park is private so the code cannot apply. The facts of the accident and the duty to stop are what matter, not a guess about 'private land' as a magic word.

What happens if I ignore a fail-to-stop investigation?

Dashcam and ANPR make this a poor offence to sit out. The range starts at 5 points. A 6 point AC10 revokes a new driver. A 10 point AC10 tot a driver who holds 2. Adding CD10 from the same collision is how 12 arrives. Ignoring the police request to attend an interview does not shrink the range.

A civil claim proceeds in parallel. An insurer who discovers you left the scene has a claims issue as well as an endorsement issue. Tell them when you are asked. Hiding the collision is how proposals fail later.

AC20, failing to report within 24 hours, can sit beside AC10. Stopping and then driving off without reporting can still be AC20. Read both letters if both are charged.

How does AC10 affect insurance and employment?

Fail-to-stop is a serious code in the sense the Highway Code warns about. No official premium percentage is published. Many underwriters will load heavily or refuse. A driving job can end. Give the letters, the date and the points. Do not describe it as 'a mix-up about details'.

A company car and a hire car still required you to stop. The owner can be told later. The stop is now. A car park, a private road used as a road, and a petrol forecourt are facts a court will hear. They are not a published 'always legal to leave' list.

A Scottish fail-to-stop case appears as AC10 on the GB record. A GB AC10 still counts towards 12. Northern Ireland uses DVA.

How do I read AC10 on a licence check?

AC10 starts at 5 points. A reader who assumes every endorsement is 3 will under-read this code. Give the number. If CD10 is also present from the same collision, give both. If AC20 is present, give that too. Fail-to-stop plus fail-to-report plus careless is three lines, not one story.

Insurers treat this family as serious. No official percentage is published. A driving job can end. Copy the record. Do not write 'left the scene by mistake' when the form asked for the code.

The 4 year print runs from the offence. Totting uses 3 years from that date. Year 4 can still show AC10. Say so.

Note AC10, date, points between 5 and 10.
Look for CD10 or AC20 from the same event.
Add every date to the calculator.
On a proposal, type the letters. Do not substitute a narrative.

Who do I contact about an AC10, and by when?

The police collision unit or the force named on the notice. If you have not yet been charged and you left the scene, taking advice now is better than waiting for dashcam to arrive. The range starts at 5 points. A 6 point AC10 revokes a new driver. An AC10 at 10 points reaches the totting line for a driver already on 2.

Your insurer is the second call if there was damage or injury. Tell them what happened. A fail-to-stop plus a claim is two processes. Hiding one from the other is how proposals fail later. No official AC10 premium percentage is published.

If AC20 is also in play, the 24 hour report clock may already have run. Take advice on both codes. DVLA will not merge them into a 3 point slap. They are 5 to 10 each on the table.

Common questions

What is a AC10 endorsement?: AC10 is the DVLA code for failing to stop after an accident. It carries 5 to 10 points and stays on the driving record for 4 years from the date of the offence. The points count towards the 12 point totting total for 3 years from the offence date, which is a different clock from the 4 year print period. Use the number on your record, which will sit inside the published range. The code is what a licence check shows an insurer or an employer.
How many points does AC10 carry?: 5 to 10 points, which is the range DVLA publishes. A fixed penalty, where one exists for the underlying offence, uses a single number inside that range. A court can use any number in the range, or can disqualify instead of points where the offence guideline allows it. A new driver is revoked at 6 points, so a code at the top of its range can cancel a new licence on its own.
How long does AC10 stay on a licence?: 4 years from the date of the offence. It counts towards totting for 3 years from the offence date. After that it can still be visible until the 4 year point. Drink and drug codes use conviction as the start of the 11 year stay. Most other codes, including this one if it is a 4 year code, use the offence date. Insurers ask about unspent convictions, which is not the same clock.
What does AC10 do to insurance?: No official code specific premium change is published. The Highway Code says insurance costs are likely to rise considerably after conviction for a serious driving offence.
Why does AC10 start at 5 points?: Because DVLA publishes 5 to 10 for failing to stop after an accident. It is not in the 3 point family with TS10 and a typical SP30. An AC10 at 6 points cancels the licence of a new driver with no other points. A 10 point AC10 tot a driver who already holds 2. Read the range. Do not treat it as a 3 point ticket.
Is AC10 the same as AC20?: No. AC10 is failing to stop. AC20 is failing to give particulars or report within 24 hours. Both carry 5 to 10 points and stay 4 years from the offence. You can be dealt with for both. Use the letters on the record. Stopping but not reporting can be AC20 rather than AC10.
Will AC10 put my insurance up?: No official AC10 premium percentage is published. Fail-to-stop after a collision is a serious conviction in the sense the Highway Code warns about, and it sits next to a claim. Answer unspent-conviction questions. Give the letters, the date and the points. Do not describe it as 'a mix-up about details' on a form that asks for the code.
Does AC10 apply in Scotland?: The AC10 letters and points are held on a GB licence. A Scottish fail-to-stop case is a Scottish court matter. The 3 year totting test and the 6 point new driver rule are unchanged in Scotland. Northern Ireland uses DVA. The duty to stop after an accident is not an England-only idea.