We are excited to announce we’ve launched a brand new website to make it easier than ever to sell your car.

Find your best offer from 3,000+ verified dealers and you could get £1,000 more than part exchange or selling direct to a dealer yourself. Selling your car is always completely free with Motorway, with no service fees, free home collection and instant same-day payment.   

Since 2017, we’ve helped thousands of people sell their car and are very proud of our ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot, with over 8,000 verified reviews.

Selling via Motorway’s nationwide network of verified dealers is subject to vehicle eligibility.  For those vehicles we can’t sell directly to dealers, we will offer an alternative selling route with a trusted partner.

Ready to sell your car? Get started here.

FAQ

I have a current offer for my vehicle from an online car buyer which I am considering, can I still access and accept the offer?

• The offer from the specific buyer will still be accessible and available for you to accept, subject to the details relating to timing etc.  However, you will not be able to access other options other than from The Car Buying Group on our website.

I have a current offer from The Car Buying Group or Car Take Back, can I still access and accept the offer?

• The offer from The Car Buying Group or Car Take Back will still be accessible and available for you to accept. 

We are excited to announce that we have launched a new radio advert today across commercial UK radio.

The ad features a voiceover by Neil Morrissey, one of the UK’s most well-known actors. Neil is familiar from numerous TV programmes including Men Behaving Badly, Line Of Duty, The Night Manager, Skins and Bob The Builder.

The creative called ‘All In One Place’, puts you in the heart of a live car auction where the amount of money you get offered for your vehicle keeps on going up and up.

The experience is explained as being just like selling with Motorway – the comparison site to sell your car!

We are really pleased with the concept and production and would like to thank Neil Morrissey for his voiceover work and Space City who produced the advert from start to finish.

You can hear the ad airing on commercial radio stations within the Global and Bauer Media groups throughout 2020. The campaign was planned by Rocket and Mark Helm Media.

Listen to the ad by clicking here.

Exeter is the UK’s greenest motoring hotspot, with the fastest growth in ULEV ownership since 2018, up more than 150%, according to DVLA registration data analysed by Motorway.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) submission was made by Motorway.co.uk to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in December 2019, requesting the most up-to-date figures on Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles (ULEVs) registered in the UK. ULEV figures include all-electric vehicles, electric range-extender vehicles and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

The latest figures*, broken down by region and local authority, reveals the total number of ULEVs registered in the Exeter local authority, as of Q3 2019, was 1,194. This compares to just 464 in Q3 2018; that’s an increase of 157%. Next on the list is Warwick, where the take-up of ULEVs has more than doubled (128%) over the same period.

ULEV is the term used to describe any vehicle that uses low carbon technologies, emits less than 75g of CO2/km from the tailpipe and is capable of operating in zero tailpipe emission zone for a range of at least 10 miles (SMMT). ULEVs range from pure electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, to plug-in hybrids and extended range electric vehicles.

According to FOI data, seven of the top ten local authorities for ULEV registrations since 2018, are London boroughs, with Newham and Waltham Forest seeing annual growth of 114% and 82% respectively. At the bottom of the green motoring table are Sunderland and Wychavon, a district in Worcestershire, where ULEV numbers have grown less than 7% over the past 12 months.

The following table shows the ten local authorities that have seen the fastest growth in ULEV registrations, 2019 vs 2018.

Local Authority	Number of ULEVs registered (Q3-2018)	Number of ULEVs registered (Q3-2019)	% Increase in ULEVs
Exeter	464	1,194	157.3%
Warwick	414	943	127.8%
Newham	307	657	114.0%
Waltham Forest	330	602	82.4%
Redbridge	525	948	80.6%
Islington	570	1,026	80.0%
Tower Hamlets	559	1,003	79.4%
South Northamptonshire	320	571	78.4%
Barking & Dagenham	255	449	76.1%
Enfield	549	958	74.5%

The following table shows the ten local authorities – excluding London boroughs – that have seen the fastest growth in ULEV registrations, 2019 vs 2018.

