How long do points stay on your licence?
Key takeaways
- For most offences, penalty points stay on your licence for four years and count towards a driving ban for the first three years
- New drivers can have their licence revoked if they get six or more points within two years of passing their test
- Penalty points can increase car insurance costs and usually need to be declared to car insurance providers for up to five years
How long do points stay on your licence for most offences?
For most driving offences in the UK, penalty points stay on your licence for four years from the date of the offence.
These points are ‘valid’ for three years. During this time, any points you accumulate are ‘totting-up’, meaning they potentially count towards a ban.
They remain on your licence for four years, though, meaning you have to declare them if required. You must declare any motoring offences when applying for car insurance. And employers might need to know too - particularly if your job involves driving.
Once the four-year period ends, the points are automatically removed from your driving record.
Common offences that usually follow this rule include speeding, careless driving and using a mobile phone while driving.
How long do points stay on your licence for serious offences?
More serious motoring offences carry longer point durations.
For offences such as drink-driving or drug-driving (DR codes), points typically remain on your licence for 11 years from the date of conviction.
These offences are treated more seriously because of the increased risk they pose, and the longer duration reflects that.
These offences are active for 10 years, meaning they stop counting towards totting-up during the last year.
What is the penalty for accumulating too many points?
If you accumulate 12 or more penalty points within a three-year period, you’ll usually face a driving ban under the totting-up system.
Typical disqualification lengths are:
- 6 months for a first totting-up ban
- 12 months if you’ve been banned within the last three years
- 2 years if you’ve had two or more bans within three years
In some cases, drivers can argue ‘exceptional hardship’ to try to avoid a ban. This is where you can prove to a court that you and/or third parties relying on you will face severe hardship if you’re unable to drive. It’s only granted in limited circumstances, though.
How many points can a new driver have before their licence is revoked?
New drivers face stricter rules.
If you pass your driving test and accumulate six or more penalty points within two years, your licence will be revoked automatically under the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995.
This isn’t a ban, but it does mean you’ll need to:
- Apply for a new provisional licence
- Retake both the theory and practical driving tests
Once you’ve passed again, the points stay on your licence until they expire as normal.
How do I check my driving licence points?
To see how many points you have, you can check your driving licence information online at GOV.UK if you live in England, Wales or Scotland.
To access your details, you’ll need:
- Your driving licence number
- Your National Insurance (NI) number
- The postcode on your driving licence
The service shows your current points, offence dates and when they’re due to expire.
How does points duration affect my car insurance cost?
Even after points are removed from your licence, they can still affect your insurance.
Most insurers ask about motoring convictions and car insurance claims from the past five years, not just what’s currently showing on your licence.
This means that even for any points which expire after four years, you’ll still need to declare the offence for an extra year.
During this time, insurers are likely to charge higher premiums. This is because points are an indicator of increased risk.
Can I get penalty points removed from my licence early?
No. Once penalty points are applied, they can’t be removed early.
The only way to avoid points altogether is if the police offer an alternative - usually a speed awareness course. The police tend to offer these courses if you were within a certain range above the speed limit, and not if you broke it by a wide margin. Also, there’s no guarantee you’ll be offered the course.
If you are offered one, it’s well worth considering. Although the course costs money and is likely to take almost a working day of your time, it means you won’t get the penalty points. As such, you might avoid your insurance being hiked for four years.
If you do end up with a motoring conviction, one of the best ways to keep premiums down is to compare car insurance from a range of providers.
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