How Much is a Speeding Fine?

Speeding is never a good idea. Apart from putting yourself and others on the road at risk of harm, you could end up with a seriously hefty fine if you get caught. You could also find yourself with points on your licence – a sure-fire route to higher insurance premiums.

Assuming it’s already too late, and you’ve already been caught, how much might you have to pay – and how many penalty points are you likely to receive? Let’s investigate…

Speed awareness course

Before we delve into speeding fines, it’s worth mentioning that, depending on the severity of the offence and whether or not you’ve been caught speeding in the last three years, you may not have to pay a fine at all.

If this is your first speeding offence, and you weren’t too far above the limit, you may be able to attend a speed awareness course instead. If you get this opportunity, it’s worth taking as it will leave you with a clean licence – though you do have to pay for your place on the course.

Getting caught by a speed camera

Unlucky enough to have been snapped by a speed camera or a mobile camera van? What happens next depends on how much you were exceeding the speed limit at the time; speeding offences are categorised in ‘bands,’ with Band A being the least severe and F being the most extreme.

Assuming you’re not offered a speed awareness course, if you’re spotted breaking the speed limit by between 1 and 9 mph you’ll be placed in Band A – meaning you’ll get lumped with three penalty points and have to pay a fine of between 25% and 75% of your weekly income. In Band B (which means breaking the limit by 11 to 20 mph), this percentage will increase to between 75 and 125% – and penalty points will rise to either four, five or six depending on the circumstances.

B and C means breaking the speed limit by over 21 mph – and means making a court appearance. Your fine will increase to between 125 and 175% of your weekly income in this bracket, and you might be banned from driving for up to 56 days. You’ll also have six penalty points added to your licence.

Bands D, E and F are entered into if you committed the offence while on bail, in poor road conditions, while driving a large vehicle or towing a trailer and so on; factors such as these can push you into the upper bands, with F carrying a fine of between 500 and 700% of your weekly income. It’s worth noting, though, that fines are capped at £1,000 (or £2,500 if you committed the offence on a motorway).

Being pulled over

If you’re pulled over by a police officer for speeding, you may be let off with a verbal warning. This depends on how fast you were going, of course, and is up to the individual officer – so don’t bank on getting off lightly. You could instead be given a fixed penalty notice (FPN) or sent to court.

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