Local Authority	Number of ULEVs registered (Q3-2018)	Number of ULEVs registered (Q3-2019)	% Increase in ULEVs
Exeter	464	1,194	157.3%
Warwick	414	943	127.8%
South Northamptonshire	320	571	78.4%
Weymouth	58	96	65.5%
Broxbourne	133	220	65.4%
Bury	262	420	60.3%
Mendip	227	357	57.3%
Mid Sussex	424	665	56.8%
Stevenage	95	148	55.8%
Solihull	1,481	2,296	55.0%

The following table shows the ten local authorities that have seen the slowest growth in ULEV registrations, 2019 vs 2018.

Local Authority	Number of ULEVs registered (Q3-2018)	Number of ULEVs registered (Q3-2019)	% Increase in ULEVs
Sunderland	340	362	6.5%
Wychavon	444	474	6.8%
Milton Keynes	6,445	6,896	7.0%
Copeland	78	84	7.7%
Barrow-in-Furness	52	56	7.7%
North Warwickshire	165	180	9.1%
Huntingdonshire	782	856	9.5%
Neath Port Talbot	90	99	10.0%
Stratford-on-Avon	371	414	11.6%
Stoke-on-Trent	317	357	12.6%

Regions

Renfrewshire is the most prolific region for ULEV registrations with green motor ownership rising by  almost three quarters since 2018, up 71.1% between Q3 2018 and Q3 2019. This compares with growth of just 5.8% in the Gloucestershire region over the same period.

The following table shows the top regions (excluding London) for ULEV ownership, 2019 vs 2018.

Region	Number of ULEVs registered (Q3-2018)	Number of ULEVs registered (Q4-2019)	% Increase in ULEVs
Renfrewshire	1,857	3,178	71.1%
Devon	1,834	3,053	66.5%
Essex	2,554	3,743	46.6%
South Yorkshire	2,623	3,828	45.9%
Warwickshire	1,700	2,476	45.6%

Alex Buttle, director and spokesperson at Motorway comments:

“These figures show a huge disparity between areas that are embracing greener motoring and areas where take-up of ULEVs is in the slow lane. They highlight the need to focus not just at a national level, but also to confront issues at a regional level in areas where ULEV take-up is lagging behind. The government is now under tremendous pressure to encourage motorists to move to electric cars and other forms of ultra-low emissions vehicles in time for the 2040 switchover. 

“According to recent SMMT figures, 10% of UK new car sales are now in the alternative fuel categories (including electric and hybrid variants combined), however, pure electric registrations still only make up around 2% of the total number of new car sales. 

“While they are cheap to run and most owners are keen to drive less-polluting cars, too many people who rely on their vehicles for work and leisure, are holding off making the switch while there are question marks around the charging infrastructure and the initial outlay of moving to an EV.

“Now that we’re leaving the EU on 31st January, the government can finally turn its attention back to domestic matters, and hopefully that includes ensuring momentum is not lost on our “Road to Zero” emissions. 

“With consumer confidence low and with the domestic auto industry suffering, is now the time for the government to introduce EV purchase subsidies to help consumers make the leap to electric? The ball is firmly in its court.”

Due to the coronavirus situation and restrictions placed on movement and non-essential travel, it is now no longer possible for our car buying partners to provide offers or complete purchases.

For this reason we have paused all active sale processes for the time being. We know this is a really frustrating situation for all involved, but the decision is out of our hands.

We expect this to be a temporary measure and are monitoring the situation constantly.

We have now stopped taking any new sale enquiries, but if you would like to be notified when we are able to provide offers again, you can still sign up and we will let you know when we have offers available.

The Motorway team is still working, and we’re here to support you if you have any questions at all.

We’d like to thank our customers, staff, clients and partners for their patience during this challenging time and hope you stay safe and healthy.

FAQs

What are the current restrictions?

If you are looking to sell your car during the lockdown period, we have put together this guide that explains what you can and can’t do whilst the restrictions on movement and travel remain imposed.

How can I get in touch with you?

Please get in touch with us using the usual channels. See our contact us page for the right email address or number to use.

