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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Driving under the Influence

Snapshot 7

Bringing together relevant information, research findings and statistics relating to sentencing.

by Annalena Wolcke

Published: 28 Jul 2025
Last updated: Jul 2025

Overview

  • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to a 3-month prison sentence1
  • Maximum sentence: Level 4 fine and/ or 3-months’ imprisonment
  • Convictions increased over the last 10 years, from less than 40,000 convictions in 2015 to more than 47,000 in 2024
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for Driving under the Influence, 2020-2024

  • Almost 80% of convictions resulted in a fine.2
  • A further 15% resulted in a community order.3

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for Driving under the Influence, 2020-2024

  • The proportion of community orders slightly increased over the last 5 years.
  • The proportion of fines slightly decreased.

Immediate Prison Sentence Lengths

Figure 3: Prison Sentence Lengths, Driving under the Influence, 2020–2024

  • The most frequent sentence range is between 1 to 3 months, accounting for 50% of all immediate custodial sentences.
  • Approximately 33% of prison sentences are over 3 months.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 4: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Driving under the Influence, 2020-2024

  • Female (n=38,716); Male (n=194,707)
  • Between 2020-2024, the proportion of sentence outcomes was comparable for male and female offenders.

These rates do not account for various factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as the offender’s criminal history and the seriousness of the specific offence. Additional research would be needed to determine whether gender affected the sentence imposed.

This Snapshot is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at a.wolcke@sentencingacademy.org.uk

  1. Official offence name: driving a motor vehicle under the influence of drink or drugs ↩︎
  2. Data source for all figures: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly December 2024, published 15th of May 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2024 ↩︎
  3. ‘Other sanctions’ include: discharges, and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