The number of UK drivers receiving penalty points for using unroadworthy vehicles has risen sharply in the past year, with new analysis by the RAC’s mobile servicing and repairs division showing a 52% increase in endorsements compared to 2023.
Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA reveal that 13,109 drivers were penalised in 2024 for offences such as defective brakes, tyres, steering or other faults, up from 8,614 the previous year. Each offence carries three penalty points that remain on a licence for four years, highlighting the seriousness of the issue.
Tyres accounted for the majority of cases, with 8,945 drivers stopped for driving with defects, a 44% increase on 2023.
More concerning, however, was the dramatic surge in drivers caught with defective brakes. In 2023, just 181 drivers received points for this offence, but by last year the number had risen to 1,190, representing a more than six-fold increase.
A further 2,974 endorsements were issued for other roadworthiness problems such as faulty steering, marking a 33% rise year on year.
Almost every region of the UK recorded an increase, with the East Midlands seeing the steepest jump, up 87% from 374 drivers to 700.
Central Scotland followed with a 50% rise, while Greater London topped the table in terms of volume, with 1,765 drivers penalised in 2024 compared to 1,464 a year earlier.
Yorkshire and the Humber was second, with 1,373 endorsements, up 32% from 2023. Only Mid Wales and South West Wales reported small declines.
The RAC has warned that the figures likely represent only the tip of the iceberg. With around 10 million MOT test failures each year, the actual number of unroadworthy vehicles being driven on UK roads is believed to be far higher.
Nick Mullender, team leader of RAC Mobile Servicing and Repairs, described the increase as “a cause for alarm.” He said: “Every mechanical component in a vehicle plays a critical role in ensuring it can be driven safely. By getting behind the wheel of vehicles that are defective, a minority of drivers are needlessly putting the law-abiding majority at serious risk.”
He added that many cases come to light only when police officers pull over a driver for another reason and discover the vehicle is not road legal.
Chief Superintendent Marc Clothier, from the National Roads Policing Operation for Intelligence and Investigations, called the figures “shocking” and stressed that roadworthiness is ultimately the responsibility of the driver.
“If you are driving an unroadworthy vehicle with defects such as tyres or brakes, you are not only putting yourself at risk but you are putting the lives of other road users at risk too,” he said.
