In the UK, speeding offences are the most common driving conviction, and the price of your car insurance is likely to rise if you get points on your licence or a speeding ticket.
In This Guide:
- Explaining speeding offences
- Speeding fines
- How do speeding offences affect car insurance?
- Can I reduce my insurance premiums if I have a speeding conviction?
Explaining speeding offences
If you get caught driving over the speed limit, the courts can fine you and ‘endorse’ your driving licence with penalty points once you’re convicted of the speeding offence.
Here is a breakdown of the different types of speeding offence, which all carry 3 to 6 potential points, depending on the severity of the offence:
- Code SP10 – exceeding goods vehicle speed limits
- Code SP20 – exceeding the speed limit for the type of vehicle (excluding goods and passenger vehicles)
- Code SP30 – exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road
- Code SP40 – exceeding passenger vehicle speed limit
- Code SP50 – exceeding the motorway speed limit
If you’re pulled over for speeding then it’s at the discretion of the police officer, no matter how much over the speed limit you were driving. They will either issue you with a verbal warning, a Fixed Penalty Notice or a court summons. You may also be prosecuted for dangerous driving, so remember it’s not just your speed you have to worry about when on the roads.
If you’ve been caught by a speed camera you will be notified with 14 days. You’ll either be sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution or a Section 172 notice which will ask you who was driving the car. Remember to return the Section 172 notice within 28 days or you will be summoned to court.
You can find more information about speeding laws and punishments on the government’s website: https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving.
Speeding fines
The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine, plus 3 points on your licence. In some counties, drivers can take a speed awareness course which costs around £100, but you often won’t receive the 3 points if you complete the course.
How much you’re charged for a speeding fine will depend on several different factors:
- The amount you exceeded the speed limit by when you were caught
- Which speeding violation code your offence comes under
- Your previous driving convictions
- Your weekly income (fines are weighted depending on how much you can afford to pay)
How do speeding offences affect car insurance?
Speeding offences are likely to increase the cost of your insurance premium. Insurance providers will often view customers with speeding convictions as high risk and, as a result, will probably charge more for car insurance. The more points you have, the higher your premiums will be. On average, annual insurance premiums increase by around £72 for those with speeding convictions. This amount will depend on the severity of the violation and the number of convictions.
Remember to keep your insurance provider informed of any speeding convictions you receive. If you don’t declare convictions to your insurance provider, then your policy may be invalidated, and you could face criminal charges. It may then also become harder to find cheap car insurance in the future.
Can I reduce my insurance premiums if I have a speeding conviction?
If your insurance premium is increased after you’ve committed a speeding offence, you may want to think of ways to reduce it. There are a few steps you can take to do this:
- Telematics – also known as ‘black box’ insurance. This is when a device is fitted to your vehicle so that your insurance provider can monitor your driving to calculate your premium. If you are a safe driver this will often mean your insurance is lowered.
- Excess – If you increase your voluntary excess your premium will be reduced. However, make sure you can afford to pay the excess should you need to.
- Mileage – Driving less will lower the risk of an accident and will bring down your insurance premiums until the points you may have accrued become invalid.
- Security – If you keep your car in a garage and the car itself has suitable security measures, your insurance premium can be reduced.
