Driving without insurance is a serious criminal offence. It carries a penalty of six to eight points on your license and a fine of up to £5,000. The Court also has the discretion to give you an immediate driving ban of up to 12 months.

But there are several defences you can make to reduce the penalty points and fines – or avoid them altogether.

If you’ve been charged with driving without insurance, it’ll be the result of a police national computer check. But it’s not uncommon for the police computer to make a mistake and to show no insurance when there actually is a policy in place. This is especially common where the driver has fleet insurance cover or a motor trader policy.

It’s also possible to show extenuating circumstances for driving without insurance.

For example, you could have an honest reason to believe you were insured – your insurance provider may have cancelled your policy without telling you, or the vehicle owner or policyholder could have told you their insurance covered you to drive their car when it didn’t.