Driving licence costs to be cut by almost a third

The Government is planning to cut the cost of first driving licences by up 32 per cent and renewal driving licences by up to 30 per cent.

Actually the cost of applying foe a driving licence is a drop in the ocean compared with just about every other motoring cost, but the news that the Government are planning to cut the cost of anything is always welcome news.

The Roads Minister, Stephen Hammond, has announced that the Government is planning to cut the cost of applying for your first driving licence from £50 to £34 if you process your application digitally and by 15 per cent if you do a paper application.

That will also see the 10 year renewal of photo licences fall from £20 to £14 and driver tachograph card – for commercial drivers – will also drop from £38 to £32.

The total saving for motorists will be a round £18 million a year -= small, but not to be sniffed at – and it might even encourage more to actually renew their photo licences too.

Stephen Hammond said:

The government is determined to help keep the costs of motoring down. This includes passing on any savings that DVLA makes by continuing to reduce their running costs.

We want to ensure those savings are passed onto the motorist and that is why we are planning on cutting the costs associated with getting a driving licence.

Assuming the price changes get through the parliamentary process they should take effect in October, just as tax discs from the DVLA bite the dust too.