How much does 3 points affect car insurance?

Speeding, careless driving and driving under the influence are just three of the driving offences that will get you penalty points on your driving licence. But how do penalty points affect your car insurance?

What are penalty points?

Penalty points are endorsements that can be added to your driving licence if you break the law as a road user. Different offences will get you different penalties and stay on your licence for varying lengths of time.

If you rack up 12 points over a specific time period, you could lose your driving licence. And any amount of penalty points could affect your car insurance premiums.

How do penalty points affect car insurance?

Having penalty points on your licence will almost certainly push your premium up. How big the increase is will depend on a variety of factors.

The nature of your driving offence can be one factor – the more serious the offence, the more your insurance is likely to go up. The number of points you’ve received can be another factor, and if you already had points on your licence beforehand then this can have an impact too.

Research suggests that receiving three penalty points could raise your car insurance premium by an average of 5%, while six penalty points could push the cost of your insurance up by an average of 25%.

Do I have to tell my insurance company about my penalty points?

Yes, if you have points on your licence then you’ll need to let your insurer know when you first take out your car insurance policy and at renewal. If you try to hide the information, your policy may be invalid. This could lead to you getting even more points for driving without insurance, and if you have an accident then you won’t be covered.

Some insurers require you to tell them immediately about any new convictions or penalty points, and failure to do so could result in your policy being cancelled or future claims being rejected. Always check your policy documentation to be sure.

If you are covered by Saga car insurance, you’ll need to let us know about any penalty points and motoring convictions when you renew your policy.

How to check your penalty points

You can check how many points you have and when they’ll be removed online via the gov.uk website. Make sure you have your driving licence number and your national insurance number to hand.

How long do speeding points last?

Most driving convictions will stay on your licence for four years, but for serious offences relating to drink, drugs or causing death by careless driving, the points can stay on your licence for up to 11 years.

It goes without saying that the best course of action is to drive carefully and abide by the law to avoid building up points on your licence. And if you do receive any penalty points, make sure you’re honest with your insurance provider to avoid any problems with your policy.

For any questions or concerns about penalty points and how they’ll affect your Saga car insurance policy, give us a call on 0800 056 9167.