Driver History · DVLA Code SP30

SP30 speeding car insurance UK 2026

Q: How much will an SP30 add to my insurance?

A single SP30 with up to 3 points adds around +10% to your annual UK premium in year 1 (about £56 on the £560 ABI average, per Admiral's premium-impact data). The uplift falls to roughly +7% year 2, +5% year 3 and +3% in year 4 (the last year on your record). A 6-point SP30 lands harder — closer to +30% in year 1. Two SP30s push you toward +30% combined; three SP30s trigger totting-up risk and can add +55% or more in year 1.

Q: How long does an SP30 stay on my licence?

An SP30 endorsement stays on your DVLA driving record for 4 years from the offence date. After 4 years the DVLA removes the endorsement and the associated penalty points. For insurance, the convention is to declare it for 5 years from the conviction date on application forms — some insurers ask about the full 4-year retention period from the offence instead. Always declare honestly: non-disclosure is policy-voiding misrepresentation under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act.

Q: What is the totting-up threshold?

UK drivers face a 6-month minimum ban (a TT99 endorsement) if they accumulate 12 or more penalty points within any rolling 3-year period. New drivers (within 2 years of passing) face automatic licence revocation at just 6 points. SP30 carries 3–6 points per offence, so two 6-point SP30s can already reach 12 points and trigger totting-up. Once you hit a TT99, insurance behaviour changes dramatically and you'll usually need a specialist convicted-driver broker — far more so than for a DR10 drink-driving conviction on its own.

Q: When does an SP30 stop affecting my insurance entirely?

For most mainstream insurers the impact tails off after year 4, when it drops off your DVLA record. Some insurers still ask about convictions in the last 5 years even after the points are gone — these apply only a minor (1–3%) loading in year 5. By year 6 the SP30 has essentially zero insurance impact. Over its full insurance lifetime, a single 3-point SP30 typically costs around £150–£250 in extra premium versus a clean licence across five years.

A single SP30 speeding endorsement adds about +10% to your UK car insurance premium in year one (roughly £56 on the £560 national average), falling under +5% by year four. Unlike DR10 drink-driving, every mainstream insurer (Direct Line, Aviva, Admiral, Churchill, LV=) quotes SP30 drivers through standard underwriting — no specialist broker needed. Full uplift data plus an insurer-by-insurer SP30 comparison below.

See insurer comparison → Other DVLA codes

Direct Answer

What is an SP30 endorsement?

An SP30 is the DVLA endorsement code for exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road — the standard speeding offence covering most fixed-camera and roadside stops where excess speed isn't severe enough to trigger SP50 (motorway speeding) or a court summons. SP30 carries 3–6 penalty points and a fine, but no automatic ban.

The endorsement stays on your DVLA driving record for 4 years from the offence date, and most insurers ask you to declare it for the 5 years following conviction. Unlike DR10 or IN10, SP30 doesn't push you out of the mainstream market — every major UK insurer accepts SP30 quotes through standard underwriting. The premium impact is modest: a single SP30 with up to 3 points adds around +10% in year 1 (Admiral data), dropping to 0–5% by year 4. A 6-point SP30 lands harder — closer to +30% in year 1.

To put that in context, the wider UK market is still working through a long correction. After comprehensive premiums peaked at the end of 2023, the ABI's Q1 2026 tracker put the average comprehensive premium at £560 — broadly stable on the previous quarter but around £30 lower than a year earlier. A single SP30 loading therefore sits on top of an average that is gently falling, which is why most drivers with one clean-otherwise speeding offence barely notice the difference at renewal once they shop around.

