Speeding
What a speeding fine actually costs
Enter the limit, the recorded speed and your weekly income. The band, points and fine follow.
Summary: In England and Wales, a speeding fixed penalty is £100 and 3 points; a court fine depends on the speed and your weekly income. The Sentencing Council guideline effective from 24 April 2017 sets the court bands, while NPCC guidance informs whether police offer a course, a fixed penalty or prosecution. The calculator estimates the guideline fine, not a guaranteed outcome.
What happens after a speed camera catches you?
A camera case starts with identification, not payment. GOV.UK says the registered keeper is normally sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution and a Section 172 notice within 14 days. The person keeping the vehicle must return the driver information within 28 days. Only after that answer does the police force decide whether to offer a course, issue a fixed penalty or send the case to court.
- Check the registration, place, date and alleged speed on the notice. Keep the notice and envelope. The first keeper notice is normally sent within 14 days.
- Work out who was driving and return the Section 172 response within 28 days. A company, lease firm or hire company may receive and answer the first request before a later one reaches you.
- Wait for the disposal decision. A course is discretionary, a fixed penalty is an offer, and a court notice gives instructions for plea and evidence.
- If accepting a course, book and complete it by the provider's deadline. If accepting a fixed penalty, complete both the payment and driving licence steps shown on the offer.
- If disputing the allegation, do not simply ignore the offer. Follow the route on the notice for having the case decided by a court and preserve the photographs, correspondence and proof on which you rely.
GOV.UK, Speeding penalties (as of 7 September 2026); Department for Transport, The Highway Code, Annex 5: penalties (as of 22 October 2025)
What is the 14 day rule for a speeding notice?
Section 1 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 says a driver cannot be convicted of speeding unless they were warned at the time, were served with a summons within 14 days, or a Notice of Intended Prosecution was served within 14 days on them or on the registered keeper. The notice can be handed over, left at the last known address, or posted there by first class, registered or recorded post.
Two details decide most arguments. First, the law presumes the notice was served in time unless the driver proves it was not, so saying it arrived late is not enough without evidence such as the envelope and postmark. Second, the 14 days run to the registered keeper. When the keeper is a lease company, a hire firm or an employer, the company receives the first notice and names the driver, and the driver's own notice can arrive weeks later and still be valid.
Section 2 switches the rule off in three situations: where an accident happened at the time or immediately after because of the vehicle being on the road, where neither the driver's nor the keeper's name and address could have been found with reasonable diligence in time, and where the driver's own conduct contributed to the delay. A keeper who never updated the V5C address risks falling into that last category, which is one more reason to keep the logbook current.
Example
A lease car caught by a camera, with the driver's notice arriving on day 26
- Registered keeper
- The lease company
- Keeper's notice served
- Day 9
- Company names the driver
- Day 18
- Driver's notice arrives
- Day 26
- The 14 day requirement is met by the notice served on the registered keeper on day 9.
- The lease company answers its own Section 172 request by naming the driver.
- The driver's notice starts a fresh 28 day period for that driver's own Section 172 answer.
Day 26 is not too late. The driver must answer within 28 days of their own notice, and the 14 day rule gives no defence here.
legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 1: notice of intended prosecution (as of 10 September 2026); legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 2: when the notice requirement does not apply (as of 10 September 2026)
What happens if I do not name the driver?
Section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 makes the person keeping the vehicle give the police whatever information about the driver they are asked for. A request made by post has to be answered within 28 days of the day it is served. Failing to answer is an offence in its own right, recorded as MS90, with 6 points, a fine of up to £1,000 and a discretionary ban.
The only defence for a keeper is to show they did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have found out who was driving. Courts expect real effort: checking who was insured, who had the keys, diaries, fuel receipts and work rotas. Where two people share a car, both can be asked. A company that fails to answer can be prosecuted, and a director or manager whose consent or neglect caused the failure can be prosecuted alongside it.
