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Caught using your mobile phone while driving? A CU80 conviction doesn’t have to mean unaffordable premiums. Compare quotes from specialist insurers who accept mobile phone driving endorsements.

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Why Compare What Is CU80 At A Glance All CU Codes The Law Get Quotes Save Money Avoid Mistakes FAQs

Convicted Driver Insurance for CU80

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Why Compare CU80 Insurance with MultiQuoteTime?

A CU80 endorsement for using a handheld phone at the wheel stays on your licence for 4 years, and many mainstream insurers will load your premium or decline cover outright once they see it.

Going direct to a single insurer means accepting whatever price they quote, with no way to know if a specialist elsewhere would offer better terms for the same conviction.

MultiQuoteTime puts your details in front of a panel of specialist brokers we have access to in one go, so you can compare convicted driver quotes side by side rather than shopping around one insurer at a time. Whatever code is on your licence, our guide to car insurance with points on licence covers how convictions affect your premium more broadly. If your conviction is CU20 rather than CU80, see our CU20 car insurance page.

CU80 Conviction Code at a Glance

The table below summarises the CU80 conviction, including how many penalty points it carries and how long it stays on your licence. If your points are close to the totting-up threshold, see our TT99 guide on what happens at 12 points.

Driving Licence Conviction Code	Motoring Offence	Penalty Points	How Long the Conviction Stays on Your Licence
CU80	Breach of requirements as to control of the vehicle, such as using a handheld mobile phone	3 to 6	4 years from the date of the offence

Construction and Use Offence Codes

CU80 sits within a wider family of construction and use offence codes. Every code below carries the same 4 years (from date of motoring offence) duration, so the table focuses on what sets each one apart: the offence itself and the points attached.

Code	Offence	Points
CU10	Driving a vehicle that has defective brakes	3 points
CU12	Helping someone to drive a vehicle that has defective brakes	3 points
CU14	Causing or permitting someone to drive a vehicle that has defective brakes	3 points
CU16	Inciting someone to drive a vehicle that has defective brakes	3 points
CU20	Causing or likely to cause danger by driving an unsuitable or unroadworthy vehicle	3 points
CU22	Helping someone to drive an unsuitable or unroadworthy vehicle	3 points
CU24	Causing or permitting someone to drive an unsuitable or unroadworthy vehicle	3 points
CU26	Inciting someone to drive an unsuitable or unroadworthy vehicle	3 points
CU30	Driving a vehicle with a defective tyre or tyres	3 points
CU32	Helping someone to drive a vehicle with a defective tyre or tyres	3 points
CU34	Causing or permitting someone to drive a vehicle with a defective tyre or tyres	3 points
CU36	Inciting someone to drive a vehicle with a defective tyre or tyres	3 points
CU40	Driving a vehicle that has defective steering	3 points
CU42	Helping someone to drive a vehicle that has defective steering	3 points
CU44	Causing or permitting someone to drive a vehicle that has defective steering	3 points
CU46	Inciting someone to drive a vehicle that has defective steering	3 points
CU50	Causing or likely to cause danger due to load or passengers	3 points
CU52	Helping someone cause or risk danger due to load or passengers	3 points
CU54	Causing or permitting someone to cause or risk danger due to load or passengers	3 points
CU56	Inciting someone to cause or risk danger due to load or passengers	3 points
CU80	Using a handheld mobile phone while driving, or a similar breach of vehicle control requirements	3 to 6 points
CU82	Helping someone use a handheld mobile phone while driving	3 to 6 points
CU84	Causing or permitting someone to use a handheld mobile phone while driving	3 to 6 points
CU86	Inciting someone to use a handheld mobile phone while driving	3 to 6 points

The Law Behind CU80

Two Offences, One Code

CU80 is not one single offence with a discretionary points range, it actually covers two distinct breaches under Section 41D of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Section 41D(a), not having proper control or a full view of the road, carries 3 points. Section 41D(b), the specific offence of using a handheld mobile phone or device, carries 6 points. That’s why you’ll see CU80 listed as “3 to 6 points” rather than a flat number.

What Counts as Illegal Use

Under current gov.uk guidance on using a phone or device while driving, it’s illegal to hold and use a phone, sat nav, tablet or any device that sends or receives data, whether you’re moving, stopped at traffic lights, queuing in traffic, or supervising a learner. This covers calls, texts, photos, video and browsing, even if the device is offline or in flight mode. Hands-free use remains legal provided the phone is never held, using a Bluetooth headset, voice command, or a mounted holder that doesn’t block your view of the road.

The Fixed Penalty

The fixed penalty for using a handheld device while driving is £200 and 6 penalty points. If you’ve passed your driving test within the last 2 years, you’ll also lose your licence entirely under the New Drivers Act, since 6 points is the threshold for automatic revocation during the first 2 years. Cases can also go to court, where fines can reach £1,000 (£2,500 for lorry or bus drivers) alongside a discretionary driving ban.

Eamonn’s Take

Eamonn Turley · Commercial Insurance Editor, MultiQuoteTime

Check your court paperwork or fixed penalty notice before you assume the worst. A lot of drivers I speak to assume every CU80 means 6 points and a £200 fine, but if yours was charged under section 41D(a), the control and view offence rather than the phone-specific one, you’re only carrying 3 points. That difference matters when you’re comparing quotes, some brokers price CU80 as a flat category without asking which sub-offence actually applies, and you could end up loaded for a conviction that’s worth half the risk on paper.

