Car insurance with points on your driving licence

If you get caught for a driving offence, like speeding or driving through a red light, you’ll probably be given the option to pay a fine as well as take points on your licence or do an awareness course, as long as it’s your first offence. However, if you commit the offence again, you won’t be offered the choice – the points will go onto your licence.

But what does it mean to have points on your licence? Will it affect how much you have to pay for your car insurance? We’ll take you through what the different points codes are, and we’ll take a look at how much your insurance could be if you’re convicted.

Endorsements

Usually, when you get ‘endorsed’ for something, this is a good thing. However, endorsements on your driving licence definitely aren’t something you want. When you get a conviction for a motoring offence, your licence can be endorsed with penalty points, and these can stay on your licence for a number of years.

You’ll get a different code on your licence depending on the offence you’ve committed. Here are some of the more common codes:

Code

Offence

Number of points

Years on licence

CU80

Using a mobile phone while driving

3

4

IN10

Using a vehicle without minimum insurance

6 to 8

4

SP30

Exceeding speed limit on a public road

3 to 6

4

SP40

Exceeding passenger vehicle speed limit

3 to 6

4

SP50

Exceeding speed limit on a motorway

3 to 6

4

TS10

Failing to comply with traffic light signals

3

4

TS20

Failing to comply with double white lines

3

4

TS30

Failing to comply with ‘stop’ sign

3

4

If you get a total of 12 or more points within three years, you could be disqualified from driving, so you should definitely take it seriously if you’re convicted of any motoring offence.

Getting insurance

When you apply for car insurance, you have to tell the insurer if you have any points on your licence. If you don’t, you’re breaking the law, and any claims you try and make in the event of an accident would be invalid anyway. The insurers are able to check on your points with the DVLA so don’t think that you’ll be able to get away with not telling the truth!

You’ll be seen as a greater risk if you’ve got points on your licence so insurers will likely quote you a higher price for car insurance. According to InsuranceForConvictedDrivers.org, if you’ve got six points on your licence that are more than three years old, your insurance will typically only increase by 9 per cent. However, if you’ve built up nine points in the last two years, you could see a massive increase of 47 per cent. If you have a conviction for drunk driving this is seen as more serious still and your premium could jump by over 50%.

If you’re looking for a few quick tips on reducing your car insurance, check out our blog.