What happens if I am already selling a car with Motorway?

If you have used Motorway in recent weeks or months, you may have existing offers from buyers. While these offers would normally be valid for seven days, buyers will not be able to honour the offer amount or complete the purchase.

You should contact the buyer directly to understand what the situation is for your specific sale.

When will I be able to sell my car again?

We don’t know. It depends on how long the government needs to restrict transport and movement to deal with coronavirus. We think the current restrictions may last until May and beyond, but we are constantly monitoring the situation. To be notified when we can help you sell your car, you can sign up on Motorway.

What has happened to car prices?

Online valuations for vehicles from car buying firms have fallen significantly as the coronavirus situation has developed. This makes understanding the market value of cars very difficult at this moment in time.

We expect prices to stabilise once the market is able to trade again. We also expect there to be a lot of pent-up demand on both the selling and buying side once the restrictions are relaxed.

I need to sell my car urgently. Is there anything I can do?

Unfortunately all car buying companies we know of have paused purchasing vehicles, and other parts of the car industry such as car auctions and car dealerships have also paused trading.

Our advice is to follow government instructions, stay at home, and wait until businesses are able to buy cars again. 

• More than half (56%) of all enquires on car buying website Motorway.co.uk in April were drivers looking to sell a diesel car (even though only 47.7% of cars on the road are diesels)
• New survey results reveal 18.9% of diesel car owners are looking to sell soon vs 16.1% of petrol car owners
• A predicted 15% drop in the value of a second-hand diesel by the end of 2017 could wipe more than £17bn off the net worth of diesel car owners

Continue reading “War on ‘dirty diesels’ sees surge in UK diesel owners selling their cars online”

• Motorway is a used car marketplace, connecting consumer sellers to professional car buyers through its price comparison website
• Launched in July 2017 – the platform has delivered over £130m in completed car sales and grown to a team of 40
• Today it’s announcing £11m in Series A funding from Marchmont Ventures and LocalGlobe

Motorway has announced today that it has secured £11 million in Series A funding to further expand its next-generation used car marketplace.

The funding round was led by Marchmont Ventures, which is managed by Hugo Burge and Alan Martin (the former CEO and CFO of Momondo Group), along with participation from existing backer LocalGlobe.

Launched in 2017, Motorway’s website enables consumer car sellers to instantly see live offers from multiple car buying services and specialist dealerships. They can compare headline offers, read buyer reviews, fees and collection options to find their best deal. By comparing offers, consumers can get up to £1,000 more than going direct to one buyer.

As a two-sided marketplace, Motorway’s buyer platform provides a fast, efficient way for car buying firms to buy the best used car stock, direct from consumers – cutting out middlemen, and helping everyone get a better deal.

A year ago, Motorway raised £2.75m in Seed funding from Marchmont Ventures and LocalGlobe. It has since grown rapidly – the platform now has over 100,000 monthly customer sales enquiries, and has achieved over £130m worth of completed car sales through its buyers in just 18 months.

This new investment will facilitate further development of its team (currently 40), software platform, expansion of its network of car buyers and marketing of the service throughout the UK.

Motorway was founded by Tom Leathes, Alex Buttle and Harry Jones, an entrepreneurial team with three successful internet startups behind them. As part of the round, Hugo Burge is appointed to the role of non-executive Chairman.

Tom Leathes, CEO & Co-Founder of Motorway said:

“We started Motorway with the vision to bring speed, choice and transparency to the process of selling a car – an experience that’s gone mostly unchanged for decades.  

This is a complex industry that frequently delivers a bad experience for sellers and buyers alike. We simplify the process – bringing instant price comparison into the hands of sellers, and powerful technology tools for car buying firms. That’s helped us grow rapidly in a short space of time, but we’ve really only just got started.

With this new funding, we will now be doubling down on building the best possible car sales platform for consumers, and enabling car buyers to improve their stock acquisition processes at scale. We’re thrilled to have the continued support of Marchmont Ventures and LocalGlobe in this round, and it’s amazing to have Hugo’s deeper involvement in the role of Chairman going forward.”

