Martin Lewis warns 2million drivers to do simple check NOW or risk £1,000 fine
MARTIN Lewis has warned two million drivers to do a simple licence check now or risk a £1,00 fine.
The MoneySavingExpert (MSE) founder urged people to check if their photo driving licence has expired in the latest MSE newsletter.
He wrote: “UK photo driving licences usually expire after 10 years – so if you’ve got one, take a quick look at its 4b ‘expiry date’ label.”
The 4b part of your licence is the expiry date bit – there will be a date here which tells you when the photo expires.
“If you don’t renew, you ultimately risk being fined,” Martin added.
Driving licence photos must be replaced every decade.
If you do not replace the photo, then you could risk getting a fine of £1,000.
But more than two million people have an out-of-date licence.
During the pandemic, drivers were given an 11-month extension to renew their drivers’ licence if it was due to expire between February 1 2020 and December 31 2020.
The extension started from the day your licence expired, so those with photocards that ended earlier on in the pandemic will need to renew theirs now.
How to check when your photocard expires
Driving licence photocards must be replaced every 10 years with an up to date photograph of yourself.
Around 2million photocards are out of date, according to figures from the DVLA.
The expiry date can be found on the front of the card, in section B.
The DVLA says motorists will be sent a reminder to renew their photocards when the extension is coming to an end.
It’s best to renew your licence around a month before it expires to avoid a period where you won’t be legally allowed to drive.
How to renew your licence
You can renew your licence online, by post or via the Post Office.
It costs £14 to apply online or £17 by post, unless you’re over 70 which means it’s free.
It costs £21.50 at the post office.
You can apply online via Gov.uk as long as you have a valid UK passport.
If you’d prefer to do it by post, then you’ll need to pick up a D1 pack from most Post Offices, or you can order one from the DVLA website.
Drivers will be charged an extra £4.50 to apply through the Post Office, which covers the cost of taking an updated photograph in branch plus postage.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk