Speeding letter send to wrong address

Hey everyone. So I got a brand new car a few months ago. The car had no plates on it that I know of, nor was it previously registered to anyone else. I have the V5 with my correct name and home address, as filled in by the dealership. At the time of ordering the car I was staying at another place temporarily at the time I ordered it.

Seemingly a couple of days after getting the car I was apparently caught doing 40mph in a 30mph zone. But the police force have sent the letter notifying me of this to the house I was staying at when I ordered the car not the address on my drivers license or the V5. Both of those adresses are correct, match and are my actual home address. My name on the speeding ticket is also doesn’t match my V5, (the v5 name is in a different surname as I’ve since changed it between ordering the car and picking it up).

The new people who are staying at that address have finally sent me notice of this, but the 28 day reply time has long since passed now.

Looking at the information and how the police have also spelt my name wrong, I’m going to guess they have taken my details from the dealership I bought the car at, or details they had for me. Which ever one though they are not where the car is registered too.

I have absolutely no idea what to do next, I know I’m going to end up in magistrates court for failing to respond to the notice, which is what is is. But will this lead to a prosecution or will they cancel the fine as it wasn’t issued correctly? I can’t even access the photo with the code they send in the letter as the access has expired, so i can’t even check the evidence.

Thanks in advance.

OP, what EXACTLY have you received? it certainly isn't a "ticket"

And what are the dates of the alleged offence, and the issue of the "ticket"?

I’ve received a letter from Police telling me that my car has been caught with a speeding offence and it asking me to confirm who was driving the car and make a plea. But I have missed reply within the timeframe and cannot see the evidence as the link it’s given me on the letter to review it has expired.

I’ve received a letter from Police telling me that my car has been caught with a speeding offence and it asking me to confirm who was driving the car and make a plea.

It's going to be rather difficult to provide help without precision in your replies.

You won't have received a letter asking you to confirm who was driving (s172) with a request to make a plea (Court process).

You can forget about any address on your Driving Licence as they are not used (as they do not know who was driving...)

It seems when the Police queried the PNC (a copy from the DVLA) the last known address was the temporary address you gave to the dealer.  This would be the address the V5C would also be sent to - you would have to subsequently update the address.  Alternatively, the car may have been marked as 'in trade' and the dealer did indeed supply the details it had...

The underlying details of the offence may be the least of your issues - and, indeed, you may have to accept the offence (regardless of the 'evidence') if you want to avoid the failing to furnish charge.

Thank you for responding. I’m sorry if it’s confusing, I’ve never anything like this so I’m a bit confused myself, let me try and  add further information to help.

I contacted the DVLA. The car was first registered to me on 26/06/26 to my legal name and my home address. I picked the car up on the 17/07/26.

The offence police claim happened on the letter say 29/07/26 and it’s a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) letter.

This letter was addressed to a nickname I use (not my legal name which js on the V5) and to the temporary address (not the home address on the V5).

Now this temporary address was not recorded anywhere except I gave it to the dealership as being my contact address at the time of ordering the car. But for everything else my home address has never changed. The dealership registered the car and put it in my legal name and home address and that was done electronically directly to the DVLA and the V5 was then electronically sent to my lease company the next day.

The DVLA confirmed that the V5 has only ever been issued once and was issued to my legal name and my home address and held by my lease company. I now have a copy of the V5 as I requested it from the lease company and it is in the correct name and home address.

I spoke to the dealership I got the car from to see if they could help and they said that they haven’t been contacted by police and told me the police would have used the DVLA information to get my contact information. But that makes no sense because the police would have then sent that letter to my home address in the correct name the car is registered that’s on the V5.

I had to respond on the back of said letter sent by police to say who was driving. The deadline has long since passed and I’ve only just got told about this letter today.

Thank you for being so patient.

If the V5C has your address on it how are the lease company holding it?