Director of Marchmont Ventures, Hugo Burge says:

“It’s an honour to be part of this exciting journey. I’m delighted to be taking on the role of Chairman to work more closely with the team at Motorway. They are bringing energy, transparency and exceptional technology into a complex and inefficient market, and the momentum is already quite breath-taking.

“However, a far bigger opportunity lies ahead – to build the true consumer champion in an industry going through unprecedented change. Motorway is setting new levels of customer experience and transparency in the UK used car market and I am confident that the team can capitalise on this opportunity.”

Notes to Editors:

For further information contact:

For more information please contact:

Jonny Stevens, Rhizome PR on 07977 119 579

Tom Leathes, CEO at Motorway, Email: press@motorway.co.uk

About Motorway

Motorway (motorway.co.uk) is a next-generation used car marketplace, connecting consumer sellers to professional car buyers through its price comparison website and apps for car dealers. Motorway was founded by Tom Leathes, Alex Buttle and Harry Jones in 2017 and has grown to a team of 40 based in London and Brighton.

About LocalGlobe

LocalGlobe (localglobe.vc) are a Kings Cross based venture capital firm that focuses on seed and impact investments. Over the last 16 years, LocalGlobe has invested in early stage technology companies including the likes of Zoopla, LoveFilm, Improbable, TransferWise, Citymapper, Graze and Moo.

About Marchmont Ventures

Marchmont Ventures (marchmontventures.com) is focused on investing in scale-up opportunities. Its purpose is to build sustainable creativity. In all their projects the team are willing to take a long-term view to build value and work closely with founders to share their experience and passion for developing high-growth, disruptive enterprises.

• Motorway enables car sellers to compare offers and find the best deal in seconds
• The one-year old company is already driving over 25,000 monthly sales enquiries
• Investors in the seed funding include LocalGlobe, Marchmont Ventures and Zoopla founder Alex Chesterman

London, 05/06/18:​ Motorway (​motorway.co.uk​), the UK’s first price comparison website for selling your car, today announces it has secured £2.75 million in seed funding.

Launched in 2017, Motorway enables car owners to compare multiple instant offers for their vehicle and find the best deal in seconds – bringing speed and transparency to a previously frustrating process.

The UK’s used car market is estimated to be ​worth over £50 billion​ annually, with more than ​8 million used cars sold in 2017​ alone. But the process of selling a car has gone largely unchanged for decades, requiring motorists to drive to multiple car dealers to negotiate a sale, or list on websites like AutoTrader or eBay.

Motorway makes selling a car faster by bringing the options online: consumers enter their car’s registration number and mileage to instantly see multiple offers from car buying services, specialist dealerships and even vehicle recycling firms. They can then compare headline offers, read buyer reviews, collection criteria, fees and payment methods before choosing their best deal.

By comparing offers, consumers can get up to £1,000 more than going directly to one buyer.

Having launched in July 2017, the company has grown rapidly and currently has over 25,000 monthly customer sales enquiries. Motorway’s new funding will enable further development of its software platform, expansion of its network of car buyers and wider promotion of the service throughout the UK.

The seed funding was co-led by leading early-stage VC firm ​LocalGlobe​ and ​Marchmont Ventures​, the venture fund of Hugo Burge (entrepreneur and former CEO of Momondo Group). Alex Chesterman (Zoopla founder and CEO), Duncan Jennings (founder of VoucherCodes.co.uk), and early Spotify investor Shakil Khan also participated in the round.

Motorway was founded by Tom Leathes, Harry Jones and Alex Buttle, an entrepreneurial team that’s worked together for over a decade. They have three successful startups behind them already, including the UK’s biggest broadband price comparison site, which was acquired by uSwitch.

Tom Leathes, CEO & Co-Founder of Motorway said:

“Selling​ ​a​ ​car can be stressful and time-consuming, and it often leaves consumers feeling confused and out of pocket. There’s a real perception that you need to be a car expert to get a good deal, and that needs to change.

