In this paper, the hot carrier degradation of laterally diffused nMOSFETs is investigated in detail by the analysis of the fundamental device parameters and charge pumping measurements. Starting from this experimental characterization a new approach based on charge pumping technique is developed to estimate the spatial distribution of the hot carrier damage. This methodology has been applied on test structures, obtaining good results in the prediction of both the interface states and the trapped charges profiling. The supporting assumptions have been verified by fitting to the electrical data and by means of a two-dimensional device simulation.