To cut a long story short are you saying that "the letter" (aka NIP/s172 request to identify the driver) was sent (1) to a "nickname" that you used to be known by, and (2) to an address other than that on the vehicle's V5C?

Are you certain that nothing was previously sent under your correct name to the correct address on the V5C?

When you refer to a "nickname" are you referring to your previous surname that you say you "legally" changed between registering yourself as RK of this vehicle and the date of the NIP?

Might help if you could provide an accurate and comprehensive chronological timeline of events including date of taking possession of car; date of alleged speeding; dates of address changes; dates of name changes; and dates of all paperwork received

NB - "nicknames" are not affected by legal name changes

I have no idea. It’s just how my lease company works. They hold the V5 which is sent to them electronically. I can request a copy of it at any time, which I have. The lease company sort out all the tax and insurance too. Again that’s all in my legal name and home address. There are no discrepancies with the information.

Read this!

It might not directly answer any of your questions, but it should reduce the chances of your thread being closed by a bad tempered moderator!

The nickname is just that, a nickname I’ve been previously known by.

Time line.

June 2026 - order new car
26/06/26 - car registered to DVLA in correct legal name and address.
17/07/26 - I pick up car from dealership
25/09/26 Today I’m sent a letter by the new tenant as I left my forwarding address. Letter states offence was 21/07/26. Letter send to temp address in nickname - Letter is addressed to Bill and not William.
25/09/26 - contact DVLA who confirm all the information is correct
25/09/26 - I contact lease company who confirm information is correct, send me a copy of V5
25/09/26 - call dealership who say they haven’t had anything from police and they have no idea.

Thank you, I did read this but I don’t really understand it all if I’m honest. I’m dyslexic and have some neurological issues and that is so packed full of stuff it’s hard to read and understand it what it means.

[ Edit: cross-posted with several other posts]

Why didn't you say in the OP that a lease company was involved?

Are you 100% certain that you possess the car's V5C document and that you (under your correct name and address) are the Registered Keeper? 

Is this a Motability car?

There are 2 separate legal issues - the s. 172 requirement and whether or not the apparent failure to serve a NIP on the RK within the 14 days is a bar to prosecution for the speeding offence.
There are also 3 logistical issues - how the notice came to be sent to the "wrong" address, how the delay affects potential disposals, and the fact that we do not discriminate - I am as happy to ban able posters for posting rubbish as I am disabled posters.

The s. 172 requirement to name the driver applies from when the notice is served by being delivered to the addressee's "last known address". It requires the required information to be provided within 27 days of the date of service (presumed to be 2 working days after posting by first class post). There is a defence if it was not reasonably practicable to provide the information within that time and the information was provided as soon as was reasonably practicable afterwards. Whether or not you have a defence to the speeding allegation, has no bearing on the validity of the s. 172 requirement - you still need to name the driver, as soon as is reasonably practicable.

For practical purposes, it is unusual to be prosecuted for naming the driver "late" unless the 6 month limit for instigating proceedings for the speeding offence is rapidly approaching, but on the face of it you appear to have a reasonable "not reasonably practicable" argument.

A speed awareness course would generally be offered for that speed - if the s. 172 response admitting to being the driver is processed within 3 months of the date of the speeding offence.

The police get their information from the PNC which is updated from the DVLA overnight - so absent some major snafu, if your details were held by the DVLA as RK for that vehicle and that VRM the day before the police looked up the keeper details, they would have gotten your details. They would only contact a previous keeper, or search the insurance database, if no current keeper details were shown.

It is rare for the leasee of a leased car to hold the V5C. What is the date after the DocRef. No. at the bottom of page 2 of your V5C?

As the OP gave the dealership his temporary address would this have been the address that the car would be registered to?
Could the leese company have had the V5c updated once the OP was in their home address?
I think the docref date and if it is a motorbility car are the important missing items.

Yes it is a motability car as I’m disabled. I didn’t mention it as I didn’t realise it was important. Apologies