The little known driving licence trick that could save YOU money

DRIVERS could be saving £2.3million each year if they renewed their licences online rather than posting their applications.

The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency have revealed that almost a quarter of the two million applications they received were sent by post or the Post Office.

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British motorists submitted the documents between April 2020 and March 2021, without realising that they could apply online.

On the official Gov.uk website renewing a photocard driving licence costs just £14 and their new one is sent out within five days.

But posting your application to the DVLA costs £17 and will take longer to process, especially with a third of DVLA staff continuing to work from home.

Julie Lennard, chief executive of the DVLA, 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.”

She explained that there are a number of fake sites online which charge more than the £14 offered by the Gov.uk service.

Ms Lennard urged all motorists to only use the official channel when renewing online to ensure they would not be ripped off.

The warnings come after it was revealed that only one in three staff at the DVLA’s HQ in Swansea have returned to the office.

Many HGV drivers have also faced a delay in their licences being processed, sparking concern over supply-chain issues during the festive period.

Almost 30,000 licence applications for HGV drivers have been delayed by the DVLA already.

Co-op Insurance has also urged drivers to get their licences renewed as soon as they can after the DVLA revealed that 2.5million motorists will see theirs expire before 31 August 2022.

The drivers make up just over six per cent of the 40.7million drivers who can drive on Britain’s roads.

More than 450,000 licences expired during the last year, sparking concerns that it could be a result of delayed postal applications being processed.

The insurer also believes that motorists who drove less frequently during the pandemic had simply forgotten to check the expiration date on the cards.

Many drivers might also be unaware that the Government’s 11-month extension to licence renewals put in place last year has almost come to an end.

‘CHECK YOUR LICENCE’

It was available to those motorists whose licence expired between 1 February and 31 December 2020.

The 11-month period for those expiring in December 2020 is due to terminate at the end of this month and all drivers eligible for the extension should have renewed.  

Driving without a licence is a legal offence and can result in three to six penalty points and a fine of up to £1,000. 

Not holding a valid driving licence could also lead to an insurance claim being rejected.

Paul Evans, head of Co-op Motor Insurance, said: “Due to last year’s national lockdown, motorists with driving licences which expired between February and December received an automatic 11-month extension to renew their licence. 

“However, over 450,000 motorists whose driving licence expired between September 2020 and August 2021 need to be sure they’ve definitely renewed, as they run the risk of facing a serious fine. We’re urging all drivers to check their licence and renew quickly if they need to.”

Photocard driving licences must be renewed every ten years, and a recent photo must be used.  

The Gov.uk online service offers the most transparency, allowing motorists to track their licence renewal application progress on the website.