Martin Lewis has issued a stark warning to UK drivers, as millions risk fines of up to £1,000 each. In the latest edition of his newsletter, the Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder told followers: ‘Get your driving licence out, and check section 4b.’
‘While your driving licence itself is valid for many decades, the photo licence that you get is only valid for 10 years,’ he continued. ‘And 2.7 million of them are expiring this year.’
Why Section 4b Is Easy to Miss
It’s easy to miss section 4b, on the front of these photocards, as it’s buried between the issue date, issuing authority and a 16-digit licence code made up of letters and numbers. However, in many ways this is the most important detail to know — at least if you want to avoid a hefty penalty.
‘Ultimately, if you’re driving with an expired licence and you get stopped by the police, if you continue not to do what they tell you, you could be fined by up to £1,000,’ explained Martin.
Penalties and Consequences
Getting behind the wheel without an invalid licence is a crime, but the punishment for an out-of-date photocard can differ in severity depending on how long it’s been expired and your history of driving offences. While you may receive a warning or a smaller fine if you’ve recently missed your renewal date, leaving it for longer risks a maximum penalty of £1,000 and three to six points on your licence when it’s renewed.
In some cases — particularly if you’ve been caught out multiple times and refused to comply — the police could even seize your car or ban you from driving altogether.
Insurance Implications
There are other ramifications too. According to GoCompare, driving a vehicle without the correct licence invalidates your insurance policy, ‘meaning you’ll end up facing charges of driving without insurance’ if you’re caught with expired documents. On top of this, the comparison site notes: ‘If you were to cause an accident, any damage to the vehicle you were driving likely won’t be covered.’
You may think that you can get away with it if you’re a careful driver who doesn’t usually get stopped, but police have in-car systems that connect to databases, so you can still be flagged for a licence check — and given it only costs £14 to get your documents in order, it just isn’t worth the gamble.
How to Renew Your Photo Driving Licence
If you’ve just spotted your driving licence photocard has expired — or is about to — Martin’s advice, first off, is ‘don’t panic.’ Renewal is an easy process, with three different ways you can do it:
- Online: If you have a UK passport, you can renew your licence via Gov.UK. This costs £14, and you typically receive the new photocard within a week.
- By post: To send your application by post, you’ll need to collect a ‘D1’ form from the Post Office or download one here and print off. Postal renewal costs £17, and processing normally takes around three weeks.
- At the Post Office: Some branches will also let you apply in person, taking your picture, capturing your signature digitally, and send your application electronically for £21.50. If you go down this route, the new licence should arrive in the post within three weeks.
Martin added: ‘You do get reminders and you should be told when your licence is due to expire, but lots of people ignore them or miss them or just don’t do it. I hope this is a waste of time, and yours is in date without any problems — but just in case it isn’t, have a look at the 4b on your licence.’
