Consumer expert Martin Lewis has urged drivers to check their licences as a Covid extension on expired documents comes to an end.
In a warning to motorists in this week’s MoneySavingExpert newsletter, the money champion said drivers could be at risk of a £1,000 fine.
At the height of the pandemic last year, the DVLA automatically extended licences that were up for renewal.
It said all licences that were due to expire between February 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 would be granted an 11 month extension.
But that extension started from the day the licence expired, so those that were due for renewal early last year will now have to update their documents.
For example, if your licence expired in November 2020 then you have until October 2021 to get it updated.
However, those that expired in May 2020 will need to be renewed this month.
Licences that went out of date in February last year have already passed their renewal date.
Around 2million photocards are out of date, according to figures from the DVLA.
But driving without a valid licence comes with a £1,000 penalty if you're stopped by police.
In the newsletter, Martin wrote: "Many whose licences were due to renew last year got an 11 month extension.
"But if that's ended for you, or your licence expired after December 2020, you MUST renew it or you could face a fine."
Under Section 99 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, you can be fined immediately if your driving licence is not up to date.
This includes having an out of date photocard, address and correct name.
All photocards must be renewed every 10 years - the deadline for this is on your licence itself.
It costs £14 to renew your photocard (£17 by post) and you can check if yours is out of date in section 4b on your driving licence.
If you've recently changed your name or your address is inaccurate, you could also run the risk of a huge fine if you’re stopped by the police.
The good news is you can make these changes for free online or by post.
