If you've received penalty points on your UK driving licence, you're probably wondering: exactly how long will they haunt you? The answer depends on the type of offence — and there's a crucial distinction between points being "active" and points being "on your record" that many drivers misunderstand.
This guide explains everything you need to know about penalty point duration in 2026, including a table of all common offence codes.
The simple answer — most points last 4 years
For the majority of driving offences — including speeding (SP30), using a mobile phone (CU80), and driving without due care (CD10) — penalty points remain on your driving licence for 4 years from the date of the offence. However, they are only "active" (counting towards a driving ban) for the first 3 of those 4 years.
For serious offences like drink driving (DR10) or causing death by dangerous driving, points last 11 years from the offence date and are active for 10 years.
"Active" vs "on your record" — what's the difference?
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of UK driving law. Every set of penalty points has two separate timelines:
- Active period — During this time, the points count towards the 12-point totting-up threshold. If you accumulate 12 or more active points, you face a mandatory driving ban. For standard offences, points are active for 3 years from the offence date.
- On your DVLA record — For an additional period after points become inactive, they remain visible on your licence record. This means insurers can see them and you may need to declare them. For standard offences, this runs to 4 years from the offence date.
In practical terms: a speeding offence committed on 1 June 2023 would have points becoming inactive on 1 June 2026, but those points would remain visible on your record until 1 June 2027.
How long do different offence types last?
| Offence Code | Description | Points | Active For | On Record For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP30 | Speeding — exceeding limit on public road | 3–6 | 3 years | 4 years |
| SP50 | Speeding — exceeding limit on motorway | 3–6 | 3 years | 4 years |
| CU80 | Using a hand-held mobile phone | 6 | 3 years | 4 years |
| IN10 | Using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks | 6–8 | 3 years | 4 years |
| CD10 | Driving without due care and attention | 3–9 | 3 years | 4 years |
| MS90 | Failure to give information as to identity of driver | 6 | 3 years | 4 years |
| DR10 | Driving or attempting to drive — alcohol above limit | 3–11 | 10 years | 11 years |
| DR20 | Driving or attempting to drive — unfit through drink | 3–11 | 10 years | 11 years |
| DR30 | Driving or attempting to drive — failing to provide breath/blood sample | 3–11 | 10 years | 11 years |
| DD40 | Dangerous driving | 3–11 | 10 years | 11 years |
When exactly do points expire?
Penalty points are calculated from the date of the offence — not the date of conviction or the date you received your fixed penalty notice. This is an important distinction, as the time between offence and conviction can sometimes be months.
For example, if you were caught speeding on 15 March 2023 but received your conviction on 20 June 2023, your points would still expire 3 years from 15 March 2023 (the offence date), not from the conviction date. Use our Penalty Points Calculator to find your exact expiry date.
How do penalty points affect car insurance?
This is where many drivers are surprised. Most insurance providers require you to declare all points received in the last 5 years — even once the points have become inactive after 3 years and even when they fall off your DVLA record after 4 years.
Failure to declare penalty points to your insurer can invalidate your policy, leaving you uninsured in the event of a claim. It may also constitute insurance fraud.
The typical cost impact of penalty points:
- 3 points (SP30) — typically a 10–25% increase in premium at renewal
- 6 points (CU80) — typically 25–50% increase
- DR10 drink driving — 50–200% increase or refusal to insure
Using a specialist convicted driver insurance broker after a serious offence is often the most cost-effective approach, as standard comparison sites may return few results or very high quotes.
What if I get 12 points? The totting-up rule explained
The "totting-up" rule means that accumulating 12 or more active penalty points within any 3-year period triggers a mandatory disqualification. Magistrates have no discretion on this — a ban must be imposed unless you can demonstrate "exceptional hardship."
The minimum ban lengths are:
- First totting-up disqualification: minimum 6 months
- One previous disqualification in the 3 years before: minimum 12 months
- Two or more previous disqualifications: minimum 24 months
Exceptional hardship must go beyond ordinary inconvenience. The court will consider the impact on employment, family, and dependants — but losing your job because you need to drive is not automatically considered exceptional hardship without corroborating evidence.
Check your exact expiry date
Enter your offence date and type into our free calculator to find the precise date your points become inactive and when they leave your record.
Use the Penalty Points Calculator →