Digital Driving Licences Could Be Introduced This Year

The government could introduce digital driving licences this year as it looks to make progress on modernising key aspects of driving and ID usage.

It comes as the government is also making key decisions on the future of EVs and petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, with the future of driving coming under the microscope.

The idea is to introduce more digital services, with digital driving licences to be available in a virtual wallet that will be stored in a new official government app.

That would then become an accepted form of ID wherever required, with the security features set up in a similar fashion to banking apps on mobile devices.

Will Digital Driving Licences Be Mandatory?

While physical licences might be phased out at some point in the future, there are no plans to scrap them in the immediate future.

Physical licences will still be issued, and the digital version will be optional for the time being, so anyone who doesn’t want to sign up for a digital licence doesn’t have to.

It’s expected to be announced by the government soon with the launch date set to be later in the year.

The changes have been discussed for a long time, with much of the research being conducted under the previous licence as the DVLA and government look to modernise much of what they do.

Sources say that there is confidence that the digital licences will be safer than physical driving licences, with only the official owner of the ID able to access it via the government app.

However, previous calls for MOTs to either be scrapped or moved to every other year have been put on the backburner after concerns from driving safety experts were raised.

When Will Digital Licences Go Live?

The DVLA and government are working together to ensure that the rollout of new digital driving licences will go ahead later in 2025.

Rather than the original plan of a DVLA-specific app, it appears that the digital ID will sit within a new government app, though it’s unclear what else the app might be used for.

The UK would be following the lead of South Korea, Mexico and Iceland, which have all adopted digital licences in recent years.

South Korea’s system used an identity app that is used for financial transactions to facilitate the move to digital licences. They did this by working in collaboration with the Korean Police and Traffic Authorities as well as key technology partners.

It looks like the UK will also be partnering with major technology providers to ensure that the service is fully functional, secure and fit for purpose as they look to launch this year.

Iceland was the first European country to implement digital licences, but given their small population, the government is likely to look to South Korea for a case study on how to successfully introduce digital licences and systems.

However, with data protection a key concern, some experts are calling for assurances that extra precautions will be taken to prevent data leaks and breaches.

How will the changes affect you and your fleet? Are you prepared for digital licences? Let us know in the comments below…