Why the loading varies

What actually drives your SP30 premium

Two drivers with an identical SP30 can be quoted very differently. Insurers don't price the endorsement in isolation — they price the risk profile it sits within. The factors that move an SP30 loading the most are:

Points on the offence (3 vs 6). A 3-point SP30 is the everyday fixed-penalty outcome and attracts the modest ~10% loading. A 6-point SP30 — usually a higher-speed band dealt with at court — signals greater risk and pushes the year-1 uplift toward +30%.
Driver age and band. The same SP30 costs a 22-year-old far more in pounds than a 45-year-old, because it loads onto an already-high young-driver base. A 17-year-old's average premium is already near £2,847; a 10% loading on that dwarfs a 10% loading on the £440 a 45–64-year-old typically pays.
How many endorsements you carry. One SP30 is routine. A second within three years roughly doubles the loading and shrinks your insurer panel; a third edges you toward the 12-point totting-up threshold and the much steeper convicted-driver market.
Recency. Insurers weight a fresh offence more heavily. The loading decays year on year and effectively disappears once the endorsement leaves your record at year four.
Whether a claim was attached. An SP30 issued alongside an at-fault accident combines a risk loading with a no-claims-discount reset — the single most expensive scenario.

The practical takeaway: a lone, recent, 3-point SP30 is a small, fading surcharge. The cost escalates only when it stacks with other endorsements, young-driver pricing, or a live claim. If you can take a Speed Awareness Course instead, you avoid the loading altogether.

Premium Uplift Data · Q1 2026

Average SP30 premium uplift by year and offence count

Average annual car insurance premium uplift for a 35-year-old UK driver with one or more SP30 endorsements, versus the same driver profile with a clean licence. Q1 2026 quote data across 12 major UK insurers, rebased to the ABI Q1 2026 average comprehensive premium of £560.

Years since offence	1 × SP30 uplift	2 × SP30 uplift	3 × SP30 (totting risk)
Year 1	£616	+10%	+55%
Year 2	£599	+7%	+45%
Year 3	£588	+5%	+36%
Year 4 (last year on record)	£577	+3%	+26%
Year 5+ (declarable, off record)	£566	+1%	+7%

Sources: ABI Q1 2026 Motor Insurance Premium Tracker (£560 average comprehensive premium); Admiral premium-impact guidance (~10% average uplift for up to 3 points, ~30% for 6 points); composite quote-data from 12 major UK insurers (Direct Line, Aviva, Admiral, Churchill, LV=, Hastings Direct, Tesco Bank, Saga, NFU Mutual, Esure, More Than, Sheilas' Wheels). The "1 × SP30" column shows the year-1 pound premium for a single 3-point SP30; the 2× and 3× columns show percentage uplift. Refresh: 2026-09-03.

UK Insurers Compared

SP30 quotes across 6 major UK insurers

Average premium for a 35-year-old driver, M21 postcode, Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost, fully comprehensive, 10,000 miles/year, 5 years no-claims discount, with one 3-point SP30 in year 2. Q1 2026 quote sample, indexed to the £560 ABI average.

LV= (Liverpool Victoria)

Cheapest of the mainstream insurers for SP30 in Q1 2026. Average quote £572 (+2% vs no endorsement). Particularly competitive for single SP30 cases.

+2% uplift · best for 1 × SP30

Direct Line

Strong on SP30 with full no-claims discount preservation. Average £588 (+5%). Direct only — not on comparison sites.

+5% uplift · NCD preserved

Aviva

Mainstream acceptance of SP30 up to 3 endorsements. Average £616 (+10%). Adds roughly 10% per additional SP30.

+10% uplift · accepts up to 3

Admiral

Multi-car policies particularly competitive. Average standalone £627 (+12%), dropping toward £540 on multi-car.

+12% standalone · cheaper multi-car

Churchill

Average £644 (+15%). Stricter on multiple SP30s — declines to quote where total points sit at 9+ across all endorsements.

+15% uplift · stricter underwriting

Saga (over-50s only)

For 50+ drivers. Average £472 (essentially no uplift for a single SP30). Best in market for over-50s with one speeding offence.

Over-50s only · minimal uplift

A single SP30 still returns quotes from virtually every mainstream insurer; two or more SP30s narrow the panel to 6–8 underwriters. Comparison sites handle SP30 natively — no specialist broker needed unless it's stacked with other endorsements such as a DR10 drink-driving conviction or an IN10 no-insurance endorsement, both of which push you toward specialist markets.

Common Questions

SP30 insurance FAQs

How much will an SP30 add to my insurance?

A single SP30 with up to 3 points adds around +10% to your annual UK premium in year 1 (about £56 on the £560 ABI average, per Admiral's premium-impact data). The uplift falls to roughly +7% year 2, +5% year 3 and +3% in year 4 (the last year on your record). A 6-point SP30 lands harder — closer to +30% in year 1. Two SP30s push you toward +30% combined; three SP30s trigger totting-up risk and can add +55% or more in year 1.

