AVOID COPYCAT SITES S IF YOU RENEW LICENCE

DON’T get ripped off by unnecessary fees when renewing your driving licence online.

Copycat websites which look almost identical to that of the Driver and Vehicle licencing Agency (DVLA) have been set up to lure unsuspecting motorists into paying extra fees for their renewals.

These sites charge up to £70 just to forward your renewal paperwork to the DVLA, but you pay £14 to renew your licence through the Government’s website gov.uk/renewdrivinglicence.

if you are aged 70 or over, there’s no fee to pay. you can also apply at a Post Office by taking along your renewal reminder letter for a £ 21.50 fee. Alternatively, pick up the ‘D1’ renewal forms from a Post Office, complete and send these to the DVLA with a recent passport photo and your identity documents and the fee is £17.

it is illegal for such copycat web sites to describe themselves as government entities

if you have fallen for one of these websites and you paid by credit card, you can try claiming under so- called Section 75 rules. This part of consumer credit law entitles you to a refund from your card provider if the service you paid for is not as described.