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Motorists have a much shorter list of online vehicle licence renewal services to choose from in 2025 than they did a year ago.
Various motor vehicle licence disc renewal services were launched over the past few years, making it easier for South Africans to renew their licence discs without having to visit a licensing centre. Pictures: iStock
Good news for vehicle owners is that despite ongoing discussions to implement costly bi-annual car licence renewals, the current annual process thankfully remains in place for 2025.
Motorists across South Africa have a 21-day grace period for renewing expired car licences.
According to the South African government website, the grace period is calculated from the expiry date of the current licence disc, while a late renewal penalty applies after this time, accruing at 10% of the annual fee for each month overdue.
Also keep in mind that all outstanding traffic fines must be cleared before your renewal can be done.
Licence renewal fees vary from province to province and are based on the vehicle’s tare weight (unladen weight) and type.
The Citizen rounded up the cost of renewing a motor vehicle licence in South Africa’s three main economic hubs – Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
In Gauteng, licensing fees increased by 6% to 7% as of April 2024. For example, a car weighing between 750kg and 1 000kg now costs R432 annually to licence.
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Despite the Western Cape fee hike of 4% to 5%, it still remains the cheapest of the three provinces for renewals.
In the Western Cape, the annual cost for a small hatchback is R390, while a large SUV costs a whopping R1 458.
Despite KwaZulu-Natal maintaining its 2024 rates for this year, it remains the most expensive of the three provinces.
The table below shows the various car licence renewal fees for passenger vehicles in the three provinces, depending on the tare weight of the car, as outlined by Foresight Publications.
Click on the links below to see how much it costs to renew your vehicle license in other provinces:
Digital service routes provide an alternative to the painstakingly long queues at driver’s licence testing centres (DLTC), but 2025 comes with reduced online licence renewal service options.
As a result, banks and retailers have stepped in to offer renewal services through their apps and platforms.
Major banks like FNB, Standard Bank, Capitec, Nedbank and Absa allow clients to renew their licences directly via their banking profiles.
In addition, retail chains such as Checkers, Shoprite and Spar also provide licence renewal services for a fee, with the added benefit of in-store assistance and shorter queues.
On the retail front, Pick n Pay stopped offering vehicle licence disc renewals in March 2024.
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Here’s a quick rundown of the available options and associated costs for 2025 vehicle licence renewals.
The cheapest renewal service option is offered by FNB through its mobile banking app.
Aside from the licencing fee based on the vehicle’s weight, the bank charges R69 for delivery, the lowest of any provider.
The regular R72 Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) admin or service fee applicable to all renewals – regardless of platform – takes the total cost to R141.
However, users must be FNB customers to make use of the facility.
Second cheapest is the government-run naTIS Online system with a total cost of R171.
It is the official portal that supports third-party providers and offers a reliable and affordable way to complete the process, with your licence disc delivered to your address within a week
Among the retailers offering vehicle licence renewals, Shoprite comes out tops with a total cost of R185.
Among the banking app options, Capitec is the second cheapest with a total cost of R219.
Next up is RenewOnline with a total cost of R220 (Gauteng) and R240 (other provinces).
The total cost of renewing your car license disc through Disky on its WhatsApp platform amounts to R239.
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