Six Points in Two Years: How New Drivers Lose Their Licence
Most drivers can reach 12 penalty points before a ban. New drivers get 6, for two years after passing, and losing the licence means retaking both tests. Here is how the rule works and how easily it is hit.
Penalty points have been a rising driving topic in UK searches this week, and there is one rule every learner should understand before they pass, not after. For most drivers, the point at which a ban becomes possible is 12 points. For new drivers, it is 6, and the consequence is not a short ban but losing your licence altogether and starting again as a learner.
The rule in one sentence
According to the gov.uk guidance for new drivers, your licence will be cancelled (revoked) if you get 6 or more points within 2 years of passing your test. For comparison, the general rule is that you can be disqualified if you build up 12 or more points within 3 years.
How easy 6 points is to reach
This is the part that surprises people. Six points is not a long list of offences.
Using a hand-held phone while driving can, on its own, get you 6 penalty points and a £200 fine. The gov.uk phone page spells it out: you will also lose your licence if you passed your test in the last 2 years. One text, one call held to your ear, and you are back to a provisional licence.
Speeding is the other common route. The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and 3 points. Two minimum speeding offences in your first two years is enough. Average speed cameras and a few mph over the limit on a familiar road add up quickly.
Our honest take: most new drivers who lose their licence this way are not reckless. They are people who picked up their phone once, or drifted over a limit twice, assuming it would be a fine. It is worth knowing the numbers now, while you are still learning the habits you will keep.
Points you get as a learner still count
The new driver guidance says any unexpired points on your provisional licence carry over to your full licence when you pass. If more points then take your total to 6 or more within two years of passing, your licence is cancelled. So a points offence as a learner does not stay behind when you pass; it uses up part of your allowance before you have even started.
What happens if your licence is revoked
You have to apply and pay for a new provisional licence, and pass both the theory and the practical test again. If you had not yet sent off for your full licence, you can use your current provisional to retake the tests.
In real terms that means a fresh theory test fee, a new wait for a practical test, and lessons to get back to test standard. For many people that is months, and a lot of money, for one moment on the phone.
Other details worth knowing
The rule applies to people who passed their first test in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar or the EC/EEA. Passing a test for another category, such as a lorry, does not restart the two-year period.
Points also stay on your record longer than the period they count towards. Endorsements stay on your record for 4 or 11 years depending on the offence, and you can check yours with the View your driving licence record service.
If you want the detail on the offences most likely to catch out new drivers, see our posts on phones at the wheel and drink drive limits and penalties.
Learn the rules before they cost you
Penalties and the law are a regular part of the theory test, and they matter more once you are driving alone. Theory Test Passed covers the full DVSA licensed question bank with clear explanations. Start at theorytestpassed.co.uk or download the app for iPhone or Android.
