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Most people would probably choose to renew their license with a third-party, if they thought it was a cheaper option, or if they could get it done at an affordable price. However, these third-party websites are considered to be highly dangerous, and point to scams.
The epidemic of third-party driving license renewal websites has gotten so bad that the government has issued a reminder to all drivers that getting their license renewed should only ever be done through the official government website.
No More Third Party Sites
Any website which charges a price to renew the driving license for a driver in the UK should be considered a dangerous and potential scam offer, according to the latest warnings provided by the DVLA.
The UK government has released a stark warning, advising people that any renewals for a driving license should be done through the official DVLA service. Otherwise, there is a risk that millions of drivers will be wilful victims to scams designed to extort large amounts of money for them with the temptation of convenience.
The official social media campaign features this message as the stark warning:
“Due to renew your driving licence? Only use GOV.UK and avoid third-party websites which charge a premium.”
Older People at Risk
The social media campaign is primarily designed to target older drivers, many of whom are over the age of 70 and are most at risk from these scams. Back in 2021, it was thought that more than 800 people over the age of 70 had chosen to renew their driving license through a third-party website.
Anybody over the age of 70 has an obligation to renew their driving license every three years to ensure that they are still safe to operate a vehicle. Anybody using a website to do so will be charged a premium which the government feels is often extortionate and a scam.
The report, published by the DVLA, said that when all the drivers were targeted by third-party scammers, some of them were charged nearly £100 as a handling fee for the service. It’s worth noting that renewing your license is a free service. It is common practice for third-party websites to charge large amounts of money to simply forward an application to the DVLA for processing.
Many of these websites are extremely tempting to use, because they offer what they claim as a faster service, even though there is no real way to shortcut the renewal process. These claims are always fraudulent and thus should be ignored.
Julie Lennard is the DVLA Chief Executive, and had the following to say:
“Drivers looking to renew their licence at 70 and over should use our online service which is secure, free of charge, and also the quickest and easiest way to transact with DVLA. Customers usually receive their driving licence in just five days. Always remember to always use GOV.UK when using any of DVLA’s many online services.”
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