Points penalty: Driving mistakes leading to points push up insurance prices by 26%

Drivers with penalty points on their licenses pay significantly more for their car insurance. but by how much?

Car insurance comparison site Quotezone.co.uk found out, discovering that driving mistakes really do cost drivers dear, increasing the average renewal quote by 26%.

Points mean higher prices

More than 4.8million penalty points were issues to UK drivers in 2025, so Quotezone examined 500,000 insurance quotes to understand the difference that penalty points make to renewal bills.

The firm found that motorists with three points on their license paid on average 15% more than a driver with a clean license, while that 26% figure comes for those who've racked-up six points.

The average cost of a car insurance premium is £607, having six points on your license would push this up by £158.

Driver age remains a factor

Quotezone also broke the data down by age, finding that quotes for drivers aged 17-24 jumped by 7% after receiving three points, while six points increased that to 9%. A young driver with six points pays an average of £1839 for a year's cover.

Drivers who tot up more than six points in the first two years following passing their test can automatically lose their licence, forcing them to retake both theory and practical driving tests.

It's not just younger drivers whose insurance bills are impacted by having points on their license. Looking at the 45-64 age group, Quotezone found a 25% increase for drivers with three points and 29% with six, pushing up average premiums from £555 for those with a clean license to nearly £900 for those with six points.

Drivers have their say

Quotezone ran a survey on the topic of penalty points, asking 1000 motorists for their views. It found that there is some confusion around penalty point rules, with 7% of respondents knowing someone who had forgotten or lied about points to their insurer, while 23% didn’t realise they must inform their insurer of new points gained after taking out the policy.

"Even a single minor offence can lead to penalty points that push insurance costs higher – potentially for years to come," said Quotezone CEO Greg Wilson.

"The insurance provider uses risk analysis to calculate each individual premium cost per driver, looking at key factors such as age, postcode, type of car and driving history. If a driver has penalty points it shows they are at greater risk of having an incident on the road than someone with a clean licence, meaning normally, their premiums will increase.

"Our data shows that just three points can increase premiums by an average of 15%, while six points can see them rise by 26%.

"It’s important to note that all providers weigh up risk slightly differently so it’s worth shopping around for competitive quotes or trying a convicted driver policy."