Fees charged by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for annual vehicle testing and operator licensing are changing from October 1.
Fees for tests taken at Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs) will fall by an average of 3.5%. DVSA said this means that customers not using its facilities will no longer contribute to their running costs. Over 80% of these tests are now done at an ATFs – the remainder being carried out from DVSA sites.
However, fees for tests at DVSA sites will increase by an average of around 18.5% – which the agency said reflects the fact the cost of providing tests from its sites is higher than from ATFs. In the past, these higher costs have been spread across all tests, but will now only be spread over the tests being taken at DVSA sites.
DVSA is also changing fees for O-licences. These will rise by 1% to cover the running costs associated with the national register of licensed operators. The register, which has been introduced as part of EU legislation, aims to create a more level playing field for international transport operations and reduce distortion of competition across the EU.
DVSA Chief Executive Alastair Peoples said: “With no general fee increases since 2009, and reduced theory test fees starting in October, we’re demonstrating our commitment to minimising costs for all our customers.”
A breakdown of the revised can be found at www.gov.uk/apply-vehicle-operator-licence.