“Motorway makes it easy for everyone to compare the market and find the best deal for their car – and for dealers to connect with motivated sellers instantly.

With this funding round we’re thrilled to be working with a group of investors with deep experience in price comparison – and who share our focus on championing consumers.”

Partner at LocalGlobe, ​Suzanne Ashman​ states​:

“We are very excited to be working with Motorway. Founders Tom, Harry and Alex have a strong track record of building products that help consumers get the best deals.

Creating a compelling experience for people selling their cars is hard. The potential buyers are fragmented with many different online and offline options. Information about the sale process is difficult to find and pricing is often unclear. Motorway’s technology is exceptional and will bring much needed transparency for car owners.”

Director of Marchmont Ventures, ​Hugo Burge​ says:

“We are delighted to be backing a proven team we have gotten to know over many years and are confident that they’ll execute at breakneck speed. Motorway has an exciting opportunity to significantly improve the often opaque, misleading and confusing marketplace for used cars. We believe in their ability to make a genuine difference for consumers, whilst helping the industry to be more efficient, digitally enabled and better trusted.”

Car MOT failure rates have fallen (rather than risen) since new tougher, more stringent MOT rules came into force on 20th May 2018 to curb dangerous cars being driven on UK roads.

This unexpected finding was revealed on analysis of DVLA data obtained by Motorway, through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

The request, submitted to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in October 2018, asked for the total number of MOT tests, fail and pass rates, every month since January 2017.

The data was obtained to see if more stringent rules had increased MOT test failure rates, but the data revealed the opposite.

The data showed that across June, July and August 2018 – the months following the shake-up in MOT rules – the average failure rate was 34.1%, compared to 34.5% between January 2017 and April 2018 – preceding the changes.

The average fail rate across June, July and August 2017 was 35%, almost 1% higher than the corresponding months this year.

August 2018 saw the second lowest monthly fail rate this year and the fourth lowest since the start of 2017, with just 33.4% of cars failing their MOT. With all cars on the road requiring MOT after three years, this lower monthly fail rate could be put down to a higher % of newer cars being on the road that were purchased 2014-15 who required an MOT for the first time (reaching three years of age).

However, this drop off in MOT failure rates could also suggest that garages operating on tight profit margins for MOTs may not be adhering to the new rules on every car. If they are having to spend more time on all vehicles, they may be under pressure to hit targets and could be rushing through tests or just ticking boxes and not performing them at all.

The DVLA figures also revealed that the failure rate from 1st to 19th May 2018 was 35%, but increased to 35.5% from 20th to 31st May 2018, suggesting that more car owners were caught out by the new rules.

Although, looking at actual test numbers, there were 1,679,965 MOT tests from 1st to 19th May and 986,178 tests over the rest of the month, which indicates that car owners were keen to get their cars tested before the new rules came into force on the 20th May.

The new MOT rules include changes to how defects are categorised, stricter rules around diesel car emissions and additional items checked during the MOT such as whether tyres are under-inflated or any signs of brake fluid contamination or leakage.

Alex Buttle, director, car buying comparison website Motorway.co.uk comments:

“It’s surprising to see MOT fail rates drop since the more comprehensive tests came into force, when logically you’d expect them to rise.

“Other than 2014 and 2015 being very strong years for new car sales and these new cars needing an MOT for the first time, there’s no clear evidence to explain why rates have fallen in 2018 and it might just be a coincidence. However, it could also reveal a lot about the time most garages allocate for tests and the tight profit margins they are are operating under.

“The tests are now more stringent and time consuming – especially for diesels, yet there has been no tangible increase in MOT prices across the UK since May 2018.

“The maximum fee garages can legally charge for an MOT test is £54.85 and many charge less than that to attract customers. A longer list of things to check on each car equals longer tests and that could be putting pressure on the bottom line.

“It’s very hard to pin the reasons for the MOT failure rate fall on any particular thing, but if a garage spends more time on some cars, they may need to make up the time by ‘waving through’ other cars with issues that under the previous rules might have failed. Time is money and tougher tests mean less time for everything on the longer list. There were always going to be knock on effects.”

