Online driving licence renewals for over 70s soar as 6 out of 10 now go online
New figures released today (Tuesday 22 June) by DVLA show that around 6 out of 10 over 70 year olds who renewed their driving licence last year did so online.
The figures also show that in 2016, just 43% of those renewing their driving licence at the age of 70 or older used DVLA’s online service, compared to over 60% in 2020 – the first year over half of people aged 70 or over preferred to do this online.
Driving licence holders aged 70 and over have renewed their licences online almost five million times in the last five years.
There has been a 27% rise in the overall number of licence holders in their 80s completing their renewal online between 2016 to 2020, while the number in their 90s jumped by 41%.
Drivers who have applied online had this to say:
Decided to apply on-line for the first time and not being great on the computer. I found the process easy to follow & execute.
No complications in completing the application, and the new licence arrived within a few days.
Much more convenient rather than completing on paper where mistakes are difficult to rectify.
I applied online, everything worked like clock-work; extremely easy procedure.
Driving licence holders are legally required to renew their licence at 70 and then at most every three years after this. It is free to renew a driving licence at 70 or over, and these figures show they are increasingly turning to DVLA’s online service on GOV.UK when they need to do this.
Renewing online takes minutes and driving licences are usually issued within 5 days – meaning online will always be the quickest and easiest way to renew. By only using GOV.UK customers can be assured they are dealing directly with DVLA and that their application is secure and safe.
Customers who renew their licence online will also receive a confirmation email to notify them that the application has been received.
Roads Minister Baroness Vere said:
It is fantastic to see more drivers over the age of 70 choosing to renew their licences online.
The sharp increase in online renewals since 2016 is testament to how quick and easy this process is and I hope the trend will continue as more people choose to experience these benefits for themselves.
DVLA Chief Executive Julie Lennard said:
Our online service will always be the quickest and simplest way to renew a driving licence – whatever your age.
With more and more licence holders aged 70 and over choosing to renew online, these figures demonstrate just how convenient our online service is and we are delighted to see more of our customers benefiting from this than ever before. The next time you need to renew your driving licence, our advice is to try the online service and see for yourself just how easy and convenient it is.
Customers can find out more about DVLA’s online services at GOV.UK including renewing a driving licence, changing address, or telling DVLA you’ve changed your vehicle.
Notes to editors:
Figures represent licence holders, and do not necessarily mean all of these are active road users.
The figures below show a comparison of the number of driving licence holders renewing their driving licence online (at age 70 or over) between the calendar years 2016 and 2020, broken down by age group. Calculations of percentage increases are based on these figures.
| AGE OF LICENCE HOLDER | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| 70-79 | 704,027 | 818,835 |
| 80-89 | 107,754 | 137,356 |
| 90-99 | 7,146 | 10,046 |
| 100+ | 25 | 71 |
The table below shows the split between the percentages of those renewing at age 70 online and those renewing via the paper channel, for each calendar year since 2016:
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | 43.13% | 46.33% | 45.64% | 49.94% | 60.48% |
| Paper | 56.87% | 53.67% | 54.36% | 50.06% | 39.52% |
More information about renewing your driving licence at age 70 is on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence-at-70
DVLA’s online services are working as normal and have not been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. All of DVLA’s online services are available on GOV.UK