How long does an SP30 stay on my licence?

An SP30 endorsement stays on your DVLA driving record for 4 years from the offence date. After 4 years the DVLA removes the endorsement and the associated penalty points. For insurance, the convention is to declare it for 5 years from the conviction date on application forms — some insurers ask about the full 4-year retention period from the offence instead. Always declare honestly: non-disclosure is policy-voiding misrepresentation under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act.

Do I have to declare an SP30 on a comparison site?

Yes — every UK comparison site (Compare the Market, MoneySuperMarket, Confused.com, GoCompare, Quotezone) asks "do you have any motoring convictions in the last 5 years?". Tick yes, select SP30 from the list, and enter the offence date and points. Comparison sites quote SP30 natively — you don't need a specialist broker unless you have other convictions stacked alongside it.

Will an SP30 affect my no-claims discount?

Not directly. Your no-claims discount (NCD) is based on years without an insurance claim, and an SP30 endorsement involves no claim, so your NCD is preserved. The premium effect comes only through the underwriting "risk loading". However, if the SP30 was issued for excess speed at the time of an accident you then claimed for, both the SP30 loading and an NCD reset apply — typically a +35–50% combined effect in year 1.

What is the totting-up threshold?

UK drivers face a 6-month minimum ban (a TT99 endorsement) if they accumulate 12 or more penalty points within any rolling 3-year period. New drivers (within 2 years of passing) face automatic licence revocation at just 6 points. SP30 carries 3–6 points per offence, so two 6-point SP30s can already reach 12 points and trigger totting-up. Once you hit a TT99, insurance behaviour changes dramatically and you'll usually need a specialist convicted-driver broker — far more so than for a DR10 drink-driving conviction on its own.

Should I accept the SP30 or go to court?

This is primarily a legal question, but it has an insurance angle. Accepting the SP30 (a Fixed Penalty Notice or Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty) gives you 3 points plus a fine. Going to court risks 4–6 points, higher fines and court costs, but allows a defence and, rarely, a discharge. For insurance the gap is modest: a 3-point SP30 adds about +10% in year 1, while a 6-point SP30 adds closer to +30%. If you're offered a Speed Awareness Course instead of points, take it — it carries no DVLA endorsement and no premium impact.

Does a Speed Awareness Course replace an SP30?

Yes — when offered. The National Speed Awareness Course (NSAC) is an educational option for low-level offences (typically up to 10% + 9mph over the limit, e.g. 35–42mph in a 30 zone). Completing it replaces the SP30 entirely: no DVLA points, no fine record on your licence, no premium loading. It doesn't appear on your driving record, so most insurers don't see it — though a minority specifically ask whether you've taken one, and you must answer honestly if asked. You can only take the course once every 3 years. If offered, it's almost always the right choice over an SP30.

When does an SP30 stop affecting my insurance entirely?

For most mainstream insurers the impact tails off after year 4, when it drops off your DVLA record. Some insurers still ask about convictions in the last 5 years even after the points are gone — these apply only a minor (1–3%) loading in year 5. By year 6 the SP30 has essentially zero insurance impact. Over its full insurance lifetime, a single 3-point SP30 typically costs around £150–£250 in extra premium versus a clean licence across five years.

Our sources

ABI Q1 2026 Motor Insurance Premium Tracker — £560 average comprehensive premium (the figure-base for all uplift calculations)
Admiral — how penalty points affect insurance — ~10% average uplift for speeding offences with up to 3 points; up to ~30% for 6 points
gov.uk — SP30 definition, 3–6 points and 4-year retention on record
gov.uk — penalty points and totting-up (12 points in 3 years; 6 points for new drivers)
NDORS — National Speed Awareness Course eligibility and no-endorsement outcome
Car Insurance Expert quote-data composite — Q1 2026 sample across 12 major UK insurers

Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team

Uplift figures are rebased each quarter to the latest ABI average premium and cross-checked against insurer guidance and gov.uk DVLA codes; reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team.

Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Next scheduled review: 2026-09-03