What's the penalty for driving without insurance?
Most cases caught at the roadside end in a Fixed Penalty Notice: a £300 fine and six penalty points, recorded on your licence as an IN10 conviction (the code for using a vehicle uninsured). If the case goes to court — for repeat or more serious cases — a magistrate can impose an unlimited fine, six to eight points, and disqualify you from driving. Police don't have to pull you over: ANPR cameras check number plates against the Motor Insurance Database automatically. And the £300 figure may not stay put — the government's January 2026 road safety strategy proposes doubling the fixed penalty for uninsured driving, though at the time of writing that's a proposal under consultation, not law.
| Route | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Roadside Fixed Penalty Notice | £300 fine + 6 penalty points (IN10) |
| Magistrates' court | Unlimited fine + 6–8 points + possible driving ban |
| Either route | Vehicle can be seized, and sold or crushed if not reclaimed |
| New driver (within 2 years of test) | 6+ points revokes your licence — retake both tests |
The rules are stricter for new drivers: six or more points within two years of passing your test revokes your licence, and you must reapply for a provisional and retake the theory and practical tests — then face insurers pricing you as newly qualified again, which our new driver insurance guide explains. For everyone, 12 points in three years triggers a "totting-up" ban of at least six months.
Can the police seize your car?
Yes. Under section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a uniformed officer who reasonably believes a vehicle is uninsured can seize it on the spot. To get it back you'll pay a release fee plus daily storage and show a valid insurance certificate — and if you don't reclaim it in time, it can be sold or crushed — under rules in force since 22 July 2026, typically after just 7 calendar days from the seizure notice, with weekends and bank holidays counting. The clock and the costs add up fast, so cover has to be in place before you can collect it. We walk through the roadside process itself in our guide to having a car seized for no insurance.
If your car has already been taken, our guide on getting an impounded car back walks through the fees, the paperwork and the short-term insurance you'll need to release it.
How long does an IN10 stay on your record?
An IN10 endorsement stays on your driving licence for four years from the date of the offence, and counts toward totting-up for three. Separately — and this is where the real cost sits — insurers typically ask about it for around five years. During that window premiums rise sharply, and some mainstream insurers won't quote at all, which is what pushes drivers toward specialist convicted-driver insurers. The IN10 sits alongside the other conviction codes insurers ask about.
What is Continuous Insurance Enforcement?
The offence isn't only about driving. Under Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), if you're the registered keeper of a vehicle it must be insured at all times unless you've declared it off the road with a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). The Motor Insurance Database is checked automatically; if your car shows as uninsured you'll receive an Insurance Advisory Letter from the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), and ignoring it can mean a £100 penalty, a court fine of up to £1,000, and the vehicle clamped, seized or destroyed — even if it's parked on your own driveway.
Not using the car? Declare it off the road with a SORN (form V890 via GOV.UK) and keep it on private land. That's the only legal way to leave a registered vehicle uninsured.
What if an uninsured driver causes an accident?
This is the worst case. If you injure someone or damage property while uninsured, the Motor Insurers' Bureau compensates the innocent victim under its Uninsured Drivers Agreement — and then has the right to recover every penny from you. A serious injury claim can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, and it becomes your personal debt. The Motor Insurers' Bureau puts the cost of uninsured driving to the UK at around £1 billion a year, which is exactly why enforcement is so heavy.
Can you get insurance after an IN10?
Yes. An IN10 makes you a convicted driver in insurers' eyes, so mainstream prices jump and some decline — but specialist convicted-driver insurers are built for exactly this. Declare the conviction honestly (hiding it is a fresh act of misrepresentation that can void the new policy), compare specialists rather than big-name insurers, and the premium falls again as the conviction ages and you build claim-free years. Being refused once doesn't mean you can't be covered — it means you're shopping in the wrong place.