We looked at six ways South Africans could renew their vehicle licence discs, and the online service offered by PayCity is the cheapest – but this depends on where you live and what’s most convenient.

Gone are the days of having only two options when renewing your vehicle licence disc. This often involved standing in long queues and a licencing centre or Post Office, taking more than a couple of hours out of your day to complete.

However, in 2023, there are now several avenues that South Africans can take to renew their discs – including dedicated online licencing services, banks, retailers, and the long-standing post office.

When it comes to pricing, PayCity is the cheapest option at R113.85. However, it only offers its services to those who live in Gauteng, the City of Cape Town, Free State, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North West.

This price is also for delivery to a main city centre, so outlying areas may result in a more expensive delivery fee.

PayCity also noted that while it tries to calculate the fees as accurately as possible, they might change when the licence is processed, according to the information you’ve provided.

The cheapest option offered to all South Africans across the country is the post office at R147, including delivery.

Similarly, the National Traffic Information System (Natis)’s online booking service offers the same service fee as the post office but charges more for delivery (R99), bringing the cost to R171.

The only bank currently offering a renewal service in South Africa is First National Bank (FNB), charging customers a total of R199 to renew their licence discs. However, this is only offered to those that live in Gauteng and the City of Cape Town.

Regarding retailers, Spar and Pick n Pay offer the service to their customers. However, Spar is the only service provider that doesn’t allow motorists to apply online.

Instead, customers must visit a supported Spar store to submit a renewal. The grocery retailer charges the same as FNB (R199), and customers must pick up their new disc from the same branch when ready.

Alternatively, you can apply for a renewal online with Pick n Pay, but the retailer is the most expensive option out of all six options.

Pick n Pay charges an R250 service fee and R79.99 for delivery, adding up to R329.99 in total. While this is more than the rest of the service providers, this price had reduced substantially compared to when the retailer launched the service – costing R444.99.

Motorists are reminded that whether they choose to apply online or in person at the selected service provider, they must have with them the following:

• A clear copy of their ID document or card
• A copy of your existing vehicle licence disc
• Proof of residence for the area where the vehicle is registered (no older than three months)
• You may be required to sign a consent letter which will be emailed to you if needed (online).

Additionally, it must be noted that the total cost of vehicle licence discs in this article does not include the actual licence disc price, which varies by vehicle model.

The prices to renew a vehicle licence with the service providers discussed above are summarised in the table below.