If you have penalty points on your driving licence then it is likely that your car insurance is more expensive. Now, a new study has found that British drivers with points are paying £132 million a year in higher insurance premiums.
The research from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and a leading price comparison site has also found that even if you have one conviction you could be paying a share of almost £50 million a year in extra insurance costs. Keep reading to find out more.
Your car insurance is over 5 per cent more expensive even if you have just one conviction
The study by the IAM found that, appropriately, those drivers with the highest number of penalty points – those with 10-11 points, and 12 or more – are paying between 81.3 per cent and 89.3 per cent more for their car insurance.
However, even if you only have between one and three penalty points on your licence you have paid 5.1 per cent more for your car insurance than someone with no points at all in the last year.
Four to six points hikes your premiums by over a quarter (25.8 per cent), while having seven to nine points would have cost you 45 per cent more in the past 12 months.
In addition, drivers right across the country with between one and three points will pay an extra £49.5 million in extra insurance costs; those with four to six points will pay £57.4 million more; seven to nine points will amount to £18.9 million; 10-11 points will be £3.5 million more; and 12 or more will add £2.6 million to premiums.
Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “If people don’t understand the safety dangers of the offence they have committed, which has earned them the penalty points, they should certainly understand the damage it will do to their bank balances.
“And someone with multiple points and fines is paying through the nose for car insurance; just think what other things they could use that money for. Driving safely could put thousands back into your pocket.”
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Motorists in London and Glasgow are worst hit
The IAM research found that, regionally, metropolitan motorists in London, Glasgow and Birmingham are the hardest hit, paying more than £8 million, £4 million and £3 million respectively in more expensive insurance.
Having between one and three points on their licence is costing drivers in London more than £2.4 million, Glasgow £1.5 million and Birmingham more than £1.2 million each year.
Drivers in Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Chester, Coventry, Derby, Leeds, Liverpool, Norwich, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Stoke and York have also all paid more than £1 million in additional insurance premiums, with Bath and Plymouth residents paying just below the £1m extra.
Insurance expert Kevin Pratt says: “When it comes to driving offences, points definitely don’t mean prizes. In fact, points on your driving licence mean pounds – extra pounds payable on your car insurance. Insurers want to know about your motoring offences so they can build up a picture of what kind of driver you are.
“The more points they see for offences such as speeding and careless driving, the higher your premium will be. A typical £500 premium would increase to around £525 for someone with just a single three-point speeding offence. But someone with six points on their licence could see their premium leap to £625.
“The message is simple: points on your licence puts pounds on your premium. So stick to the speed limits and drive with care, courtesy and attention to