Can I hire a car with points on my licence?

Most hire car companies will generally accept 6 points on a licence. Due to the latest change in regulations, external parties such as rental car agents are able to check your driving licence through an online portal. On the whole most rental car companies will not worry about a first fixed penalty offence for speeding, but may refuse to hire a car to you outright if it is a more serious offence. It is always worth checking with your car hire company at the time of rental for their specific terms and conditions.

Can I hire a car with 3 points on my licence?

In general car hire companies will ignore 3 points on your licence. You will need to declare them, but it shouldn’t be a barrier to you hiring a car. Car rental agents and other third parties are now able to view any endorsements on your licence through an online portal. This may be done at the point of booking and/or on collection of your hire vehicle. This is adding greater transparency to the issue around car hire and points on your licence.

Can I hire a car with 6 or more points on my licence?

The maximum amount of points a car hire company will usually except on your licence is 6 points. In most circumstances you would be able to hire the car as long as the offence is not a major one, such as drink driving or dangerous driving. In the past it was rare for rental agencies to ask to see the counterpart of your driving licence, which held the details of any endorsements. However since June 2015, an online system has been set up in the UK allowing car hire companies and other third parties permission to view any licence endorsements on line.

Speeding Offence

A common misconception relating to speeding offences (SP) is that the number following the 'SP' is the speed limit that was exceeded. This is not the case, the number relates to the type of speeding and has no relation to the speed limit that was exceeded. The number of points is determined by the severity of the offence and is allocated by the relevant authority / courts.
 

Type of Offence

Driving offences are categorized subject to the type of offence and the severity, the most popular offence being speeding which carries the 'SP' designation whilst drink driving offences carry the 'DR' designation. Generally, much like domestic insurance companies (as reflected in their premiums), minor speeding offences up to 6 penalty points are acceptable, however most non SP driving offences will result in you not being approved for car hire. Car rental suppliers require a licence check code to ensure that endorsements, where applicable are within their terms, failure to disclose endorsements will likely lead to you being refused car hire. The following tabe shows the drivings offences and their designations;
  *Offences in Northern Ireland and Isle of Man are transferred to UK licences.

For more information on this and other issues surrounding the abolishment of the paper counterpart driving licence visit our blog here.