Naming somebody who was not driving to protect your own licence is a far more serious matter than the speeding itself. If you genuinely cannot tell from the photograph, ask the force for any image it can provide and say in the reply exactly what you have checked, within the deadline.
| Response | Offence recorded | Points | Fine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver named, fixed penalty accepted | Speeding | 3 | £100 |
| Driver named, course completed | None | 0 | Course fee paid to the provider |
| No answer, or no reasonable diligence shown | MS90: failing to identify the driver | 6 | Up to £1,000, and a ban is possible |
Sources: GOV.UK speeding penalties, the Highway Code Annex 5 and the DVLA endorsement codes, checked September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Act 1988, section 172: duty to give information as to identity of driver (as of 10 September 2026); Department for Transport, The Highway Code, Annex 5: penalties (as of 22 October 2025)
Which speeding band applies at each speed limit?
| Speed limit | Band A | Band B | Band C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 21 to 30 | 31 to 40 | 41 and above |
| 30 mph | 31 to 40 | 41 to 50 | 51 and above |
| 40 mph | 41 to 55 | 56 to 65 | 66 and above |
| 50 mph | 51 to 65 | 66 to 75 | 76 and above |
| 60 mph | 61 to 80 | 81 to 90 | 91 and above |
| 70 mph | 71 to 90 | 91 to 100 | 101 and above |
Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Speeding (Revised 2017) (as of 24 April 2017)
How does a court calculate a speeding fine?
| Band | Starting point | Range | Points or ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | 50% | 25% to 75% | 3 points |
| Band B | 100% | 75% to 125% | Disqualify 7 to 28 days, or 4 to 6 points |
| Band C | 150% | 125% to 175% | Disqualify 7 to 56 days, or 6 points |
Percentages are of relevant weekly income, net of tax and national insurance. Band A starts at 50% and band C at 150%.
Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Speeding (Revised 2017) (as of 24 April 2017); Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Approach to fines: 2. Fine bands (as of 7 September 2026); Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Approach to fines: 3. Definition of relevant weekly income (as of 7 September 2026)
The court first finds the band from the limit and recorded speed. It then applies that band's starting percentage to relevant weekly income, normally income after tax and National Insurance. The guideline deems income to be at least £120 where the offender receives state benefits or has a lower net income. If the court receives no reliable financial information, it assumes £440 a week.
Aggravating and mitigating features can move the fine within the published range. Previous convictions, poor road or weather conditions, carrying passengers or a high level of traffic can make the offence more serious. Genuine emergency circumstances, a clean record and good character can pull the other way. The statutory maximum still caps the fine, but it does not cap prosecution costs or the victim surcharge.
The points or disqualification decision is separate. Band A normally carries three points. Band B gives the court a choice between four to six points and a disqualification of seven to 28 days. Band C gives six points or a disqualification of seven to 56 days. For a speed grossly above the band C starting point, the guideline says the court should consider a longer ban.
On top of the fine, a court adds the victim surcharge. For offences committed on or after 16 June 2022 it is 40 per cent of the fine, rounded to the nearest pound and capped at £2,000. Prosecution costs are ordered separately. None of these apply to a fixed penalty, which is one reason the fixed amount is usually the cheapest way to settle an offence you accept.
Example
A driver on £600 a week recorded at 51 mph in a 30 limit
- Limit
- 30 mph
- Recorded speed
- 51 mph
- Relevant weekly income
- £600
- Road
- Not a motorway
- The 30 mph row places 51 mph in band C.
- Band C starts at 150 per cent of relevant weekly income, so the starting calculation is £600 × 150 per cent = £900.
- The published range is 125 to 175 per cent, which calculates to £750 to £1,050 before the statutory cap.
- Because this is not a motorway, the £1,000 maximum reduces the top of that derived fine range to £1,000.
The guideline starting fine is £900. The derived fine range is £750 to £1,000, plus the court's separate surcharge and costs. Band C also means six points or a driving ban.
Example
101 mph on a motorway by a driver taking home £500 a week
- Limit
- 70 mph
- Recorded speed
- 101 mph
- Relevant weekly income
- £500
- NPCC court threshold
- 96 mph
- 101 mph is at or above the 96 mph point from which the NPCC table sends every 70 limit case to court, so the usual outcome is a summons rather than a fixed penalty.
- The 70 mph row puts 101 mph in band C: a starting fine of 150 per cent, which is £750, inside a range of £625 to £875.
- The motorway cap is £2,500, so it does not bite on these figures.
- The victim surcharge at 40 per cent of a £750 fine is £300, before any prosecution costs.
Starting point: £750 fine plus £300 surcharge, and either 6 points or a ban of 7 to 56 days. A guilty plea can reduce the fine, never the ban.
Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Speeding (Revised 2017) (as of 24 April 2017); legislation.gov.uk, The Sentencing Act 2020 (Surcharge) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (as of 16 June 2022)
When is it a course, a fixed penalty or court?
| Limit | Device tolerance | Course window | Court from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 22 mph | 24 to 31 mph | 35 mph |
| 30 mph | 32 mph | 35 to 42 mph | 50 mph |
| 40 mph | 42 mph | 46 to 53 mph | 66 mph |
| 50 mph | 52 mph | 57 to 64 mph | 76 mph |
| 60 mph | 62 mph | 68 to 75 mph | 86 mph |
| 70 mph | 73 mph | 79 to 86 mph | 96 mph |
The NPCC table is operational guidance to police forces. It separates the speed at which action normally begins, the range in which a course may be offered, and the speed from which every case in the table goes to court. It does not rewrite the speed limit and it does not bind a chief constable. Two drivers recorded at the same speed can therefore receive different lawful disposals if their records or local force decisions differ.
A course is an alternative to prosecution. You pay the course provider rather than a fine, and successful completion normally avoids points for that offence. Failing to book, attend or complete by the stated deadline can return the matter to the police. The previous-course check normally looks back three years from the date of the current offence, so the date of attendance matters.
A fixed penalty keeps the outcome at £100 and 3 points if you satisfy the offer. It is not available where the speed is too high, where another feature requires court, or where the points would take you to 12: section 54 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act only lets an officer give an endorsable fixed penalty to a driver who would not be liable to a totting up ban. Once court proceedings begin, the income bands replace the fixed amount.
Example
A driver recorded at 35 mph in a 30 limit
- Recorded speed
- 35 mph
- Normal action starts
- 35 mph
- Normal course range
- 35 to 42 mph
- Course history
- No similar course in 3 years
- The speed is over the legal limit and at the NPCC point where action normally starts.
- It sits at the bottom of the published course window for a 30 mph limit.
- The course-history condition is satisfied, but the police force still decides whether to make an offer.
A course is a likely possible disposal, not an entitlement. The driver must return the Section 172 notice and wait for the police offer before booking anything.
legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 54: notices given at the roadside (as of 10 September 2026); GOV.UK, Speeding penalties (as of 7 September 2026)
How many speeding points before I lose my licence?
Most drivers can be banned under totting up once they reach 12 points for offences committed within 3 years. The court must then disqualify for at least 6 months unless it finds grounds to mitigate, and the minimum rises to 1 year if one earlier disqualification counts and 2 years if more than one does. Four 3 point speeding offences inside 3 years are enough, and the fourth will be dealt with in court rather than by a fixed penalty for that reason.
New drivers have a much lower limit. If you reach 6 points within 2 years of passing your test, DVLA revokes the licence and you must apply for a new provisional licence and pass the theory and practical tests again. Points from a provisional licence that have not expired carry over to the full licence. That means a new driver can lose the licence after two speeding fixed penalties, or after one if they passed with 3 points already on the record.
A speed awareness course matters most for exactly these drivers, because a completed course adds no points. Where no course is offered, the fixed penalty is still better than a court case for a driver below the threshold, since a court can add up to 6 points for one SP30 offence.
Example
A driver 14 months after passing, with 3 points from a provisional licence, recorded at 45 mph in a 30
- Time since test pass
- 14 months
- Valid points already held
- 3
- Recorded speed
- 45 mph in a 30 limit
- NPCC course window
- 35 to 42 mph
- 45 mph is above the 42 mph top of the course window and below the 50 mph court threshold, so a fixed penalty is the usual disposal.
- Accepting it adds 3 points, taking the total to 6.
- 6 points inside the first 2 years meets the 6 point new driver limit.
DVLA revokes the licence. The driver goes back to a provisional licence and must pass both tests again. Exceptional hardship is not an argument here, because revocation is not a court ban.
legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 35: disqualification for repeated offences (as of 7 September 2026); DVLA, Penalty points (endorsements): new drivers (as of 10 September 2026); GOV.UK, Speeding penalties (as of 7 September 2026)
How do I pay a speeding fine?
For a fixed penalty or conditional offer, use the reference and instructions on the document. The Home Office Penalty Notice Portal accepts eligible notices online and asks for the notice or conditional-offer document, a payment card and, for some offences, driving licence details. The offer is only settled when you complete every required step, so a card payment without the licence endorsement process can leave it incomplete.
If the document gives telephone or postal methods, use the exact address, account and reference printed on it. Forces can administer notices differently. Pay by the deadline on the offer and keep the receipt or confirmation page. If the notice is lost, contact the issuing force rather than sending an unreferenced payment.