More than one million cars registered to drive on UK roads have failed MOT tests this year because of defects considered so dangerous under new, more stringent MOT rules, that they pose an ‘immediate risk to road safety and/ or serious impact on the environment’.

This worrying finding was revealed on analysis of DVSA data on MOT tests obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by Motorway in November 2018.

The data reveals that since 20th May 2018 when new MOT rules came into force, 1,131,376 cars have failed their MOTs because of dangerous defects. In October, almost 9% of cars failed their MOT because of a dangerous defect. On average since May, MOT testers failed almost a third (32%) of cars because of a dangerous fault.

Under new MOT rules, defects are categorised as either: dangerous, major or minor, and a vehicle will fail if it has a dangerous or major fault. With the old MOT your vehicle either passed, passed with advisory faults or failed.

According to the DVSA website, a dangerous defect ‘has a direct and immediate risk to road safety or has a serious impact on the environment, and the vehicle cannot be driven again until the defect has been repaired.’

There are many things that can be considered ‘dangerous defects’. Here is a few examples:

• Leaking hydraulic fluid – leaks from a brake value such that brake functionality is affected
• Brake problems – brake disc or drum missing and/ or the brake lining or pad is missing or incorrectly mounted
• Dangerous wheels – a wheel with more than one loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud or the wheel is distorted or worn to the extent it is likely to become detached

A vehicle will be recorded as “no longer road legal” if it fails due to a dangerous fault. If you do drive the car, you could be fined £2,500, be banned from driving and incur three points on your licence.

If a car fails because of a major defect, the repair needs to be made as soon as possible. However, the car may be driven if it is still roadworthy and the MOT is valid.

Alex Buttle, director of car buying comparison website Motorway.co.uk comments:

“Looking at this data from the DVSA, we were really surprised by the high number of cars registered to drive on UK roads that are considered ‘dangerous’. And these are just the vehicles that have been tested since the new rules came into play in May 2018.

“New car sales are currently falling at a dramatic rate, but the number of licensed cars on the road is remaining comparatively stable at around 38 million. This suggests owners are hanging onto cars for longer – and because of that, the UK’s used car stock will get older year on year unless that trend is reversed. That means more dangerous cars, requiring frequent safety checks.

“We could be heading towards becoming a ‘country of clunkers’. Only an uptick in sales of new cars will cause a higher % of older cars to start exiting our roads. Until then, highways will likely become even more full of older, more dangerous vehicles which should be getting fixed by a mechanic or headed for the scrap heap.”

More than 2.5 million UK motorists have at least three points on their driving licenses

• 6.8% of Bristol population have at least three penalty points on their driving licence
• More than 5,500 drivers in BS16 postcode have incurred at least three penalty points
• Currently, just over 11,000 UK drivers have at least 12 penalty points (automatic ban) on their license
• Almost 80,000 drivers currently have nine penalty points on their licenses, and are only one more offence away from an automatic ban

Bristol officially has the worst drivers in England and Wales, with 6.8% of the population having at least three penalty points on their current driving licences, according to research by car selling comparison website Motorway.co.uk.

More than 60,000 drivers, registered in the BS postcode area, which is made up of 47 postcode districts covering Bristol and surrounding areas, still have points on their licence having committed at least one recent motoring offence. Over 14,279  are multiple offenders, with at least six points on their licences.

These figures are supported by speed camera data obtained from local police forces, which shows that the two most active speed cameras in the UK, are on the M32 to Bristol and between Bristol Junction 19 and 20 on the M4. While, twice as many drivers were caught speeding in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary, which covers the Bristol area, than in any other constabulary, between June 2016 and May 2018*.

The SL postcode area, which covers Slough and surrounding areas, has the next highest number of car drivers with at least three penalty points on their licence as a percentage of population, with 6.4%. Slough is close to the M4 which is used frequently by commuters to and from London.

