Cengolio · Fines · No insurance
No cover, no excuses, no ceiling.
Driving uninsured is a strict liability offence: not knowing the policy had lapsed is no defence. At the roadside it is £300, six points and possibly the car gone on the spot; in court the fine has no upper limit and the points become six to eight, or a ban. The IN10 code then follows the driver for four years on the record, and insurers usually ask about five.
Fixed penalty per gov.uk; court categories per the Sentencing Council guideline No insurance (Revised 2017), live page read 17 July 2026. Checked 17 July 2026.
This states the published penalties; it does not place a case. Which of the three court categories applies is for the court: deliberate uninsured driving and cases around an incident sit at the top, a genuine lapse at the bottom, and the guideline ties the fine to weekly income either way. Producing a valid certificate that covered the drive ends the matter; a belief that cover existed does not, however honest.
Causing or permitting an uninsured drive is its own offence with the same penalties, so lending the keys can cost the owner six points too. A seized car comes back against proof of insurance and the recovery fees, and is disposed of if unclaimed. There is no course that replaces the points. Where a court lands within a category, and whether a ban beats eight points for a particular driver, is argument and circumstance, and none of it is arithmetic.
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