Drivers are risking thousands of pounds of fines or even losing their licence due to forgetting to renew every-day costs such as their MOT, tax, or car insurance.

MoneySuperMarket has dived into DVSA, DVLA and Department of Transport data to reveal the number of drivers who forget to renew important car documents.

According to the latest figures from the DVSA, over 7 million people were late in renewing their MOT in 2019, putting themselves at risk of being fined up to £1,000. However, the data showed that 81% of all late MOTs were renewed within three months of their expiry date.

The DVSA statistics also showed that drivers are more likely to forget their MOT if it’s due in May than in any other month.

Furthermore, according to the Department for Transport, in 2019 there were 634,000 untaxed cars on the road. Drivers caught driving without tax could face a fine of up to £1,000.

When it comes to updating their driving licence, recent figures from DVLA suggest that 2.3 million UK adults were driving without a valid licence, putting them at risk of a fine of up to £1,000.

UK’s most forgetful locations

The latest statistics show that there were over 160,000 fines issued for offences related to driving licence, insurance and record keeping, which includes people who simply forgot to keep their paperwork in check.

London saw the highest number of driving documentation offences, with almost 30% of all infringements across the UK. This is followed by East of England with 14% of all cases.

 

Position Location No. of people fined
1 London 47642
2 East of England 22164
3 North West 19555
4 Yorkshire and The Humber 16395
5 South East 14416
6 East Midlands 12065
7 West Midlands 10645
8 South West 8557
9 Wales 6025
10 North East 2715

 

North-east England had the smallest number of paperwork offences in the country; 2% of the UK total.

Dave Merrick, car insurance spokesperson for MoneySuperMarket, commented: “It can be easy to forget things like MOT, insurance or tax. We encourage everyone to keep track of their renewal days, and actively set reminders if you need a little help. Our Car Monitor Tool helps avoid memory mishaps by setting up automatic reminders for when your car tax, MOT or insurance is due.

“This way there are fewer things to remember, and you know you’ll receive a helpful nudge to plan ahead and get your paperwork in order.”