How many points can a new driver get?
It takes six points to lose your licence in the first 2 years after your test. For everyone else, the number is 12.
The points are penalty points, the kind added to your driving record for a motoring offence. Reach six or more for an offence in your first two years and the licence goes.
The two years start on the day you pass your first test, not on the day the licence arrives. The Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 calls this your probationary period.
It isn't a driving ban. No court decides it. DVLA, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, cancels the licence in writing, and the Act says it must. You then start again, with a new provisional licence (the learner's licence you held before your test) and both tests.
What counts towards the six?
More than most new drivers expect. Three things decide it.
The first is points from before your test. Gov.uk's page for new drivers says unexpired points on your provisional licence "will be carried over to your full licence when you pass your test". They count, so if you passed with three points, one more three-point offence takes you to six.
The second is the date of the offence. Section 2 of the Act asks whether the offence was committed during your probationary period. So an offence in month 23 still counts, even if the points land after the two years are up.
The third is how the points arrive. A court conviction counts, and so does a fixed penalty you accept. Each one puts an endorsement on your record, which is the entry that carries the points.
Can one offence do it?
Yes. In Great Britain, holding and using a phone while driving carries six points and a £200 fine. Gov.uk's page on the phone law adds that you'll also lose your licence if you passed in the last two years.
That figure was three points until 1 March 2017, when an order made that year doubled it for the handheld phone offence.
A phone offence isn't the only one. Gov.uk's table of endorsement codes lists driving without insurance at six to eight points. Failing to tell the police who was driving carries six, and speeding carries three to six. So a single bad speeding offence can do it too.
What doesn't restart the clock?
Passing a second test. Gov.uk says there's no new two-year period if you pass a test for another category of vehicle. Its example is a heavy goods vehicle, and the Act's wording covers any later test. Your probationary period runs from the first occasion you pass.
Which tests count?
Gov.uk says the rule covers anyone who passed their first test in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands or Gibraltar. It also names the countries of the European Community and European Economic Area. That list includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, so it's wider than the EU.
The rule also applies if you swapped a foreign licence for a British one and then passed a further test in Great Britain.
Is anyone exempt?
Nobody named in the sources. Neither the Act nor gov.uk lists an exemption for age, disability or the kind of driving you do. The one let-out is the second-test rule above.
Is it the same as the 12-point ban?
No. People call it the same rule with a smaller number, and that's wrong in ways that matter.
| New driver rule | Ordinary 12-point rule | |
|---|---|---|
| Points needed | 6 or more | 12 or more |
| The clock | An offence in the 2 years after your first test | Points within 3 years |
| Who acts | DVLA, in writing | A court |
| The law | Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 | Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 35 |
| What you lose | Your licence is revoked and you retake both tests | You're disqualified, normally for at least 6 months |
The biggest difference is the escape route. Under section 35, a court can shorten a ban, or skip it, if it accepts there are grounds to. That's where the "exceptional hardship" argument lives.
The new driver rule has nothing like it. No hardship test appears in the 1995 Act's ten sections, or in Schedule 1, which covers drivers still holding a test certificate. Section 3 says the Secretary of State "must" revoke the licence, and DVLA acts for the Secretary of State.
So losing your job or your lift to college doesn't come into it. The only place to argue is earlier, over the offence itself.
Our guide to how long penalty points stay on your licence covers the ordinary rules in full.
What happens if your licence is revoked?
You get a notice from DVLA. It names the date the revocation takes effect, and that date can't be earlier than the day the notice is served.
DVLA will ask you to send your licence in. Gov.uk says you could be fined up to £1,000 if you don't.
What does starting again cost?
You pay £50 for a new provisional licence. Gov.uk's fees table gives that as the price by post, and shows N/A for applying online. That isn't the £34 a first-time learner pays online. The licence fee regulations set a separate fee for a provisional licence after a New Drivers Act revocation.
Then you pass the theory test and the practical test again. A car theory test is £23, and the practical is £62 on a weekday. It's £75 in the evening, at a weekend or on a bank holiday.
If you'd passed but never sent off for your full licence, gov.uk says you can take the tests on your current provisional.
Can you drive in the meantime?
Not on your own. Once the revocation takes effect, you have no full licence.
Gov.uk doesn't spell out the gap before the new provisional arrives. DVLA's leaflet on driving while an application is being processed, INF188/6, doesn't mention new driver revocations either. So don't guess. Wait for the provisional, or ask DVLA before you drive at all.
Once you have it, you're a learner again, which means L-plates and a supervising driver. Our guide to what you can drive on a provisional licence sets out the limits.
Can you appeal?
The Act gives no appeal against the revocation itself. What you can challenge is the conviction or endorsement behind it, and that happens in court.
Section 5 of the Act covers what happens next. If DVLA gets notice that you're appealing, it must give you a full licence, free of charge. You lose it again if the appeal leaves you on six points or more, or you drop it. If a court quashes the conviction, or cuts your points below six, DVLA must restore the licence free.
