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UK driving law, explained:
conviction codes, points, bans and penalties.

Updated · Reviewed by the Can't Get Cover editorial team

What each conviction code means, the penalty that comes with it, how long you must declare it, and what it does to your insurance — in plain English, with the official source linked on every guide.

Quick answer

Every UK motoring offence that reaches your licence is recorded as a conviction code — SP30 for speeding, IN10 for driving uninsured, DR10 for drink driving, TT99 for a totting-up ban. Each carries penalty points or a disqualification, stays on your driving record for 4 or 11 years depending on the offence, and usually has to be declared to insurers for 5 years from the conviction date. The guides in this section explain what each code means, the penalty that comes with it, when it stops being declarable, and what it does to your insurance.

Conviction codes, points and penalties

Start here if you have just been given points, a fine or a notice of intended prosecution. These guides cover the code system itself, what each band of points does to a premium, how long a conviction must be declared, and the penalties for driving uninsured.

UK driving conviction codes explained
Every code from SP30 to TT99: what it means, how long it stays on your licence, and which ones do the real damage to your premium.
Car insurance with points
What 3, 6 or 9 points typically do to your premium, and the band where a new driver's licence is revoked.
How long must you declare a conviction?
Spent dates, the 5-year insurer window, and why the "ever" question on some forms means ever.
Driving without insurance: the penalties
The IN10 code, 6 to 8 points, the unlimited fine, and the power to seize the car on the spot.
Police seized my car for no insurance
What section 165A allows, what happens in the first 7 working days, and how to get the car back.

Bans and the route back to the road

A disqualification is a fixed period; the insurance consequences run for years afterwards. These guides cover what to do during a ban, the day it lifts, and the specific codes that trigger the longest loadings.

Insurance after a driving ban
During the ban, on the day it lifts, and in the years after — in the right order.
TT99: totting-up bans
The two clocks that matter after 12 points, and how the loading fades year by year.
DR10: drink driving
An 11-year endorsement, the High Risk Offender medical, and what cover realistically costs.
DG10: drug driving
Treated like drink driving by most insurers — here is how the market actually prices it.
IN10: driving uninsured
Why many mainstream brands decline on principle, and how to come back from it honestly.

Insurance after a conviction

Once the legal side is settled, the practical question is cost. These two guides cover the convicted-driver market as a whole and the legitimate levers that bring a post-conviction premium down.

Convicted driver insurance
DR10, IN10, TT99, SP30 and the rest: how specialist insurers approach each code.
Cutting the cost without lying
The honest levers that move a convicted-driver premium — and the one line you must never cross.

Related sections

If the police have taken the car, the impounded cars section covers the release process, the fees and the deadlines. Licence questions — foreign, EU, provisional and exchange — live under licences & DVLA, and the wider car insurance guides cover cancellations, young drivers, modified cars and short-term cover.