Martin Lewis’ MSE issues urgent £1,000 fine warning to anyone with a driving licence
MARTIN Lewis’ moneysavingexpert.com has issued an urgent warning over a driving licence mistake that could cost you £1,000.
The consumer website explained in its latest newsletter how anyone with an expired licence can be fined if pulled over by police.
It said a staggering two million people are driving on licences that are out of date.
It added: “If you’re driving anywhere this summer and you’re not sure about yours, quickly check if your licence is valid.
“If you get caught driving with an expired licence, you could be hit with a fine of up to £1,000.”
It comes as car insurance premiums soar across the UK as insurers pass on increased costs to drivers.
Data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) shows that on average drivers taking out annual policies between January and March this year paid £478 – a 16% rise from the same period in 2022.
With these added costs you’ll want to do what you can do avoid any avoidable fines.
How to check if your driving licence has expired and how to renew
The date you were issued your drivers licence will appear under the 4a section of your card and the expiry is in the 4b section.
Drivers under 70 have to renew their drivers licences every 10 years.
Usually, the DVLA will send you a reminder letter before yours is due to go out of date so you can apply for a new one in advance.
You can do this one of three ways.
Online
If you’ve got a valid UK passport you can do it online via the gov.uk website, for a £14 fee.
There’s no fee if you’re over 70 or have a medical short period licence, which you will have been issued with if you have a certain health condition.
You’ll be asked to fill in basic details about yourself during the renewal application process, including your full name, date of birth and home address.
You also have to provide details included on your driver’s licence such as your 10 or 12-digit photocard number.
Post
You’ll need a D1 form to renew via post – you can pick one of these up from most Post Offices or order them off the DVLA website.
You’ll need to fill in all the same personal details such as name, age and address.
You also have to attach a passport-size photo of yourself and send in your current driving licence if you have it.
Once you’ve done this, you can send your application to:
- DVLA
- Swansea
- SA99 1DH
It costs £17 to renew via post.
In-person
You should be able to renew your driving licence in-person at the nearest Post Office.
You will need to take your DVLA renewal letter with you – it costs £21.50 to renew in-person.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.