A court fine is paid through the HM Courts and Tribunals Service route in England and Wales. GOV.UK provides online and telephone payment, while the Enforcement Office on the notice can arrange direct debit, payment card or bank transfer. Use the payment date on the notice of fine. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate court payment services, linked from the GOV.UK court-fine page.
| Document | Pay through | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed penalty or conditional offer | Home Office portal or the methods printed on the offer | Notice reference, payment card and any requested licence details |
| Speed awareness course | The approved course provider named in the offer | Police offer reference and provider booking details |
| Magistrates' court fine | HM Courts and Tribunals Service online, by phone or through the Enforcement Office | Notice of fine, case details and payment method |
| Scottish or Northern Irish court fine | The separate national service linked by GOV.UK | The court notice and its reference |
Sources: Home Office Penalty Notice Portal and HM Courts and Tribunals Service, checked 10 September 2026.
Home Office, Penalty Notice Portal (as of 10 September 2026); HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Pay a court fine (as of 10 September 2026)
What happens if I ignore a speeding fine?
It depends on which document you ignored. Ignoring the first Section 172 notice creates the separate MS90 offence described above, which is usually the worst outcome of all. Ignoring a camera conditional offer lets it lapse, and GOV.UK warns that you may then have to go to court, where the income bands, the surcharge and costs replace the fixed £100.
A fixed penalty notice handed over at the roadside works differently. Section 52 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act gives a suspended enforcement period of 21 days from the date of the notice, or any longer period the notice itself states. If the penalty is neither paid nor contested by asking for a hearing within that period, section 55 lets the penalty plus one half be registered against you as a fine, so £100 becomes £150, still with the points. A fixed penalty registered in a magistrates' court is then paid through the GOV.UK court fines service, the same one used for court fines.
A court fine has its own payment date on the notice of fine, and the court enforces it if it is missed. If you cannot pay in time, contact the Enforcement Office named on the notice before the due date rather than after it, because that office is also the one that can arrange direct debit or card payment.
legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 52: the suspended enforcement period (as of 10 September 2026); legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 55: a notice not paid and no hearing requested (as of 10 September 2026); GOV.UK, Speeding penalties (as of 7 September 2026); HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Pay a court fine (as of 10 September 2026)
What should I do if the notice is wrong?
Separate an identification problem from a speeding defence. Return the Section 172 information even if you say the speed, vehicle or notice is wrong. Ask the issuing force for any photograph it makes available to help identify the driver or location, but do not assume that request pauses the response clock.
A fixed penalty is an offer to avoid court, not an adjudication. If you deny the offence, the formal route is to decline the offer and contest the prosecution. Possible issues include incorrect vehicle identity, unreliable evidence, signage that did not lawfully convey the limit, or failure to comply with the Notice of Intended Prosecution rules. Each turns on evidence and law, not on a general appeal form.
If a magistrates' court decided the case without your knowledge, or someone falsely used your details, GOV.UK has a service for challenging the decision. If you attended and disagree with the conviction or sentence, the appeal route is different. Act on the court paperwork and get legal advice promptly, because a payment complaint and an appeal against conviction are not the same application.
What happens at common recorded speeds?
- 23 mph in a 20 mph limit
- 26 mph in a 20 mph limit
- 31 mph in a 20 mph limit
- 35 mph in a 20 mph limit
- 41 mph in a 20 mph limit
- 35 mph in a 30 mph limit
- 41 mph in a 30 mph limit
- 45 mph in a 30 mph limit
- 51 mph in a 30 mph limit
- 61 mph in a 30 mph limit
- 45 mph in a 40 mph limit
- 50 mph in a 40 mph limit
- 56 mph in a 40 mph limit
- 66 mph in a 40 mph limit
- 71 mph in a 40 mph limit
- 57 mph in a 50 mph limit
- 62 mph in a 50 mph limit
- 66 mph in a 50 mph limit
- 76 mph in a 50 mph limit
- 81 mph in a 50 mph limit
- 68 mph in a 60 mph limit
- 74 mph in a 60 mph limit
- 81 mph in a 60 mph limit
- 86 mph in a 60 mph limit
- 91 mph in a 60 mph limit
- 79 mph in a 70 mph limit
- 85 mph in a 70 mph limit
- 91 mph in a 70 mph limit
- 96 mph in a 70 mph limit
- 101 mph in a 70 mph limit
Do the same speeding rules apply across the UK?
- The guideline covers England and Wales and applies to offenders aged 18 and over. Scotland has its own prosecution system and its own fine levels, so a Scottish case is not decided by this table.
- The court must endorse the licence in every band and may disqualify in any of them. Where it does not disqualify it imposes 3 to 6 points. In band B the choice is a 7 to 28 day disqualification or 4 to 6 points; in band C it is 7 to 56 days or 6 points.
- Where a driver is grossly in excess of the limit the guideline tells the court to consider a disqualification longer than 56 days, so the band C range is a floor rather than a ceiling.
- The fine is set as a percentage of relevant weekly income: band A starts at 50 per cent within a 25 to 75 per cent range, band B at 100 per cent within 75 to 125, band C at 150 per cent within 125 to 175.
- Relevant weekly income is net of tax and national insurance. Where an offender is on state benefits, or nets £120 a week or less, the court deems the income to be £120. Where the court has no information at all it assumes £440. Tax credits, housing benefit and child benefit are left out of the calculation.
- The fine is capped at £1,000, which is level 3 on the standard scale, and at £2,500 on a motorway, which is level 4. The motorway figure is higher because a motorway case is prosecuted under section 17(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 rather than section 89(1).
- The fixed penalty is £100 and 3 points. That is the disposal most drivers actually receive, and it is not a sentence handed down by a court, so the income bands do not touch it.
- A guilty plea reduces the fine but does not touch a disqualification. The reduction guideline applies to the substantive sentence only and says so in terms.
- The NPCC enforcement thresholds are guidance to chief officers, not law. Nothing in them stops a force prosecuting a speed below the threshold, and every chief constable may set local policy. Treat the course window as what usually happens, not as an entitlement.
- A speed awareness course is offered at the discretion of the force. A driver who has attended one in the previous three years is not eligible, and there is no automatic right to one however small the excess.
- Type approved devices are allowed a positive error of 2mph, or 3 per cent above 66mph, which is where the device tolerance column comes from. It is a measurement allowance, not a permitted margin over the limit.
The Sentencing Council table on this page applies in England and Wales to offenders aged 18 and over. Scotland has a separate prosecution and sentencing system. A Scottish conditional offer should be accepted or declined using its own instructions, and a disputed case may be considered by the procurator fiscal. GOV.UK sends Scottish drivers to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to pay.
Northern Ireland runs its own fixed penalty system through the PSNI and the Fixed Penalty Office. nidirect lists a conditional fixed penalty, the kind a speed camera produces, at £60 to be paid within 28 days, with the full driving licence sent to the Fixed Penalty Office along with the payment. A roadside endorsable penalty there is £60 to £200, is paid within 21 days, and the licence goes to a police station within 7 days of the offence. The Fixed Penalty Office only takes payment for tickets issued in Northern Ireland.
The licence consequences still matter when you cross a border. Valid points recorded on a Great Britain licence do not become harmless because a later offence happened elsewhere. If you drive for work, tell the person responsible for fleet or insurance reporting as required by your policy or employment terms. The keeper of a company or hire vehicle must still answer the driver-information request using its records.
GOV.UK, Speeding penalties (as of 7 September 2026); nidirect, Fixed Penalties for motoring offences (as of 10 September 2026)
Common questions
- How much is a speeding fine?
- The usual fixed penalty is £100 and 3 points. If the case goes to court, the Sentencing Council starts with a percentage of relevant weekly income. The published range runs from 25 per cent at the bottom of band A to 175 per cent at the top of band C. The fine is capped at £1,000, or £2,500 for a motorway offence. Costs and the victim surcharge sit alongside the fine, so the total ordered by the court can be higher than the fine itself.
- Will I be offered a speed awareness course?
- It depends on the recorded speed, the police force and your course history. The NPCC table gives a normal course window for each common limit, but the guidance does not create a right to a course. A force can choose another disposal. GOV.UK says the option is only for drivers who have not been on a speed awareness course in the past 3 years. You must still return the Section 172 notice first. Booking a course only becomes possible after the police identify the driver and make an offer.
- Is 10 per cent plus 2 a legal allowance?
- No. The phrase describes the normal starting point in NPCC enforcement guidance, not a legal allowance and not an extra speed limit. Police retain discretion and can act below the table threshold. Camera device tolerances are also not permission to drive faster. The legal limit remains the number on the sign or the national limit that applies to the road and vehicle. Treat any threshold as an explanation of likely enforcement, never as a target speed.
