UK Speeding Fines Guide
27 February 2025 | 
Phil Evans
Speeding fines are issued to drivers caught exceeding the legal speed limit. While some may see it as a minor offence, speeding carries serious risks to yourself and others on the road. Speed limits are there to keep everyone safe, and should always be adhered to. Even if speeding doesn’t result in injury, it could still land you with speeding fines, higher insurance premiums, and even legal consequences. Even if you’re using temporary car insurance at the time of speeding, your premiums will still increase if caught speeding. So, whether you’re driving your own car, or someone else’s you should always obey the speed limit.
From understanding the dangers of speeding to breaking down the penalties and trends in the UK, this guide covers everything you need to know.
The Dangers of Speeding
Before diving into the legal consequences, it’s crucial to understand the dangers of speeding. Exceeding the speed limit doesn’t just put you at risk, it endangers passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians too.
Speeding reduces your stopping distance and reaction time, increasing the likelihood of losing control and worsening the severity of any accident. Alarmingly, speeding is responsible for nearly one-third of all fatal collisions in the UK, making it one of the most significant factors in road deaths. It’s never worth the risk.
What Happens if You Get Caught Speeding?
If being involved in a crash isn’t bad enough, there are legal and financial penalties for getting caught speeding. While some drivers might be lucky enough to receive a verbal warning, most will face more serious repercussions:
How Much is a Speeding Fine?
If you’re caught speeding, the minimum speeding fine in the UK is £100. However, if your case goes to court, you could face fines of:
- Up to £1,000 for standard speeding offences
- Up to £2,500 if you were caught speeding on a motorway
How Many Penalty Points Will You Receive?
Speeding offences typically result in three to six penalty points, depending on how fast you were driving and your previous driving record.
If you accumulate 12 or more points within three years, you could face a driving ban.
Speed Awareness Course
Some drivers may be given the option to take a speed awareness course instead of receiving penalty points and a fine.
You may be eligible for a course if:
- The police decide your speeding offence qualifies.
- You haven’t attended a speed awareness course in the past three years.
Courses usually last around four hours and aim to educate drivers on the risks of speeding, encouraging safer driving habits in the future.
Could You Go to Prison for Speeding?
While rare, imprisonment is possible in extreme speeding cases—particularly if reckless driving results in serious injury or death. If this happens, you could be charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, alongside an unlimited fine and a driving ban.
What Happens if a Learner is Caught Speeding?
If a learner driver is caught speeding they aren’t exempt from speeding penalties. If a learner receives points on their provisional licence, those points will carry over when they pass their test.
Where in the UK are Speeding Fines Increasing?
sing data from local police constabularies across the UK, we’ve identified the areas where speeding fines have increased the most between 2023 and 2024:
- Cleveland: 14,049 to 68,134 (+385%)
- Cambridgeshire: 38,712 to 53,333 (+38%)
- Hertfordshire: 56,180 to 64,648 (+15%)
- Suffolk: 42,227 to 47,770 (+13%)
- Merseyside: 68,187 to 75,187 (+10%)
- Derbyshire: 52,215 to 57,250 (+10%)
These sharp increases highlight a growing problem. In areas like Cleveland and Cambridgeshire, where offences have risen dramatically, enforcement may be tightening, or more drivers may be ignoring speed limits. These increasing cases of speeding can lead to far more hazardous roads that put more and more people at risk.
Where Have Speeding Fines Decreased?
Encouragingly, some areas have seen a drop in speeding offences, including:
- Sussex: 71,421 (2023) to 45,464 (2024) (-36%)
- Lincolnshire: 56,365 (2023) → 38,374 (2024) (-32%)
The high number of fines issued in previous years suggests that strict enforcement—or the consequences of serious crashes—may have encouraged safer driving in these regions. However, that’s still a lot of people risking the consequences of speeding every year.
Do Speeding Tickets Affect Insurance?
Yes—speeding fines almost always increase your car insurance premium.
Insurance companies see drivers with speeding convictions as higher risk, meaning they’re more likely to be involved in an accident. The more serious your speeding offence, the greater the impact on your premium.
If you receive multiple speeding fines, you may struggle to find affordable insurance—or be refused cover altogether.
Speeding carries serious risks—not just to your safety but to your finances and ability to drive legally.
The best way to avoid speeding fines is simple: leave in good time, stick to the speed limit, and drive responsibly.
Whether you’re borrowing a car, learning to drive, or driving a new car home, always stick to the speed limit, and always drive insured with our range of quick and flexible cover options. Get a quote today and be on the road in minutes.
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