The province where you pay the most for a new car licence disc in South Africa

KwaZulu-Natal charges the most for new vehicle licence discs out of every province in South Africa.

The cost of a new licence disc can be split up into two components – the renewal fee, and the cost of the licence itself.

While motorists have a degree of flexibility when it comes to the renewal fee, as several providers around the country offer the service, including banks, supermarkets, and the South African Post Office; the cost of the actual disc is determined according to your vehicle’s tare weight and varies according to the province it is registered in.

Who’s paying the most for their licence disc

A vehicle’s tare is based on what it weighs without a driver or passenger, but includes a small amount of fuel (10 litres) as well as other fluids like the oil and coolant.

This is in contrast to a car’s kerb weight, which assumes a full tank of fuel (the size of which can vary from model to model); or its gross weight, which is how heavy it would be with a full passenger and luggage load.

The higher a vehicle’s tare weight is, the more expensive the licence is, as heavier models cause more damage to the road over time, and licence disc fees are meant to contribute towards road maintenance.

However, the rate at which various vehicle types are charged varies from province to province, with certain regions paying substantially more than others.

On average, residents in KwaZulu-Natal are paying the most for their cars, while those in North West are paying the least, according to data compiled by MyBroadband.

Each province also updates its fees at different intervals, and Limpopo is currently the most recent one to do so in 2024, while the Eastern Cape has not updated its rates since 2018.

You can see a breakdown of the licence disc fees charged for different vehicle tares of between 250kg and 3,500kg (the weight range for a Code B driver’s licence) for each province in the tables below.

The provinces are listed according to their population sizes, with the first table featuring the five most populated provinces, while the second table has the remaining four less-occupied regions.

KZN has the highest fees on average with only two exceptions where Gauteng charged the most.

The first is for the 250-500kg bracket for motorcycles, while the other is for the 1,750-2,000kg bracket which is commonly occupied by SUVs and single-cab bakkies.