The 5 most common motoring offences

Our data reveals that speed limit offences are at the top of our list for driving convictions, followed by driving without insurance and drink-driving. We look at the most common motoring offences and how they can affect your insurance costs.

What is a motoring conviction?

A motoring conviction is where you get a fine and/or points on your licence for committing a motoring offence. For example, drink driving or speeding. The points could stay on your licence for 4 years or more depending on the motoring conviction.

If you're buying car insurance, they might ask you about any motoring convictions in the last 4-5 years. If you compare insurance policies with us, we'll ask you about any motoring convictions in the last 5 years.

What are the top motoring offences?

According to our data, the top 5 motoring offences for drivers who’ve been convicted were: 

*Confused.com data 1 March 2023 to 31 March 2024, Driver age 31 - 35. Amount of quotes analysed were 3,065089.

We’ve also analysed the effect of these convictions on motorist’s annual insurance prices. The most costly offence is driving without insurance, with the lowest annual cost of £2234. This might come as a surprise to motorists, as the other offences could carry more risk of causing injury or death. 

The second most expensive conviction is driving over the alcohol limit. This conviction has an average insurance cost of £1,697. If you’re caught using a mobile phone while driving, your insurance could be £1,304 on average.

The most common offences carry the lowest insurance prices. A driver with a conviction for exceeding the speed limit on a public road could pay £884 for their insurance. Followed by speeding on a motorway, with an average annual  insurance price of £977. 

What our motor insurance expert says:

“Our latest research shows how many drivers are taking risks when behind the wheel. If caught, drivers could face penalties such as a fine or in serious cases, imprisonment.

“The financial implications can also be huge. The average cost of a fine being around £191, although this could be higher, depending on the offence. The cost of car insurance can also increase, with some drivers reporting rises of almost £100, on average. So the true ‘cost’ of a motoring offence should really be considered when everything is put into perspective.”

Louise Thomas Motor insurance expert

Exceeding the speed limit on a public road or motorway 

If you’re caught by a speed camera you’re sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution. Sometimes this is accompanied by a section 172 notice. 

If you’re stopped by the police they might:

• Give you a verbal warning.
• Issue or send you a Fixed Penalty Notice.
• Order you to go to court. You should get a letter telling you what you’re being prosecuted for.

Driving an uninsured vehicle

It’s illegal to drive without at least third-party insurance. If you’re caught driving a vehicle that you’re not insured to drive, you could get:

• £300 fine
• 6 penalty points on your licence

If your case goes to court, you could get an unlimited fine and be disqualified from driving. 

In some cases, the police might seize or destroy the vehicle if they find it doesn’t have insurance.

We found that in the last 3 years, close to 131,000¹ motorists were caught driving without insurance. In total, these motorists have had to pay up to £400,000² in fines. 

You should always check your insurance policy, you can get fines and penalty points for driving without the correct insurance.

Driving other cars is an example of this. You might think that you’re automatically insured to drive other cars if you have a comprehensive car insurance policy. But often this isn’t the case. 

Our research revealed that more than a third (34%) of UK drivers don’t know if their insurance policy includes ‘driving other cars’. 

Almost 1 in 5 drivers admitted to driving someone else’s car thinking they were covered by their own comprehensive policy. 1 in 10 (10%) drivers have knowingly driven a car they didn’t own without checking their insurance first. Over a third (34%) thought they had insurance at the time of driving. 

A further 29% admitted to driving someone’s car because they were only driving a short distance, 11% didn’t think they’d get caught. 

You can learn more about whether you’re covered to drive other cars in our driving other cars on your insurance guide.

In this section, unless otherwise stated, all research figures taken from omnibus research carried out by One Poll on behalf of Confused.com. This was an online poll of 2,000 UK drivers. The research was conducted between 3 and 9 October 2023. You can find out more in our press release on uninsured drivers.

Driving over the alcohol limit

If you’re caught drink driving you could get: 

• 3 months’ imprisonment
• A fine of up to £2,500
• A possible driving ban 

But the sentence could be more severe depending on the nature of the offence. In some cases you could get lifetime imprisonment, unlimited fines, and a ban from driving for at least 5 years. Read more about the penalties in our drink driving guide.

Using a mobile phone

If you’re caught using a mobile phone while driving you can get:

• 3-6 penalty points 
• £200 fine

You can also be taken to court and get a driving ban and a fine of £1,000 or £2,000 if you’re driving a lorry or bus. You can also lose your licence if you’ve passed your test in the last 2 years. 

What our motor insurance expert says

"Ignoring driving laws can have serious consequences and put other road users at risk. Our data shows that there's some debate whether the current punishments should be harsher to deter drivers from offending.

“If you’re unsure on signage or the current driving laws, the Highway Code is always up to date and can give drivers a clear indication of what they should and shouldn’t do when behind the wheel.”

Louise Thomas Motor insurance expert