Driving: Disqualification
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 76397 on Driving: Disqualification, how many drivers with more than 12 or more penalty points had not been disqualified by a court in 2025.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood
Where a driving licence holder has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and decide not to disqualify them. Courts may allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship.
These decisions are for the courts, not the Department for Transport or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which update and maintain the driver record using information provided by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.
On 13 February 2026, there were 10,822 drivers with 12 or more penalty points who retain current entitlement to drive and have not been disqualified by a court. Of these, 7,153 were awarded some or all of their points during 2025.
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