In practice, that means the time to act is before you accept the points. Get legal advice first if you think the offence is wrong.
Does it hit your insurance too?
It can. How it affects you depends on your policy, because no single law sets this. Each insurer writes its own rules.
Two current policy booklets show how far they differ. Aviva's Signature motor policy booklet (NMDMG10249, edition 04.2026) lists motoring convictions among the things you need to tell Aviva about. It counts licence endorsements and fixed penalties as convictions.
Direct Line's car insurance policy booklet (code 1225) asks for motoring offences before renewal. It also won't cover a car driven by someone who doesn't have a valid driving licence.
Two booklets aren't the whole market. Read your own, and look for the part on changes you must tell the insurer about.
One duty applies whoever your insurer is. The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 says you must take reasonable care not to misrepresent things to an insurer. That covers taking out a policy and changing one. Answer the questions about points and convictions accurately.
Hiding the points doesn't work anyway. Gov.uk says insurers may be able to find out about an endorsement at any time during a four-year endorsement.
I'd ring the insurer the day the letter arrives, and ask what happens to your cover once you're a learner again. Our guide to learner driver insurance explains the two ways a learner gets covered. Don't be tempted to put a parent down as the main driver to soften the price. That's fronting, and it's fraud.
Starting again might also mean a cheaper car to run and insure. Our guide to the best used cars for new drivers shows how much the insurance group matters.
Is the rule different in Northern Ireland?
The rule is the same today. The law behind it is separate.
The 1995 Act doesn't extend to Northern Ireland. The rule there comes from the Road Traffic (New Drivers) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998. It sets the same two-year probationary period and the same six points. The Department for Infrastructure revokes the licence, and you need retesting to get it back, just as in Great Britain.
One change is written but not switched on. Section 20 of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 would let the Department offer an approved course in place of revocation. You'd get one offer at most during your probationary period.
It isn't in force. Legislation.gov.uk still marked section 20 as prospective on 28 September 2026. The order that starts graduated driver licensing on 1 October 2026 brings in sections 16, 18 and 19 and most of section 17, and leaves section 20 out.
So don't count on a course. Legislation.gov.uk lists no start date for it.
The two systems also talk to each other. If DVLA revokes a Northern Ireland licence, it stops being valid in Great Britain, and DVLA must tell the licensing authority in Northern Ireland. The Order works the same way in reverse.
Our guide to the new driver rules in 2026 covers R-plates and the rest of the Northern Ireland scheme.
What should you do now?
Check your record first. In Great Britain, gov.uk's view your driving licence service shows your penalty points. Northern Ireland licences are handled separately, through nidirect.
Then work out your end date. It's two years from the day you passed your first test. Any offence before that date counts, whenever the points land.
If you're holding a fixed penalty offer that would take you to six, stop and think before you accept it. Accepting it is what puts the points on your record. Get advice first if you believe the offence is wrong.
And if the worst has happened, it's a setback you can recover from. Neither the Act nor gov.uk sets a waiting period before you reapply or retake the tests.
The rest of our new driver guides cover the first year on the road, from insurance to choosing a car.
Common questions
How many points can a new driver get before losing their licence?
Five is the most you can hold and keep it. Your licence is revoked if you reach six or more points for an offence in your first two years. The two years run from the day you passed your first test. Other drivers face a ban at 12 points within three years.
Do points from before I passed my test count?
Yes. Gov.uk says unexpired points on your provisional licence carry over to your full licence when you pass. They count towards the six. If you passed with three points, one more three-point offence in your first two years is enough.
Does a phone offence alone lose me my licence?
Yes, in your first two years. Holding and using a phone while driving carries six points and a £200 fine in Great Britain. Six points meets the limit in one go. Gov.uk says so on its page about the phone law.
Can I appeal if I hit six points as a new driver?
The 1995 Act gives no appeal against the revocation itself. It says the licence must be revoked, and it gives DVLA no choice. You can appeal the conviction or endorsement behind the points, in court. If DVLA gets notice of that appeal, it must give you a full licence free of charge. You lose it again if the appeal leaves you on six points or more, or you drop it. Exceptional hardship won't help here. That argument belongs to the ordinary 12-point rule, where a court decides the ban, and the 1995 Act contains no hardship test.
What if I pass a motorcycle test after my car test?
The clock doesn't reset. Gov.uk says there's no new two-year period if you pass a test for another category of vehicle. Your probationary period runs from the first test you passed. Passing another test in between changes nothing.
Do I have to tell my insurer if my licence is revoked?
Check your policy, because insurers set their own rules. Aviva's Signature booklet says you need to tell it about motoring convictions, fixed penalties included. Direct Line's booklet asks before renewal. Either way, you can't drive alone without a full licence, so call the insurer before you drive again.