Tesla fined over £20,000 after at least 18 UK convictions for failing to co-operate with police

Tesla’s British arm has been convicted at least 18 times and ordered to pay more than £20,000 after repeatedly failing to co-operate with UK police forces seeking driver information in road traffic cases.

In the UK, companies that lease vehicles are usually listed as the registered keeper. When a leased or company car is caught speeding, police must get the driver’s identity before prosecuting. If a company fails to provide that information in time, it can be prosecuted instead.

Over the past two years, multiple police forces including the Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police have taken Tesla Financial Services to criminal court after correspondence was left unanswered.

One recent case involved a Tesla clocked at 80 mph on the M4 near Llantrisant, Wales in July 2025. South Wales Police wrote to Tesla asking for the driver’s details. When the company failed to respond in the required timeframe, it was convicted at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court in January and fined £1,000, plus £120 costs and a £400 victim surcharge.

Tesla Financial Services director Becky Hodgson pleaded guilty on behalf of the company, saying it had tried to enter a plea online but “encountered a technical issue” and that paperwork had been posted.

So far, fines, costs and court fees across the cases total £20,686 under the UK’s single justice procedure for minor offences.

In many similar instances, drivers have avoided direct prosecution because police never received their details from Tesla.

Tesla has been approached for comment.