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Harry Potter's Emma Watson was caught speeding in Oxford on July 31 , 2024, and has been banned from driving for six months. She was driving 38 mph in a 30-mph zone. The incident, captured by a speed camera, became the latest in a string of traffic violations committed by the actress in less than two years.
Watson was sentenced at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on July 16, 2025. She did not attend the five-minute hearing, during which the court imposed a fine of £1,044 — including £660 for her guilty plea, a £264 surcharge, and £120 in costs. Her license was also endorsed with three points, bringing her total to 12, which triggered the automatic six-month disqualification. District Judge Arvind Sharma stated, "She is disqualified for six months from now."
This marks Watson's fourth driving offense in 20 months, having already accumulated nine points on her license from previous incidents in October and November 2023, and January 2024. At the time of the July offense, Watson was behind the wheel of her Audi S3, valued at approximately £30,000.
This isn't her only driving-related controversy. In February 2023, Watson's car was towed by authorities after it was found parked improperly outside a pub, blocking access to a nearby car park. Her car trapped another driver's vehicle for more than three hours. Watson, who was meeting her mother for lunch at the time, arrived as the vehicle was being removed but failed to stop the tow. She was issued a £192 fine for that.
Once known globally for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise from 2001 to 2011, Watson has taken a step back from acting in recent years. She last appeared in a film in 2019's Little Women and has since focused on her education and personal projects. In 2023 she enrolled in a master's program in creative writing at the University of Oxford. She also co-founded a sustainable gin brand with her brother Alex in 2023 and made her directorial debut with a Prada campaign in 2022.