Across the UK, almost 2.7 million drivers currently have at least three points on their licences, and 11,090 have at least 12 points and are likely serving an automatic ban. Almost 80,000 drivers have nine penalty points on their licenses, which means 79,463 drivers are one more motoring offence away from receiving an automatic ban.

Motorway.co.uk obtained the most up-to-date data on penalty points by postcode across England & Wales from the Driving Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made in February 2019. The courts endorse your driving licence with penalty points if you’re convicted of a motoring offence. Drivers are disqualified if there are 12 or more points on their driving license.

The following table shows postcode areas ranked in order of highest number of drivers who have at least three penalty points on their driving licence as a percentage of population.

Postcodes	Town/City	Population	No. of drivers with at least 3 points on licence	No. of drivers with at least 3 points on licence as % of population
BS	Bristol	940,241	63,747	6.78%
SL	Slough	373,607	24,017	6.43%
HX	Halifax	160,378	10,209	6.37%
HG	Harrogate	138,343	8,709	6.30%
HD	Huddersfield	262,814	16,294	6.20%
TA	Taunton	322,197	19,720	6.12%
BH	Bournemouth	551,987	33765	6.12%
LU	Luton	335,950	20,360	6.06%
HP	Hemel Hempstead	488,351	29,126	5.96%
WR	Worcester	287,414	16,988	5.91%
NN	Northampton	653,215	38,330	5.87%
BD	Bradford	578336	33,487	5.79%
DN	Doncaster	755,713	43,718	5.79%
BA	Bath	434,166	24,309	5.60%
WF	Wakefield	512,657	28,613	5.58%
WD	Watford	255,988	14,177	5.54%
DT	Dorchester	213,203	11,577	5.43%
CM	Chelmsford	653,492	35,026	5.36%
YO	York	562,439	30,082	5.35%
SS	Southend-on-Sea	518,677	27,660	5.33%

Postcode districts

The most prolific postcode district for penalty points is Bristol postcode BS16. Over 5,000 drivers in BS16 currently have at least three points on their licences, more than any other postcode district in England and Wales.

The following table shows postcode districts ranked in order of highest number of drivers who have at least three penalty points on their current driving licences.

Postcode	Town/City	Number of drivers with 3 points on licence	Number of drivers with 9 points on licence	Total number of drivers with at least 3 points on their license
BS16	Bristol	4,124	220	5,530
CR0	Croydon	2,945	143	4,688
NN3	Northampton	3,245	144	4,454
SL6	Maidenhead	3,431	110	4,452
LE2	Leicester	3,039	142	4,227
LE3	Leicester	2,880	156	4,146
NG5	Nottingham	2,894	154	3,966
BH23	Christchurch	3,117	91	3,922
LU7	Leighton Buzzard	2,866	128	3,809
NG16	Nottingham	2,935	113	3,803
SL1	Slough	2,562	141	3,799
BA2	Bath	2,827	71	3,506
PR2	Preston	2,556	125	3,502
SL3	Slough	2,415	129	3,437
CF14	Cardiff	2,600	86	3,390
BS4	Bristol	2,504	130	3,367
NG8	Nottingham	2,386	111	3,333
PR4	Preston	2,538	104	3,315
GL2	Gloucester	2,523	102	3,298
CV6	Coventry	2,178	105	3,286

Alex Buttle, director of car buying comparison website Motorway.co.uk comments:

“Almost two million people currently have at least three points on their driving licence. That’s not just a staggering number of people who have committed a motoring offence, it’s also a nice little cash generator for the Government in the form of fines. A large number of these fines will have been incurred for speeding, and in particular speeding on motorways.

“But while the stats suggest otherwise, are Bristol and Slough drivers really more dangerous than drivers from elsewhere? Rather than being ‘boy racer’ districts, one has to ask if the prevalence of a high number of main roads and speed cameras in these areas is a main contributing factor to the higher number of offences seen.

“It was perhaps not surprising to see most Greater London areas at the very bottom of the list for motoring offences as anyone who has spent time on main roads in the capital will understand the opportunity to break the speed limit is minimal with most main roads highly congested during peak hours.”