The short answer
In England, Wales and Scotland, the standard speeding ticket is £100 and 3 penalty points on your licence. That's the minimum, and gov.uk calls it exactly that.
Go to court and the fine stops being a flat £100. It becomes a percentage of your weekly take-home pay, scaled by how far over the limit you were. The cap is £1,000, or £2,500 on a motorway.
Some drivers get a third option, because the police can offer a speed awareness course instead of the fine and points. You can't refer yourself. They decide.
The court bands apply in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland run things differently, and there's a section on each below.
This guide is part of our laws and fines advice.
Three ways a speeding ticket can end
A fixed penalty: the £100 and 3 points
A fixed penalty is the quick route. You admit the offence, pay the money and take the points. No court and no hearing.
The £100 comes from the Fixed Penalty Order 2000. Its Schedule 1 sets £100 for endorsable fixed penalty offences that it doesn't price separately, and speeding is one of them. The 3 points are set by the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. That Act's Schedule 2 gives speeding "3-6 or 3 (fixed penalty)" points.
Those are the England and Wales figures. Scotland's conditional offer is also £100 and 3 points. Northern Ireland's is lower. More on both further down.
A speed awareness course instead
If the police think a course is appropriate, they can offer you one instead of the fixed penalty. Take it, finish it, and there's no fine and no points. It isn't free, though, because you pay the course provider.
Court
The third ending is a courtroom. That happens if you turn down the fixed penalty, plead not guilty, or the police decide the speed was too high for a ticket. Gov.uk is blunt about the risk. If the court finds you guilty, you "can be fined more and get more penalty points".
How fast is too fast? The 10% plus 2 mph guidance
You'll see "10% plus 2 mph" quoted everywhere as the speed at which a camera goes off. So 35 mph in a 30, or 79 on a motorway. It's guidance for police forces, from the National Police Chiefs' Council. It isn't law.
That matters in two ways. First, it's not a defence. Nothing stops the police acting on 32 mph in a 30.
Leicestershire Police, answering a freedom of information request in 2021, put it plainly. The guidelines "do not and cannot replace officers discretion". The tolerance can be considered, but it isn't promised.
Second, forces don't all use it. Police Scotland told a requester in December 2025 that it "does not adhere to" the NPCC speed-tolerance guidance. Its thresholds rest on the Lord Advocate's Guidelines instead, and it withheld the figures.
The NPCC's current guidance, issued in 2025, sets the figures out in a table for cases where the police decide more than words of advice is needed. In a 30 limit, a course or fixed penalty starts at 35 mph. On a 70 road it starts at 79 mph. The same document says nothing in it stops forces prosecuting below those speeds case by case, and that each Chief Constable is free to set local policy.
The limit is the limit. Anything over it is an offence. Guidance only describes when enforcement tends to start.
Court bands A, B and C, by speed limit
Magistrates in England and Wales sentence speeding under a Sentencing Council guideline. It sorts every case into one of three bands. Which band you land in depends on two numbers together: the speed limit and the speed you were recorded at.
This is a detail some pages get wrong. They say Band A is up to 10 mph over, Band B is 11 to 20 over and Band C is 21 or more over. That's right in a 30 limit, and wrong at 70. Here's the guideline's own table.
| Speed limit (mph) | Band A | Band B | Band C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 21 to 30 | 31 to 40 | 41 and above |
| 30 | 31 to 40 | 41 to 50 | 51 and above |
| 40 | 41 to 55 | 56 to 65 | 66 and above |
| 50 | 51 to 65 | 66 to 75 | 76 and above |
| 60 | 61 to 80 | 81 to 90 | 91 and above |
| 70 | 71 to 90 | 91 to 100 | 101 and above |
Speeds are the recorded speed in mph. The guideline covers 20 to 70 mph limits only, and says nothing about 10 or 15 mph limits or speeds between the listed figures.
Each band then sets the fine and the points.
| Band | Fine: starting point | Fine: range | Points or ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 50% of weekly income | 25% to 75% | 3 points |
| B | 100% of weekly income | 75% to 125% | 7 to 28 day ban, or 4 to 6 points |
| C | 150% of weekly income | 125% to 175% | 7 to 56 day ban, or 6 points |
The court must endorse your licence, and it may disqualify you. If it doesn't disqualify, it imposes 3 to 6 points. For a driver "grossly in excess" of the limit, the guideline tells the court to consider a ban longer than 56 days.
