Driving licence fees to fall by up to 32%

The current driving licence fees are available to view online.

Photocard licences are only valid for up to 10 years, although you’re normally entitled to drive until your 70th birthday. You must renew your photo every 10 years - you’ll receive a reminder to do this before your current licence ends.

If your paper licence is still valid, you don’t need to exchange it for a photocard version.


You can download a leaflet on driving licences with information on the new photocard licence and the paper counterpart document. If you have held a green paper driving licence for years it will be well worth looking through the leaflet and checking the new arrangements. Remember too a licence needs to be renewed when you reach 70. DVLA leaflet

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Driving licence fees are set to fall by up to 32% under plans announced today by Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, and Transport Minister Claire Perry. The proposals are contained in a public consultation on driver licensing fees. The consultation sets out a proposed reduction in driving licence fees of 32% for digital transactions and 15% for paper applications.

As part of the proposals, drivers who apply online for their first driving licence would see the fee drop from £50 to £34. Drivers who renew their licence after 10 years would see the fee drop from £20 to £14. All driver tachograph cards would fall from £38 to £32. The proposals are set to save drivers nearly £18 million and the industry around £2 million every year.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander said “I have been working hard to drive savings across the whole public sector and it’s great to see the benefit of these efficiencies feed through to drivers and businesses pockets. What the DVLA have shown today is that you can do more for less.”

Transport Minister Claire Perry said “the cost of driving can be significant, especially for new drivers. I’m pleased to say that we are planning to save drivers £18m a year by cutting licence fees, thanks to the DVLA making significant savings to their running costs.”

DVLA is currently reviewing all the fees they charge to motorists and the consultation launched today is the first step in this ongoing review. The consultation closes on 25th August 2014 and is available to view online. Subject to the consultation and parliamentary process the new fees are planned to come into force by 31st October 2014. The consultation is the first phase in the DVLA review of their fees. The second phase will involve a comprehensive review of the DVLA’s funding and will focus on the way they deliver their services to customers in light of the introduction of further digital services.
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