Penalty points and offences theory test practice
Free, no accountBased on the Rules of the Road
What you need to know
Penalty points are added to your driving licence record when you are convicted in court or when you pay a fixed charge notice. They stay on your record for 3 years. Different offences carry different numbers of points, and you must tell your insurer about any you have.
Reach 12 points within 3 years and you are disqualified from driving for 6 months. The limit is lower for learner permit holders and for the first 2 years of a first full licence: 7 points. During a ban you must surrender your licence within 14 days, and driving while disqualified is a further offence.
A fixed charge notice gives you 28 days to pay the fine. If you miss that, you get a further 28 days at a higher amount, and after that the matter goes to court. Paying the notice does not avoid the points, because they are added once it is paid.
Know the common point offences for the test: speeding and not wearing a seatbelt carry 3 points each, while careless driving and dangerous parking can carry up to 5. Penalty points apply to learners and to foreign licence holders driving in Ireland.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points · Speed limits · Seatbelts · Fixed charge notices · Disqualification · Driving offences · Insurance
20 practice questions
Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
How many penalty points within 3 years lead to a 6-month disqualification for a fully experienced driver?
Mark one answer · keys A to D
All the questions with answers
1. How many penalty points within 3 years lead to a 6-month disqualification for a fully experienced driver?
Answer: 12
Reaching 12 points in any 3-year period means automatic disqualification for 6 months.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
2. At how many penalty points is a learner permit holder disqualified?
Answer: 7
Learner permit holders face disqualification at the lower limit of 7 points.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
3. You passed your test 8 months ago and hold your first full licence. How many points would disqualify you?
Answer: 7
The lower limit of 7 applies for the first 2 years of a first full licence.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
4. How long do penalty points stay on your licence record?
Answer: 3 years
Penalty points remain on your record for 3 years.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
5. How many penalty points does a speeding fixed charge notice carry?
Answer: 3
Speeding dealt with by fixed charge notice carries 3 penalty points.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points · Speed limits
6. How many penalty points do you get for failing to wear a seatbelt as a driver?
Answer: 3
A seatbelt offence by the driver carries 3 penalty points.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points · Seatbelts
7. How long do you have to pay a fixed charge notice at the standard amount?
Answer: 28 days
You have 28 days to pay the fixed charge at the standard amount.
Rules of the Road: Fixed charge notices
8. You miss the first 28-day deadline on a fixed charge notice. What happens next?
Answer: You get a further 28 days at a higher amount
You get a further 28 days to pay, but at an increased amount.
Rules of the Road: Fixed charge notices
9. You ignore a fixed charge notice and miss both payment periods. What can follow?
Answer: A court summons
If neither payment period is used, the case can go to court by summons.
Rules of the Road: Fixed charge notices
10. You pay a fixed charge notice for a points offence. What happens to the points?
Answer: The points are added to your licence
Paying a fixed charge counts as accepting the offence, so the penalty points are added.
Rules of the Road: Fixed charge notices · Penalty points
11. When you are disqualified for reaching the points limit, how soon must you surrender your licence?
Answer: Within 14 days
The licence must be surrendered within 14 days of the disqualification starting.
Rules of the Road: Disqualification
12. A learner permit holder has 5 points and is convicted of an offence worth 3 more. What is the result?
Answer: Disqualification, as the total is 8
The total of 8 passes the learner limit of 7, so disqualification follows.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points · Disqualification
13. Are penalty points from the UK or other countries added to your Irish licence record?
Answer: No, they are not recognised between states
Penalty points from other countries are not recognised between states.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
14. A visitor driving in Ireland on a foreign licence commits a points offence. What happens?
Answer: A penalty points record is created for them
Penalty points also apply to foreign licence holders driving in Ireland, and a record is created.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
15. What is the maximum number of penalty points for careless driving?
Answer: 5
Careless driving can carry up to 5 penalty points.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points · Driving offences
16. How many penalty points does driving without insurance carry on conviction?
Answer: 5
Driving without insurance is a court offence that carries 5 penalty points, a heavy fine and possible disqualification.
Rules of the Road: Insurance · Penalty points
17. Besides paying a fixed charge, when else are penalty points added to your licence?
Answer: When you are convicted in court
Points are added on a court conviction or on payment of a fixed charge notice.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
18. You are disqualified for 6 months because of penalty points. May you drive during the ban?
Answer: No, driving while disqualified is an offence
You must not drive at all while disqualified. Doing so is a further offence.
Rules of the Road: Disqualification
19. Your licence is out of date for a period. How does that affect the 3-year life of your points?
Answer: That period does not count towards the 3 years
Any period when your licence is out of date does not count as part of the 3 years.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
20. You have penalty points on your licence. What should you do when buying motor insurance?
Answer: Tell the insurer about them
When you apply for motor insurance you must tell the insurer about any penalty points.
Rules of the Road: Penalty points
Questions people ask
- How many penalty points before you lose your licence in Ireland?
- 12 points in 3 years means a 6-month disqualification. For learner permit holders and drivers in the first 2 years of a first full licence, the limit is 7.
- How long do penalty points stay on your licence in Ireland?
- Penalty points stay on your record for 3 years.
- How many penalty points do you get for speeding in Ireland?
- Speeding on a fixed charge notice carries 3 penalty points.
- How long do I have to pay a fixed charge notice?
- You have 28 days to pay. You then get another 28 days at a higher amount before it goes to court.
Other theory test topics
- Learner permits and licences
- Alcohol, drugs, phones and fatigue
- Vehicle safety and passengers
- Speed limits and stopping distances
- Junctions and right of way
- Roundabouts and turning
- Road signs and markings
- Motorways, overtaking and lanes
- Pedestrians, cyclists and other road users
- Parking and stopping
- Hazards, emergencies and breakdowns
Rules summarised from the Rules of the Road (© Road Safety Authority). Questions written by PassRank. These are not the official Driver Theory Test questions.