Speed Awareness Course UK: Eligibility, Cost & Rules
A speed awareness course lets eligible drivers avoid penalty points and a conviction for a lower-level speeding offence by completing educational training instead of paying a fixed penalty. It is offered entirely at the police's discretion, comes with strict eligibility rules, and you pay the course fee yourself.
What Is a Speed Awareness Course?
The National Speed Awareness Course is an educational course offered as an alternative to a fixed penalty notice (FPN) and licence endorsement for lower-level speeding offences. It is not a legal right and not a punishment in its own right. The police force that detected the offence decides, case by case, whether to offer it instead of the standard fixed penalty (£100 and 3 points) or referring the matter towards court.
Courses run within the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS), which gives forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland a broadly consistent programme delivered through accredited local providers, even though each force retains its own decision on whether to make the offer. Police Scotland does not currently offer a speed awareness course, or any other diversionary course, as an alternative to a speeding fixed penalty; it has said it is exploring introducing one, but none is available today. A driver caught speeding in Scotland receives the fixed penalty and points, or a court referral, with no course option.
How You're Offered a Course
If a safety camera or officer records you speeding at a level within the local force's offer range, you will usually first receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) asking who was driving. Alongside or shortly after that notice, you may receive a letter or an online reference inviting you to book a speed awareness course instead of accepting a fixed penalty.
The offer comes from the police force that detected the offence. Each force sets its own threshold speeds within national guidance from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), so the same recorded speed can be offered a course by one force and a fixed penalty by another. You cannot request a course if the force has already decided a fixed penalty or court referral is the right response.
Am I Eligible?
Eligibility is set by the offering police force, but the two core conditions that apply nationally are:
- No course in the last 3 years. You are generally only eligible if you have not attended a speed awareness course, or a similar National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme course for a comparable offence, in the previous 3 years.
- Speed within the offer range. Your recorded speed must fall within the band the force is willing to offer a course for, generally the lower end of speeding above the limit, set following National Police Chiefs' Council guidance rather than a single fixed national figure.
- Force and case discretion. Even meeting both conditions does not guarantee an offer. Forces can exclude higher speeds, certain roads, or drivers with other current matters pending, and can choose a fixed penalty or court referral instead.
If you are not offered a course, or decline one, the case proceeds down the standard penalty points route: a fixed penalty of £100 and 3 points for straightforward cases, or a court hearing where the speeding fine bands apply. Our speeding fine calculator estimates what a court-handled case could look like if you are weighing that against the course fee.
Course Cost and Length
GOV.UK does not publish a single national price for the course. The fee is set by the course provider, and is typically around £80 to £100. You pay this fee yourself when you book; it is separate from, and not the same as, a fine, and it is not refunded if you later change your mind about attending.
Courses usually run as a single session, delivered either online or in person at a local venue, and typically take a few hours to complete. The exact format and duration depend on which provider is running the course in your area.
Booking Your Course
You book through the official national booking service, reached via GOV.UK, using the reference and personal details from your offer letter. Your offer letter will set a deadline for booking and for completing the course, so check it as soon as it arrives rather than leaving it until close to the cut-off.
What Completing the Course Means
If you complete the course, you get no penalty points and no conviction for that speeding offence. It is treated as a completed alternative to prosecution, not a lesser punishment on your licence record.
What Happens If You Decline or Don't Complete It
If you decline the offer, miss the booking or completion deadline in your letter, or otherwise don't finish the course, the police can withdraw the offer. The case then goes back down the standard route: a fixed penalty notice with 3 points, or referral to court, where the case is dealt with under the ordinary speeding fine bands and penalty point rules under the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. There is no appeal against a decision not to offer, or to withdraw, a course; it is a matter for the offering force.
Effect on Your Licence and Insurance
A completed speed awareness course does not add points to your licence and does not create a conviction for that offence, so it will not show up as an endorsement if you or anyone else checks your driving licence points with the DVLA. That is the main practical difference from accepting the fixed penalty, which does add 3 points that count towards the 12-point totting-up disqualification threshold.
Insurers are a separate matter. Many now ask directly, when you take out or renew a policy, whether you have completed a driving course such as a speed awareness course within a set period. Always answer these questions honestly. It will not raise your points count, but withholding an answer an insurer asked for can affect a later claim.
Related UK Driving Guides
For the wider picture on speeding enforcement in the UK, see the UK Driving Laws hub and the United Kingdom country hub. For what happens if a course isn't offered or you decline one, see speeding fines in the UK and penalty points explained. To see what is currently on your licence, use how to check your driving licence points.
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Whether a speed awareness course is offered, and on what terms, is decided by the police force handling your case. If you are facing a driving ban, court proceedings, or a dispute over an offence, speak to a solicitor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a speed awareness course?
It's an educational course some police forces offer instead of a fixed penalty notice and points for lower-level speeding. Completing it means no penalty points and no conviction for that offence.
Am I entitled to be offered a speed awareness course?
No. It is offered entirely at the discretion of the police force that detected the offence, based on your recorded speed and the force's own policy, not something you can demand or request.
Can I do a speed awareness course if I've done one before?
Generally not. You are normally only eligible if you have not attended a speed awareness course, or a similar retraining course, in the previous 3 years.
How much does a speed awareness course cost?
GOV.UK does not publish one fixed national price. The fee is set by the course provider and is typically around £80 to £100, paid by you when you book.
How long does the course take and is it online or in person?
Most courses run as a single session, either online or in a classroom, and typically last a few hours, depending on the provider running it in your area.
Will a speed awareness course affect my car insurance?
It will not add points or a conviction to your licence, but many insurers ask whether you've completed a driving course in recent years when you get a quote or renew, so answer honestly.
Does a speed awareness course go on my driving licence?
No. Completing the course means the offence does not become a conviction or an endorsement, so it will not appear when your licence is checked with the DVLA.
What happens if I don't book or complete the course?
If you miss the deadline in your offer letter or don't complete the course, the police can withdraw the offer, and the case goes back to a fixed penalty notice and points, or a court case.
Is a speed awareness course available in Scotland?
No. Speed awareness courses run through the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Police Scotland does not currently offer a speed awareness course, or any other diversionary course, as an alternative to a speeding fixed penalty, though it has said it is exploring introducing one.
Sources and References
- GOV.UK: Course for a motoring offence(gov.uk)
- GOV.UK: Book a National Driver Offender Retraining Course(gov.uk)
- GOV.UK: Speeding penalties(gov.uk)
- Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (legislation.gov.uk)(legislation.gov.uk)
- NDORS: National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme(ndors.org.uk)