The top 5 motoring offences - and what they'll cost you

In this guide, we'll look at the 5 most common motoring offences, the penalties they carry and the average insurance premiums convicted drivers pay.

What is a motoring conviction?

You get a motoring conviction if you commit a motoring offence - the penalties are usually a fine, points on your licence or, in more serious cases, a driving ban.

The points from these convictions could stay on your licence for 4 years or more. But it depends on the motoring conviction and how serious it is.

When you're buying car insurance, your insurer will ask you about any motoring convictions in the last 4-5 years. They aren't being nosey - they just need to know about your convictions to gauge how risky you are to insure.

As you might expect, having a driving conviction can bump up your car insurance price because of the risk attached. It's one of the many factors that can affect the cost of your car insurance. But it's not impossible to find car insurance if you're a convicted driver, your options might just be limited.

We compare 187 car insurance providers. So if you get a quote with us, there's a good chance you can find cover for your driving conviction. We'll ask you about any motoring convictions in the last 5 years.

It's vital that you declare your conviction. You might think you'll save a few quid on your premium by not declaring it. But if you don't, you risk invalidating your policy altogether. That means you'd have to pay to cover the damage to your car and someone else's car if something happened.

What are the top motoring offences?

To find the top motoring offences, we looked at which offences were the most commonly declared when people got a quote with us.

According to our data, these are the top 5 motoring offences¹ and the average annual insurance costs for these offences: 

  ^{1Confused.com data, 1st Jan - 21st May 2026, prices based on sold policies. Amount of quotes analysed was 910209.}

Although driving without insurance is a serious motoring offence, it might come as a surprise that it has the most costly car insurance premium. The other offences we included risk other drivers' lives, but you could argue that driving without insurance could be something as simple as an admin slip-up.

Technically, though, other drivers have to foot the bill to repair the damage that uninsured drivers create. So that could be one of the reasons why it's got a hefty premium attached.

The second most expensive conviction to insure is driving over the alcohol limit. Driving over the alcohol limit is a red flag for insurers, so they increase car insurance costs to reflect this risk.

If you’re caught using a mobile phone while driving, your insurance could be £635.74 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 £505.43 for their insurance. This is followed by speeding on a motorway, with an average annual insurance price of £539.62. 

How has the motoring offences data changed over the years?

We used 2024 vs 2025 for this because there's a full year's worth of data for both years. As you can see, there have been some big changes in the number of convictions drivers have declared²:

^{2Confused.com data, number of drivers analysed: 2024 - 2887580 drivers, 2025 - 3148402 drivers.}

Drink-driving convictions have had the biggest increase, by 33.70%. It is worrying to see that drivers are not using safer methods to get home after having a drink. For example, getting temporary car insurance for a designated driver or using public transport.

Driving while using a mobile phone has had the smallest increase by 2.70%. This could be because a lot of newer cars have hands-free tech build in, so perhaps people feel less of a need to be using their phone while driving. 

What our Commercial Director & Motoring 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 is around £100, although this could be higher, depending on the offence. That's as well as an increase in car insurance costs. So the true ‘cost’ of a motoring offence should really be considered when everything is put into perspective.”

Rhydian Jones Commercial Director & Motoring Expert expert

What are the penalties for the top motoring offences?

Exceeding the speed limit on a public road or motorway 

The penalty for speeding depends on how far over the speed limit you were. The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and 3 penalty points on your licence.

If you're lucky, you could go on a speed awareness course. This course costs about £100, and if you attend, you don't get points on your licence.

In serious speeding cases, you could get a driving ban and/or a speeding fine that's worked out as a percentage of your income. If you need to work this out, use our speeding fine calculator.

If you're within 2 years of passing your driving test and you get 6 or more penalty points, your driving licence could be taken away from you.

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.

For some, driving without insurance might just be down to forgetting. And that's understandable given how hectic life is.

As a rule, you should always check that your car insurance is still in date and that you have the right cover. But we want to help you avoid this situation entirely.

So, to help you keep track of your car insurance renewal date, use the Confused.com app. We'll remind you when your insurance is due so you don't risk driving without insurance.

Lack of knowledge might also play a part in driving without 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 this isn’t the case. 

You often need driving other cars cover or a comprehensive temporary car insurance policy. You can find out more about driving other cars on your insurance in our guide.

Driving over the alcohol limit

Driving while drunk has some of the most serious penalties, and the rule is simple - if you're driving, don't drink.

If you’re caught drink-driving, you could get: 

• 6 months’ imprisonment
• An unlimited fine
• A driving ban for at least a year

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

Using a mobile phone penalties

Think you can adjust Google Maps or quickly change your music? Think again. You shouldn't touch your phone at all when you're driving. The penalties for this are serious:

• 6 penalty points 
• A £200 fine

For new drivers, if you're caught using your mobile phone behind the wheel you can lose your licence. You might be taken to court and even get a driving ban.

In short, don't change your music while you're doing 70 down the motorway. Pull over somewhere safe. Don't risk it.