The provinces paying the most for car licence renewals in South Africa

The people of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are consistently paying more for their vehicle licence renewals than in any other province in South Africa.

While licence disc renewals are something that any motorist in the country has to regularly deal with, the cost of doing so can vary dramatically depending on where you live.

This is because each province sets its own rates according to both the type and unladen weight (tare) of a vehicle.

Who is charging more

The table below compares the licence disc renewal rates for each of South Africa’s nine provinces:

Limpopo has the cheapest renewal fees on average, charging R323 for the smallest vehicle class (hatchbacks) and R945 for larger SUVs in the 2,500kg range such as a Ford Everest.

One exception to this rule is the North West Province, which had the lowest costs for models in the 2,000-2,250kg category (which includes many bakkies), charging R666 in contrast to Limpopo’s R941.

In comparison, KwaZulu-Natal had the highest rates across the board, with its fees for hatchbacks and SUVs being R133 and R351 more expensive than Limpopo’s.

The second and third most expensive provinces on average are Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, respectively, while the Western Cape and North West were among the cheapest after Limpopo.

One of the main reasons for these price discrepancies is a province’s finances, writes BusinessTech.

KZN, for example, has been struggling for years with revenue collection, while the Western Cape has been performing well recently – being the only province to not raise property taxes this year.

Motorists have a 21-day grace period to renew their vehicle licences, after which point they will be charged an additional 10% of the original fee for every month that their renewal is delayed, meaning a R384 rate will accumulate R38.40 per month in late fees.