The starting point applies whatever your plea and record. The court then moves within the range for things that make it worse or better.
What "relevant weekly income" means
Your relevant weekly income is your take-home pay from work. That's after tax and National Insurance, or the equivalent if you're self-employed. If it varies, the court usually averages four to six weeks.
There's a floor and a fallback. If your only income is state benefits, or your net pay is £120 a week or less, the court treats your income as £120. Tax credits, housing benefit and child benefit aren't counted. If you give the court no information at all, it assumes £440 a week.
A worked example. Say you earn £500 a week after tax and you were doing 45 in a 30, which is Band B. The starting point is 100% of weekly income, so £500, and the range runs from £375 to £625. You'd also be looking at 4 to 6 points or a short ban.
The ceiling: £1,000, or £2,500 on a motorway
Whatever the percentage says, the fine can't go past the statutory maximum. For speeding that's level 3 on the standard scale, which is £1,000. The Sentencing Council and gov.uk both give level 4, £2,500, for a motorway offence. The standard scale itself is in section 122 of the Sentencing Act 2020.
The guideline covers adults sentenced in magistrates' courts in England and Wales. Under-18s are sentenced under separate principles for children and young people.
Speed awareness course: who gets offered one
Eligibility
Gov.uk gives two conditions: the police decide a course is appropriate for your offence, and you haven't been on a speed awareness course in the past 3 years.
The first condition is the one that matters. UKROEd, which runs the scheme for the police, says the Chief Officer of Police "has the absolute discretion" to offer a course. It adds that "an offender has no automatic right to a course". Hertfordshire's provider says the same from the other side: you can only attend if you've had a letter from the police.
So there's no form to fill in, and you can't refer yourself. If the offer arrives, you have it, and if it doesn't, you don't.
The 3 years run from the date of the original offence, not the date you sat the course, and UKROEd's FAQ is clear on that. The rule is also course-specific. Someone who did a speed awareness course can still be offered a motorway awareness course inside the 3 years.
One more exclusion. You can't have a course if you've already paid the penalty and sent in your licence, because paying takes precedence over the offer.
Cost, what it replaces, what it doesn't
Prices are set by each provider, so there's no national figure. Hertfordshire County Council's course was £98 on 29 October 2026, with a payment plan available. Check your offer letter for the price in your area. The course itself runs 3 hours, at a venue or online.
Finish the course and UKROEd says you "will not need to pay the fine and penalty points will not be added to your licence". It isn't a conviction. Your details stay on UKROEd's database, though, and a similar offence within 3 years of the original one means no second course.
Turn the offer down, or miss it, and the case goes back to the normal prosecution route: a fixed penalty or court. If you miss the booking deadline, UKROEd says to contact the force that sent the offer. Whether you get another one is entirely up to them.
Courses aren't available for offences committed in Scotland, and there's more on that below.
Points and bans: how a speeding offence adds up
Speeding carries 3 to 6 points. The endorsement code is SP30 for an ordinary road and SP50 for a motorway, and the code stays on your record for 4 years from the offence.
Twelve or more points within 3 years normally means a ban. Gov.uk gives 6 months for a first totting-up ban, 12 months for a second within 3 years, and 2 years for a third. Our guide to how long penalty points stay on your licence covers which points still count.
New drivers have less room. Reach 6 or more points within 2 years of passing your test and your licence is revoked. One Band B or Band C speeding offence can do that on its own. The new driver six-point rule explains what revocation means and what comes next.
A fine isn't the only cost of a conviction. Points can push up your insurance renewals. Our free car check includes a running-costs estimator for fuel, road tax and the MOT fee, so you can see what the car costs before insurance.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
For camera offences, Scotland uses a Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty Notice. Safety Cameras Scotland gives it as "currently £100" and 3 points, paid within 28 days of the date of issue. It can't be paid in instalments, and paying it leaves no criminal record.
Two things differ north of the border. There are no speed awareness courses for offences committed in Scotland, as at 29 October 2026. And the Sentencing Council guideline above doesn't apply, because it covers England and Wales. The Scottish Sentencing Council has no speeding guideline, so I can't tell you what bands a Scottish court would use.
Northern Ireland's conditional offer for a camera offence is £60 and 3 points, according to nidirect. Adults also pay a £5 offender levy, so the total is £65. The money goes to Laganside Courts, and you can opt for a court hearing instead at any stage. The conditional offer isn't available to anyone with nine or more valid points, or whose speed is over the limit for the offer.
Northern Ireland does offer courses, and it publishes the speeds. In a 30 limit the course is offered up to and including 42 mph, and in a 40 up to 53 mph. In a 50 it's up to 64 mph, in a 60 up to 75, and in a 70 up to 86.
You must book within 14 days of the offer and finish within 90 days of detection. Nidirect gave the course as £84.70, though it says the price may vary by provider.
I couldn't source the court maximum for Northern Ireland, so it isn't stated here.
Will it affect your insurance?
It can, if it ends in points. Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 you have a duty to take reasonable care not to misrepresent anything to your insurer. In practice that means answering their questions truthfully, both at quote and at renewal. Ministry of Justice guidance notes that most insurers do ask about convictions, and that they're entitled to.
A fixed penalty with points counts for this. The same guidance, which covers England and Wales, says road traffic law treats an endorsed fixed penalty as a conviction under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. How many years back an insurer asks is set by its own question, so read the wording.
A course is different. UKROEd says attendance "is not a conviction", and that its data isn't shared with insurers. Its advice is that you need only declare a course if the insurer specifically asks. UKROEd adds that there "appears to be an inconsistent approach", with a minority of insurers adjusting premiums once notified, so check your policy wording rather than assuming.
Our guide to why car insurance goes up covers what convictions do to a premium.
Got the letter?
A camera offence starts with two documents: a Notice of Intended Prosecution and a Section 172 notice asking who was driving. Gov.uk says the Section 172 notice must go back within 28 days. Only then does the fixed penalty, course offer or court letter follow.
Our guide to the Notice of Intended Prosecution covers the deadlines and what to send back.
If you were stopped by an officer, there are three outcomes: a verbal warning, a fixed penalty notice given or sent to you, or an order to go to court. For a notice handed to you, the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 gives 21 days before proceedings can start. For a conditional offer sent by post, it's 28 days.
Common questions
How much is a speeding fine in the UK?
The minimum is a £100 fixed penalty and 3 points, per gov.uk. Northern Ireland's is lower. If it goes to court in England and Wales, the fine is a percentage of your weekly take-home pay. Band A starts at 50%, Band B at 100% and Band C at 150%. The maximum is £1,000, or £2,500 on a motorway.
How many points do you get for speeding?
Between 3 and 6. A fixed penalty is always 3. A court gives 3 for Band A, 4 to 6 for Band B and 6 for Band C, unless it bans you instead. The points stay on your record for 4 years from the offence.
How fast can you go over the limit before you get a ticket?
Any speed over the limit is an offence. Guidance from the National Police Chiefs' Council puts the usual starting point for a course or fixed penalty at 10% plus 2 mph, such as 35 in a 30. But it's guidance, not law. Officers keep their discretion, and Police Scotland says it doesn't follow it.
Who gets offered a speed awareness course?
The police decide. Gov.uk says you may be offered one if they think it's appropriate for your offence and you haven't done one in the past 3 years. There's no right to a course, and you can't refer yourself. If the offer comes, you choose between the course and the fixed penalty. Once you've paid the penalty and sent in your licence, the course option is gone.
Do I have to tell my insurer about a speed awareness course?
Only if they ask. UKROEd, which runs the scheme, says a course isn't a conviction and its data isn't shared with insurers. An insurer may still ask about courses, so read the question carefully. Points from a fixed penalty are different. In England and Wales, if the insurer asks, you declare them until the conviction is spent.
Are speeding fines different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Scotland's conditional offer is £100 and 3 points, but there are no speed awareness courses there. Northern Ireland's is £60 and 3 points, plus a £5 levy for adults. Northern Ireland does run courses, and publishes the speed ranges for them.