Is it illegal to exceed the speed limit in the UK?

Yes. Exceeding the speed limit is a criminal offence under s.89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Penalties range from a fixed penalty notice (£100 fine and 3 penalty points) to prosecution in a magistrates' court, where the maximum fine is an unlimited amount (assessed as a proportion of weekly income) and disqualification is possible for the most serious cases.

The law

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, Section 89. Creates the offence of exceeding a speed limit. Applies to all roads in England and Wales where a limit is in force.
Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, Sections 28 and 35. Sets the penalty points for speeding (3-6 points); the totting-up rule (12+ points within 3 years triggers mandatory 6-month disqualification).
Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, Section 1. Evidential requirements for speeding prosecutions: evidence from a constable personally present, a prescribed device, or a second constable corroborating observation.

The penalty

Offence: Exceeding a speed limit (Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.89)
Maximum: Unlimited fine; disqualification (magistrates' court)
Typical range: FPN: £100 + 3 points; court: Band A-C fine (25-175% weekly income) + 3-6 points or disqualification

What to do

Accept a Fixed Penalty Notice if offered for a minor excess: paying within 28 days resolves the matter without a court hearing.
Consider a National Speed Awareness Course if offered: it avoids penalty points but costs around £80-100.
If you receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP), you must complete and return the s.172 notice identifying the driver within 28 days: failure to do so is a separate offence.
If summoned to court for a serious excess, seek legal advice: the Sentencing Council guideline bands and any totting-up risk should be assessed carefully.
Check your penalty points before attending court: if you are at risk of totting up, exceptional hardship arguments may be available.

In detail

Speeding is one of the most commonly prosecuted road traffic offences in England and Wales. The legal framework is set out in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (RTRA 1984) and the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, with enforcement carried out by police and, for some fixed camera offences, by police camera partnerships.

The legal offence

Section 89(1) of the RTRA 1984 makes it an offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle on a road at a speed exceeding the limit imposed for that road. The current national speed limits are:

20 mph: where signed in urban areas or school zones

30 mph: default in built-up areas with street lighting

40 mph or 50 mph: where signed

60 mph: default on single-carriageway roads outside built-up areas

70 mph: motorways and dual carriageways

Local authorities can impose lower limits (for example, 20 mph zones are increasingly common in residential areas), and variable speed limits apply on some motorways via overhead gantry signs.

National Police Chiefs' Council guidelines

Police forces in England and Wales follow a non-statutory NPCC operational guidance threshold. Officers generally will not prosecute for speeds below 10% over the limit plus 2 mph (so, in a 30 mph zone, below 35 mph). This is guidance only, not a legal immunity: police can prosecute at any speed over the limit.

Fixed penalty vs prosecution

Most first-time, lower-level speeding offences are dealt with by a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN): £100 and 3 penalty points. Alternatively, for borderline cases, the driver may be offered a National Speed Awareness Course (NSAC) in lieu of penalty points if eligible (not having attended within three years).

More serious speeding offences (broadly 51% or more over the limit, or circumstances that put others at risk) result in a summons to a magistrates' court. The Sentencing Council guideline for speeding uses three bands:

Band A (minor excess): Fine equal to 25-75% of weekly income, 3 penalty points

Band B (moderate excess): Fine equal to 75-125% of weekly income, 4-6 penalty points or disqualification 7-28 days Band C (serious excess): Fine equal to 125-175% of weekly income, disqualification 6 weeks (or 6 penalty points if exceptional reasons for not disqualifying)

Totting up

If a driver accumulates 12 or more penalty points within three years, a magistrates' court must impose a minimum six-month disqualification under s.35 RTOA 1988 (the "totting up" rule), unless there are exceptional hardship circumstances.

Section 59 offences

Under s.59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, a constable in uniform who has reasonable grounds for believing that a motor vehicle is being used in a manner which contravenes section 3 or 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (careless and inconsiderate driving and prohibition of off-road driving) and is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public has power to seize and remove the vehicle. Since 29 June 2026 no prior warning is required.

Updated 16 October 2026: section 8(1) of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 omitted subsections (4) and (5) of section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 (the pre-seizure warning requirement) from 29 June 2026 (SI 2026/689, reg 2(1)(c)); the former rule still applies to the use of a vehicle before that date (s.8(2)).