- Does pleading guilty reduce the penalty?
- An early guilty plea can reduce the fine imposed by the court. It does not reduce penalty points or a driving disqualification, because those are treated separately from the substantive sentence. The court still uses the speed, road conditions, record and other circumstances to choose the correct band and decide between points and a ban where the guideline offers that choice. Do not confuse accepting a fixed penalty with pleading guilty in court: the fixed penalty is an alternative disposal and does not use the income bands.
- Does the 14 day rule cancel every speeding ticket?
- No. Section 1 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 needs the notice to reach the driver or the registered keeper within 14 days, and the law presumes that was done unless you prove otherwise. When the keeper is a lease or hire company, the 14 days apply to the company, so a later notice naming you can still be valid. The rule does not apply at all where there was an accident, and it does not excuse you from answering a Section 172 request. Keep the envelope and take advice before relying on it.
- What happens if I do not name the driver?
- Failing to provide driver information is a separate offence, code MS90. The Highway Code penalty table gives it 6 points, a fine of up to £1,000 and possible disqualification. That is worse than the 3 points most speeding cases carry. The keeper has a defence only where they show that they did not know and could not, with reasonable diligence, have found out who the driver was. Guessing is not safe. Check diaries, receipts, phone records and insurance arrangements, then explain the genuine position within the response period.
- Can a new driver take a speed awareness course?
- Yes, being within the new driver period does not by itself prevent a course offer. The recorded speed still has to sit within the force's course range, the force must choose to offer one, and the course history rule still applies. A completed course normally means no fine and no points for that offence. If the outcome is 3 points instead, a new driver who already has 3 valid points reaches the 6 point revocation threshold. Revocation is carried out by DVLA and is different from a court disqualification.
- Can I appeal a speeding fixed penalty?
- A fixed penalty does not have the council-style appeal stages. You either accept the offer by following its payment and licence instructions, or reject it and have the allegation considered by a court. Court carries risk: if convicted, the income-based fine, prosecution costs and victim surcharge can exceed the fixed penalty. If your complaint is only about mitigation rather than whether the offence happened, read the notice carefully and consider legal advice before giving up a certain fixed penalty outcome.
- How long do speeding points stay on my licence?
- A speeding endorsement such as SP30 stays on the DVLA record for 4 years from the date of the offence, not from the date you paid. For the first 3 of those years it is valid, which means a court can count it towards the 12 point totting up total. After that it stays visible but no longer counts. DVLA says insurers and employers may be able to find out about it for the whole 4 years, so answer the question they actually ask. You can see your own record, with every code and date, through the free DVLA view your driving licence service.
Related pages
- Driving offencesCourt guidelines for drink, drug, phone, insurance and vehicle offences.
- Speed limitsFind the national maximum for each vehicle and road type.
- Penalty charge noticesCouncil parking and traffic penalties, with their appeal routes.
- Private parking chargesA contractual charge with a different appeal system.
Sources
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Speeding (Revised 2017) (as of 24 April 2017)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Approach to fines: 2. Fine bands (as of 7 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Approach to fines: 3. Definition of relevant weekly income (as of 7 September 2026)
- National Police Chiefs' Council, Guidance on the enforcement and disposal of speeding offences (2025), version 2.0 (as of 31 July 2025)
- GOV.UK, Speeding penalties (as of 7 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Sentencing Act 2020, section 122: the standard scale of fines for summary offences (as of 1 December 2020)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, Schedule 2: prosecution and punishment of offences (as of 7 September 2026)
- UK Road Offender Education, The courses: National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (as of 7 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 1: notice of intended prosecution (as of 10 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 2: when the notice requirement does not apply (as of 10 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Act 1988, section 172: duty to give information as to identity of driver (as of 10 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 54: notices given at the roadside (as of 10 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 55: a notice not paid and no hearing requested (as of 10 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, The Sentencing Act 2020 (Surcharge) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (as of 16 June 2022)
- Department for Transport, The Highway Code, Annex 5: penalties (as of 22 October 2025)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 35: disqualification for repeated offences (as of 7 September 2026)
- DVLA, Penalty points (endorsements): new drivers (as of 10 September 2026)
- Home Office, Penalty Notice Portal (as of 10 September 2026)
- HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Pay a court fine (as of 10 September 2026)
- nidirect, Fixed Penalties for motoring offences (as of 10 September 2026)