What are driving conviction codes?
Driving conviction codes — properly called endorsement codes — are the DVLA's shorthand for motoring offences. When you're convicted, a code such as SP30 or DR10 is added to your driving record along with a number of penalty points. The letters tell you the category of offence and the number identifies the specific one.
Insurers ask about these codes because they're a precise summary of your record. A single code with three points reads very differently to an underwriter than a drink-driving code or a totting-up ban — which is why the rest of this guide focuses on what each one actually means for your premium.
How long do conviction codes stay on your licence?
Most endorsements stay on your DVLA driving record for 4 years, usually counted from the date of the offence. The most serious codes stay for 11 years from the date of conviction. There's also a third figure that matters more for your wallet: how long you must declare the conviction to insurers, which is usually the last 5 years.
| Retention | Applies to | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years | Most offences — speeding (SP), careless driving (CD10–30), using a vehicle uninsured (IN10), construction & use (CU), and most others | Usually the date of the offence (date of conviction for disqualifications) |
| 11 years | Drink-driving (DR), drug-driving (DG), and causing death by careless driving while impaired (CD40–70) | The date of conviction |
| ~5 years (declare) | What insurers actually ask about — convictions in the last 5 years | The date of conviction; after this most codes are usually "spent" |
The split between "from the offence" and "from the conviction" is a real one and it can move your dates by months, so confirm your own using the GOV.UK check your driving licence record service. For when you can stop declaring a code to insurers, see our guide to how long you have to declare a conviction.
What are the main conviction code families?
Here are the code families insurers see most often, with the typical points, how long they stay on your record, and how heavily they tend to affect a premium. Points are shown as ranges because courts have discretion and some codes cover several offences.
| Code family | What it covers | Points | On record | Insurance impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP (SP30, SP50) | Speeding on a public road or motorway | 3–6 | 4 years | Low — a single SP is often a modest increase |
| CD (CD10–30) | Careless or inconsiderate driving | 3–9 | 4 years | Moderate |
| CD (CD40–70) | Causing death by careless driving while impaired | 3–11 | 11 years | Very high |
| DD (DD40, DD60, DD80) | Dangerous driving (mandatory disqualification) | 3–11 | 4 years (from conviction) | Very high |
| IN (IN10) | Using a vehicle uninsured | 6–8 | 4 years | High — a clear red flag to insurers |
| DR (DR10–70) | Drink-driving offences | 3–11 | 11 years | Severe — among the most heavily loaded |
| DG (DG10–60) | Drug-driving offences | 3–11 | 11 years | Severe |
| TT (TT99) | Totting-up disqualification (12+ points) | Ban | 4 years (from conviction) | High — signals a pattern of offences |
| BA (BA10, BA30) | Driving while disqualified | 6 | 4 years | Very high — cannot insure until the ban is lifted |
| CU / MS / TS | Construction & use, mobile phone (CU80), other minor offences | 3 | 4 years | Low to moderate |
Which codes hit insurance hardest?
If you rank the codes by how much they move a premium, a clear order emerges. Drink and drug-driving (DR and DG) and dangerous driving (DD) sit at the top — they can multiply a premium several times over, and DR/DG codes stay declarable and on your record the longest. IN10 (driving uninsured) is next, because a previous lapse in cover worries underwriters more than almost anything.
In the middle sit careless-driving (CD) codes and a totting-up TT99 ban — less about a single act and more about a pattern. At the gentle end are speeding (SP) codes: a single SP30 is often only a small increase, and many insurers barely react to one. The takeaway is that "I've got points" tells an underwriter very little — the specific code is what sets your price.
How does the totting-up rule work?
Penalty points add up. Reach 12 or more points within 3 years and you face a totting-up disqualification (the TT99 code) — a ban of at least 6 months, separate from any ban attached to an individual offence. The points themselves stay on your record afterwards, and the ban adds its own weight to your premium.
New drivers face a far tighter limit. Under the New Drivers Act, if you build up 6 or more points within 2 years of passing your first driving test, your licence is revoked — you go back to a provisional licence and must re-pass both the theory and practical tests. Two speeding tickets can be enough. Our young-driver insurance guide covers the knock-on cost.
What must you declare, and for how long?
Whatever your code, the rule while it's live is simple: declare it honestly to every insurer that asks. Most insurers ask about convictions in the last 5 years, and once a conviction is "spent" under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act you no longer have to declare it — and it's then unlawful for an insurer to use it against you.
Because the "spent" date depends on the code and the sentence, it's worth getting it right rather than guessing: our full guide to declaring convictions and spent-conviction rules walks through it, including pending charges and telling an insurer mid-policy.
Comparing cover with any code
The reason mainstream quotes come back empty or sky-high isn't that cover for your code doesn't exist — it's that the insurers who price it well aren't always on the panels you tried. The specialists sit on different panels from the household names.
Can't Get Cover is a free editorial site, not an insurer or broker, and we're not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority — our advertisers are. The labelled advertisement on this page links to Quotezone, operated by Seopa Ltd, an FCA-authorised comparison service whose panel includes insurers that quote a wide range of conviction codes. Quotezone pays us a commission if you go on to get a quote or policy, set out in full on our how we make money page. For the very hardest combinations of codes, a comparison panel may not place you and a specialist broker outside the panels may be needed — comparing first tells you quickly where you stand.
For the full picture, start with our main guide to convicted driver insurance, or browse all of our car insurance guides.