The province with the most expensive car licences in South Africa
Motorists in Gauteng pay more for vehicle licence disc renewals on average than any other province, according to an analysis by TopAuto.
South Africans have access to several methods to renew their licence discs, such as the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), various banking apps, or third-party services, including some supermarkets.
However, in all cases, vehicle owners must pay a R72 fee that goes towards the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
Depending on the method used to renew the licence, you may also need to pay a courier fee to have the new disc delivered to an address of your choosing.
The actual licence fee, meanwhile, is calculated according to the vehicle’s tare weight and varies depending on the province it is registered in.
Tare weight is a measurement that refers to the weight of the car with no passengers, but includes fluids like the coolant, oil, and 10 litres of fuel.
The higher the tare weight, the more expensive the licence disc renewal will be, as the cost is meant to reflect the damage that the car does to the road.
Heavier vehicles cause road surfaces to deteriorate much faster and are therefore hit with a higher licence disc renewal fee to pay for road maintenance.
TopAuto compared the cost of the licence disc fees for vehicles weighing 250kg up to 3,500kg.
Anything heavier than this is classified as a medium or heavy commercial vehicle and is therefore not reflective of the average private motorist.
A B-segment hatchback like the VW Polo or Hyundai i20 typically weighs around 1,000 to 1,250kg. In Gauteng, you’ll pay R528 to renew the licence disc for this type of car.
In contrast, the cheapest province for this category is North West, which charges R450.
While some provinces are slightly more expensive than Gauteng in specific categories, South Africa’s smallest province has the highest average fees overall.
Gauteng
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R252 |
| 251 – 500kg | R396 |
| 501 – 750kg | R432 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R456 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R528 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R732 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R852 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R1,104 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R1,284 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,536 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,728 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,956 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R2,112 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R2,484 |
Western Cape
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R336 |
| 251 – 500kg | R372 |
| 501 – 750kg | R378 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R408 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R480 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R672 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R738 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R846 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R1,152 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,350 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,512 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,524 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R1,902 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R2,148 |
KwaZulu-Natal
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R264 |
| 251 – 500kg | R312 |
| 501 – 750kg | R384 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R474 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R534 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R672 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R810 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R948 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R1,134 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,350 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,556 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,764 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R1,986 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R2,250 |
Eastern Cape
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R288 |
| 251 – 500kg | R324 |
| 501 – 750kg | R330 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R378 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R474 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R594 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R696 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R768 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R1,008 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,212 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,368 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,404 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R1,746 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R2,058 |
Free State
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R300 |
| 251 – 500kg | R312 |
| 501 – 750kg | R324 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R450 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R462 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R606 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R636 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R798 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R864 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,164 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,176 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,422 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R1,644 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R1,884 |
Limpopo
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R264 |
| 251 – 500kg | R324 |
| 501 – 750kg | R336 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R426 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R540 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R756 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R810 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R930 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R1,182 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,236 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,398 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,710 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R1,872 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R2,124 |
Mpumalanga
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R298 |
| 251 – 500kg | R360 |
| 501 – 750kg | R385 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R435 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R522 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R684 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R782 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R894 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R1,168 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,372 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,546 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,670 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R2,056 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R2,366 |
North West
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R246 |
| 251 – 500kg | R294 |
| 501 – 750kg | R336 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R336 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R450 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R552 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R672 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R762 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R762 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,146 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,290 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,434 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R1,662 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R1,908 |
Northern Cape
| Tare Weight | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250kg | R342 |
| 251 – 500kg | R378 |
| 501 – 750kg | R408 |
| 751 – 1,000kg | R420 |
| 1,001 – 1,250kg | R504 |
| 1,251 – 1,500kg | R654 |
| 1,501 – 1,750kg | R810 |
| 1,751 – 2,000kg | R888 |
| 2,001 – 2,250kg | R1,134 |
| 2,251 – 2,500kg | R1,368 |
| 2,501 – 2,750kg | R1,548 |
| 2,751 – 3,000kg | R1,596 |
| 3,001 – 3,250kg | R1,986 |
| 3,251 – 3,500kg | R2,268 |