What Happens If I Get a Speeding Ticket in My Lease Car?

Here at Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, we hope that all of our customers are staying within the law but if you do happen to get caught by a speed camera or a police officer when driving your vehicle lease hire, what happens next?

In this short guide we explain the penalty for speeding in the UK, who is sent the speeding ticket for a lease vehicle and the fees involved both from the Government and the funder.

Exceeding the speed limit is illegal so if you get caught by a speed camera or the police, any of the following could happen:

• You may be given a verbal warning by a police officer who stops you on the road
• You may be asked to attend a speed awareness course, which you would be expected to pay for yourself and which typically costs around £100
• You may be charged with a fixed penalty notice (speeding ticket) of £100 and three penalty points on your licence
• You may be prosecuted for speeding and would need to appear in the court. You may need to pay a find of £1,000 or £2,500 if you were caught speeding on a motorway. Between three and six penalty points may also be added to your licence, or you will face a driving ban

I've been caught speeding in my lease car. Will the ticket be sent to me or the funder?

There are two different ways that you can be caught for speeding in the UK - either by a policeman pointing a speed gun at the side of the road, or by a speed camera. If you weren’t stopped by the police by the side of the road then the speeding ticket will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle within 14 days.

For many lease contracts, the registered owner and keeper of the vehicle is the finance company so any speeding tickets or driving penalties that you will get during your lease agreement will be sent direct to your finance provider. This doesn’t mean that you will avoid the ticket however! If you receive a speeding ticket during your lease agreement then the finance provider will forward you the ticket to you by post. The finance company may also charge you an administration fee for this service, usually around £25.

It is important to note that if you ignore the speeding penalty, you may end up having to go to court.

For this reason, it is important that you keep your contact details up-to-date with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts and your finance provider so we can keep you informed of any speeding penalties during your lease agreement. You can update your contact details by logging into our Customer Area or by calling our Customer Services team on 0345 811 9595.

What other advice can you give me?

Our advice to all our customers is to always drive carefully and to obey the rules of the road. Unfortunately, many people believe that ignorance is an excuse but all drivers should be totally aware of the road laws.

Other general advice which can help avoid unwanted attention from the police includes: