Speeding fines and tickets - how much do I have to pay?

If you were caught by a speed camera, the registered keeper of the car you were driving will usually receive a letter within 14 days.

This is called a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) and should explain the date, time and location of the speeding incident.

To confirm who was driving, you have 28 days to complete and return the Section 172 notice included with the letter.

You’ll then either be sent:

• a Fixed Penalty Notice (FCN) explaining:
  • how to pay the fine – usually £100
  • that penalty points will be added to your driving licence – usually 3
  • if you can avoid the fine and penalty points by attending a speed awareness course – this usually costs around £100.
• an order to go to a court hearing.

If you do not return the Section 172 notice within 28 days, you might have to go to court and face a larger fine and increased penalty points.

If you were caught speeding and stopped by the police, they can issue you a fine or court order on the spot.

The rules on who is given the option of a speed awareness course can vary between police forces. But typical reasons for not being offered a course include:

• you returned the Section 172 notice after 28 days
• you were travelling much faster than the speed limit
• you were caught speeding more than once – or already attended another speed awareness course – in the last three years.

If you received a Fixed Penalty Notice and pay on time, you’ll usually pay £100 and receive three penalty points. Penalty points stay on your licence for 4 years.

If you have to go to court, the speeding fine and number of penalty points you’ll be given usually depends on:

• how quickly you were travelling
• how much over the speed limit this was
• how much you earn.

Confused.com has a speeding fine calculatorOpens in a new window you can use. The maximum fine is £1,000, rising to £2,500 if you were driving on a motorway.

Find out more about speeding penaltiesOpens in a new window and penalty pointsOpens in a new window on GOV.UK.

You must tell your car insurance provider if you have paid a speeding fine and received points on your licence.

This typically means your car insurance will increase, as you might appear more of a risk with evidence of you driving faster than the legal limit.

How much extra you’ll need to pay depends on your insurance provider. To find your best deal, always compare car insurance quotes from different insurers.

You usually do not need to tell your insurer if you have attended a speed awareness course, unless they ask you.   

If you receive a Fixed Penalty Notice, you can choose to:

• pay the fine and accept the points
• attend a speed awareness course, if you’ve been offered one
• go to court to appeal the speeding ticket.

If you choose to appeal and the court decides you’re guilty, you’ll usually face a higher fine and number of points. You might also need to pay court fees.

You should be told if you’ve been caught speeding within 14 days of the incident.

But not receiving the notice within 14 days is often not enough to appeal, as there might be valid reasons for the delay. For example, a postal strike or the notice might have originally been sent to:

• your old address if you did not update your licence
• a hire car company if you were driving a hire car
• your work address if you were driving a company car.

The police just need to show that, under normal circumstances, the ticket should have reached the registered keeper within the timeframe.

If the notice was first issued or sent over 14 days after the event, you might be able to argue for the speeding ticket to be cancelled in court.

Just be aware the ticket could still be upheld and you might get a higher fine and more points.