Martin Lewis issues urgent warning to 3.6 million Britons who risk £1,000 DVLA driving licence fine

Martin Lewis has urged to make sure their licences are still valid as the money saving expert warned motorist of the risks around being caught and hefty fines.

It follows data by the DVLA which found more than 3.6 million people currently have an expired driving licence, which if caught, could see drivers slapped with a £1,000 fine.

The DVLA stats revealed that millions of drivers between the ages of 17 and 76 currently hold an expired photocard.

The most common age group for driving without a valid licence is between 37 and 46, with over 1.1 million offenders, followed by those aged between 47 and 56 with almost 970,000.

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As more drivers hit the road with out-of-date licences, Lewis warned motorists to check their photocards are in date, have the right address and that the name and gender on it are correct to avoid penalties.

He explained: “It's easy to forget, but a quick check now could save you a fine of up to £1,000 if your photocard has expired.

“It's an annoying £14 to renew (£17 if you renew by post), but that's a far better option than the fine.

“There are a few dates printed on the photocard, but the one you need is the photo expiry date printed on section 4b on the front of the card.”

Drivers must renew their licence every 10 years until they are 70 when they will be required to renew once every three years to stay on UK roads.

While it costs to renew a licence, drivers who find themselves in this position can apply for a new one online with either their UK passport or the document used to set up an online immigration status.

If unable to use either of these, however, drivers can apply at the Post Office or by post.

The DVLA also found that Greater London has 891,122 expired licences, followed by South East England’s 489,305 and North West England’s 371,882.

Andrew Jervis, CEO of ClickMechanic, said: “Holding a valid and in-date licence is a legal requirement to drive in the UK and helps protect the safety of all road users.

“Many drivers won’t be aware that their documentation has expired and it can be easy to miss an upcoming renewal date.

“However, the fact that there are millions of motorists in the country who do not hold a valid licence shows the scale of the problem is much higher than it should be.

“These figures act as an important reminder to ensure we keep our documentation up-to-date to avoid falling foul of the law and facing a £1,000 fine."

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To update a name or gender, drivers should order a D1 application for a driving licence form from the Government website and post it to the DVLA, along with the necessary documents which will be listed out online.