Gone are the days of endless queues and hours wasted at licensing centers or post offices for vehicle license disc renewals. The year 2023 has brought a plethora of options for South Africans to renew their vehicle license discs, including dedicated online services, banks, retailers, and the trusty post office. While the choices are abundant, it’s essential to understand the costs, convenience, and location-specific factors involved in this process.

At the beginning of September, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) revealed that a staggering 1,049,412 vehicle licenses were set to expire during the month. The RTMC warned that penalties would be incurred if these licenses were not renewed on time. These impending renewals are the result of several extensions granted during the Covid-19 pandemic, which have now created a backlog of renewals, concentrated between August and December.

The RTMC has taken proactive steps to ensure that motorists renew their licenses on time by sending out email and SMS reminders to owners whose licenses are expiring every month. In South Africa, motorists are provided with a 21-day grace period to renew an expired vehicle license. The grace period is calculated from the expiry date of the current license disc, and a late renewal penalty applies after this time. The penalty fee is calculated at 10% of the annual licensing fee for every month the license remains lapsed.

For example, if your annual licensing fee is R384 (as it is in Gauteng for a vehicle exceeding 750kg but not exceeding 1,000kg), the penalty for not renewing your license would be R38.40 per month.

Cheapest Options for Vehicle License Renewal

When it comes to pricing, PayCity emerges as the cheapest option at R113.85. However, PayCity’s services are available only to residents of Gauteng, the City of Cape Town, Free State, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North West. It’s important to note that this price is for delivery to a main city center, and outlying areas may incur additional delivery fees. PayCity also notes that the fees might change during processing, depending on the information provided.

The most affordable option available to all South Africans across the country is the South African Post Office, offering license disc renewal at R147, including delivery.

The National Traffic Information System (Natis)’s online booking service offers the same service fee as the post office but charges more for delivery, totaling R171.

The only bank currently offering a renewal service in South Africa is First National Bank (FNB), charging customers R171 to renew their license discs.

Regarding retailers, Spar and Pick n Pay offer the service to their customers. Spar is the only service provider that doesn’t allow motorists to apply online; customers must visit a supported Spar store to submit a renewal, with a charge of R199, and customers must pick up their new disc from the same branch when ready.

Pick n Pay allows for online renewal, but it is the most expensive option among all the service providers. Pick n Pay charges an R250 service fee and R79.99 for delivery, making the total cost R329.99. This price, however, has reduced significantly compared to when the retailer initially launched the service at R444.99.

It’s crucial to note that the total cost of vehicle license discs does not include the actual license disc price, which varies depending on the vehicle model.

The prices to renew a vehicle license with the service providers discussed above are summarized in the table below:

Table: Vehicle License Disc Renewal Options and Costs