Maximum Speeding Fine for Doing 40 in a 30 and How To Appeal

Have you been given a fine for speeding, doing 40mph in a 30mph zone? You’re not alone. Each month, I guide over 32,000 people who need help with tickets and fines. It can be confusing and a bit scary but don’t worry.

In this article, I’ll help you understand:

• How much a speeding ticket in the UK can cost.
• How much you can go over the speed limit in a 30 zone.
• What the 10% + 2mph rule is.
• The maximum fine for doing 40 in a 30 zone.
• How you can appeal a speeding fine.

I know how it feels to be unsure about a fine as I’ve guided lots of people in the same boat. Take a deep breath and let’s see how you can handle your speeding fine.

What is the maximum fine for doing 40 in a 30 zone?

Source: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/37351240#Comment_37351240 

Travelling between 1mph and 10mph over the speed limit in a 30 zone is a Band-A offence, which comes with a fine between 25% and 75% of your weekly income. 

Your weekly income is calculated using the amount you earn per week minus tax and National Insurance contributions. 

However, the least you can be fined is £100 and the most you can be fined is still £1,000. This is unlike other countries which have no upper cap, such as Finland. 

40 in a 30 zone – fine amount example

Let’s imagine that you earn £500 per week from employment. From this income, you pay £100 to HMRC as income tax and a further £15 in National Insurance Contributions. 

Remember, this is just an example. The real deductions will differ. 

So your weekly income for the purposes of a speeding ticket is now £385. You can be charged between 25% and 75% of this amount in a speeding fine depending on the specifics of the speeding contravention. 

I made this table to help you understand this better:

Don’t be fooled by my table. The percentage of your income that you’re fined doesn’t have to be in multiples of 10%. This table is just to illustrate the differences. 

How much is a speeding ticket in the UK?

Speeding tickets are calculated as a percentage of your weekly income. The percentage used depends on how much above the speed limit you were travelling.

However, there is a minimum and maximum speeding fine amount that will never be exceeded. The least you will be fined is £100, and the most is £1,000 or £2,500 if you were speeding on a normal road or motorway, respectively. 

What’s the maximum fine for a parking ticket?

Private parking fines were supposed to be capped at £50 but remain up to £100 for now. These fines can increase further if you ignore them and get taken to court. 

To avoid this, you may want to consider dealing with them in a parking ticket appeal that could stop you from having to pay, such as the 5-minute loophole. 

How much can you go over the speed limit in a 30?

You can be given a fine for exceeding the speed limit by any amount. 

You might have been told about the 10% + 2mph rule allowing you to travel up to 35mph in a 30mph zone, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule. It’s also dangerous to exceed the speed limit. 

Are there any exceptions?

Kind of. 

Travelling at 40mph in a 30mph zone might not always be qualified as a Band-A offence. 

Depending on the exact circumstances regarding the offence, you may be moved to a higher band and you could be asked to appear in court and face a higher fine.

Although, you can still never be asked to pay more than £1,000.

What’s the 10% + 2mph rule?

10+2 was a guideline from the Association of Police Officers to help police officers decide when to issue a speeding ticket, as well as to account for possible reading errors on the devices used to measure speed. 

It stated that you could provide leeway if the speeding driver was only exceeding the limit by 10% of its original amount plus 2 further miles per hour. Thus, under this guideline, a motorist could travel 35mph in a 30mph zone without getting fined. 

Although many police officers will have and may still follow this guideline, the same publication states that the 10% +2mph rule can never override police officer decisions. 

So a police officer could decide to issue a fine even when you travel within this “10+2” threshold. 

Join thousands of others who got legal help for a £5 trial

Getting the support of a Solicitor can take a huge weight off your mind.

Get started

Reviews shown are for JustAnswer.

Can you appeal a speeding fine?

When you’re guilty of speeding, the vehicle owner is sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within two weeks. You can avoid prosecution in court by accepting guilt and receiving fine and other repercussions within a Fixed Penalty Notice. 

But the only way to appeal the speeding offence as stated in the NIP would be to either:

1. Write an appeal letter to the police force that issued the NIP. Some do accept appeals this way.
2. Allow the matter to escalate to a court hearing.

However, appealing a speeding offence is incredibly difficult. The 10% + 2mph rule isn’t a real thing in the courtroom and won’t stop you from getting fined. You may even be fined more for not accepting guilt earlier and using court resources. 

Related FAQs

Will I get points for doing 36 in a 30?

Yes, you will get three penalty points added to your licence when you’re guilty of speeding between 1mph and 10mph in a 39mph zone. 

However, if this is your first offence, or your first offence for a long time, you could avoid all penalty points by taking a speed awareness course instead. 

Doing so may also save you money when you come to renewing your vehicle insurance as three penalty points can cause premiums to increase by up to 10% in most cases. 

How many points will I get for doing 50 in a 30?

You will get between four and six penalty points for doing 50 in a 30 zone. You can also be fined between 75% and 125% of your weekly income and receive a driving disqualification for 7 to 28 days. Your ban will be longer if your total points reach 12 or more in the last three years.