Drivers miss out on £2.3m in savings by not renewing licences online
Renewing a photocard licence via the GOV.UK site is cheaper and quicker than postal applications
New figures released by the agency reveal that between April 2020 and March 2021, around 23% of the two million renewal applications it received were sent in either by post or via the post office.
That’s despite the online service being quicker and cheaper.
Drivers are legally required to renew their photocard driving licence every 10 years, which costs £14 using the GOV.UK site and the driver receives their new licence in just five days. In comparison, a postal application costs £17 and takes longer too.
Customers who apply online can also track the progress of their licence using the track your driving licence application tool on the GOV.UK website.
Julie Lennard, DVLA chief executive, said: “Our online services are the quickest and easiest way to deal with DVLA and customers usually receive their driving and vehicle documents in just five days.
“Remember to always use GOV.UK when using DVLA’s online services.”
Drivers are also being reminded to only use the GOV.UK site when applying for DVLA services online and avoid third-party websites or sites pretending to be the DVLA. Websites such as these are not connected with the DVLA in any way and will often charge an additional fee for services that are free – or cost significantly less – on GOV.UK.
Natalie Middleton
Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.
