Committing a driving offence adds £139 to your car insurance costs, according to new research by a UK price comparison site.
The research, based on nearly six million car insurance enquiries from MoneySuperMarket, combined with driving licence data from the DVLA, shows car insurance premiums rise the more offences are committed. A second offence increases premiums by a further 15%, costing £145 more on average.
Across the country, 10% of enquirers have at least one driving offence against their name, with Halifax having the highest percentage of enquirers who have committed at least one driving offence. Comparatively, Jersey has the lowest proportion of enquirers with offences, with only 3.3.% having at least one offence.
Areas with the highest percentage of enquirers with at least one driving offence in that location:
| Area | % of enquirers with at least one driving offence |
| Halifax (HX) | 16.5% |
| Harrogate (HG) | 15.2% |
| Huddersfield (HD) | 14.9% |
| Slough (SL) | 13.5% |
| Bradford (BD) | 13.3% |
| Leeds (LS) | 13.2% |
| Wakefield (WF) | 12.9% |
| York (YO) | 12.9% |
| Bournemouth (BH) | 12.3% |
| Perth (PH) | 12.3% |
Fewer Options
Those who have committed offences also have fewer car insurance options available to them. On the MoneySuperMarket site, enquirers with no driving offences see up to 80 quotes returned; however, after three offences, there is a significant decrease in the number of results shown. Those with four to five offences are likely to only see between six and 10 insurance options – potentially a 93% decrease in available products.
With driving offences leading to penalty points for the holders of nearly three million full and provisional licences, the data shows that having three points on your licence increases your car insurance premiums by £160 (16%). The price may not go back down to the original cost after the points are cleared either, which will typically take four years. In fact, there is only a 14% (£147) decrease when moving from three to zero points.
To find out more about penalty points, driving offences and how they impact your car insurance, click here.
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