Ways to Reduce the Cost of CU80 Car Insurance

Compare Quotes at Every Renewal

Don’t let your policy auto-renew. Insurers price CU80 differently, and your loading tends to ease as the conviction ages, so it’s worth checking a panel of specialist brokers against your renewal quote every year rather than accepting it by default.

Consider a Telematics Policy

A black box gives your insurer real evidence that the CU80 was an isolated incident rather than a pattern. Consistent, safe driving data can help bring your premium down at renewal.

Keep Your Phone Out of Reach

Put it in the glovebox or a bag on the back seat while driving. If it’s not within arm’s reach, the temptation to check it disappears, and it also protects you from a second CU80, which would be far harder and more expensive to insure.

Choose a Lower Insurance Group Vehicle

Cars in lower insurance groups cost less to cover regardless of your conviction history. If you’re changing vehicles, checking the group before you buy can help offset some of the CU80 loading.

Increase Your Voluntary Excess

Raising your voluntary excess can lower your premium, since you’re taking on more of the risk yourself. Only offer an amount you could genuinely afford to pay if you needed to claim.

Build a Clean Record From Here

Every conviction-free year after your CU80 shows insurers it was a one-off, not a pattern. A clean record is one of the strongest factors in bringing your premium back down over time.

Keep Your Mileage Accurate

Lower annual mileage generally means lower risk in an insurer’s eyes. Check our guide to the average miles per year in the UK if you’re unsure what to declare, and only state what you genuinely expect to drive, both over and understating it can cause problems at claim stage.

What Mistakes Can CU80 Drivers Avoid When Buying Insurance?

A CU80 conviction already narrows your options, small mistakes at the buying stage can narrow them further, or leave you without cover exactly when you need it.

Not Declaring Your CU80

Leaving a CU80 off your application isn’t a way around a higher premium, it’s grounds for your insurer to void the policy entirely. If you don’t disclose it and later need to claim, the insurer can refuse to pay out, and non-disclosure can be treated as a form of fraud. Always declare every unspent conviction in full, even if it feels like it will push your quote up.

Assuming a Spent Conviction Never Matters

You’re not legally required to disclose a genuinely spent CU80. But insurers commonly ask about convictions from the last 5 years on their application forms, longer than the 4-year DVLA record period, so check the specific wording of what you’re being asked before assuming it doesn’t apply to you.

Picking on Price Alone

The cheapest quote after a CU80 can quietly exclude things you’d assume were standard, like breakdown cover or legal expenses. Compare what’s actually included across a panel of specialist brokers, not just the headline price.

Guessing Your Mileage

Underestimating your annual mileage to get a cheaper quote risks the policy being invalidated, or a claim reduced, if your actual mileage is higher. Be accurate rather than optimistic when you declare it.

Not Updating Your Insurer Later

A change of car, address, or job after you’ve taken out cover still needs reporting. An insurer who finds out about an unreported change later, especially alongside an existing conviction, can cancel cover or refuse a claim. Update your policy as soon as anything changes.

Skipping the Policy Wording

CU80 policies often carry a higher compulsory excess or specific conditions attached to the conviction. It’s worth a few minutes to read exactly what you’re agreeing to before you buy, rather than discovering a gap in cover after you’ve already made a claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You must declare any unspent CU80 conviction when applying for or renewing car insurance. Failing to do so can invalidate your policy and lead to a claim being refused, even if the conviction itself wasn’t the cause of the claim.

Your insurer can void your policy from the start, meaning any claim, past or future, could be refused. Non-disclosure can also be treated as a form of fraud, which may make it harder to get cover from any insurer in future. Always declare it in full, even if you expect it to raise your quote.

You’re not legally required to disclose a genuinely spent conviction. However, many insurers ask about convictions from the last 5 years on their application forms, longer than the 4-year period a CU80 stays on your DVLA record, so always check the exact wording of the question before deciding it doesn’t apply to you.

Yes, but only if it’s mounted and never held in your hand, including while stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic. Picking it up to adjust the route or check a notification, even briefly, can still result in a CU80.

Yes, and it can be more serious than the premium itself. If you passed your test within the last 2 years and receive 6 points for a handheld phone offence, your licence is automatically revoked under the New Drivers Act, and you’ll need to reapply as a learner and retake both tests before you can drive again.

Yes. CU80 is one of the most common construction and use convictions, and a panel of specialist brokers we have access to deal with these cases regularly. Comparing quotes gives you a better chance of finding a price that reflects your specific circumstances rather than a blanket loading.

A CU80 stays on your driving licence for 4 years from the date of the offence. Many insurers ask about convictions further back than that, commonly the last 5 years, so it can still affect your quotes after it’s dropped off your licence.

There’s no fixed figure, the increase depends on your insurer, your points (3 or 6), your age, vehicle and driving history. This is exactly why comparing quotes across a panel of specialist brokers we have access to matters more than accepting a single insurer’s price, since loadings for the same conviction can vary significantly between them.

If you accept the fixed penalty rather than contesting it in court, it’s not treated as a criminal conviction and won’t show up on a standard criminal record check. It still counts as a motoring conviction for insurance and DVLA purposes, and must be declared to insurers. If you contest it and are found guilty in court instead, that outcome is recorded as a conviction.