Driving in Later Life: Licences, Eyesight and Alternatives
Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.
There is no age at which you must stop driving in the UK. What changes at 70 is the paperwork: your licence has to be renewed every three years, and it is up to you to confirm that your eyesight and health still meet the legal standard. This section covers that renewal, the eyesight rules, where to get an honest opinion of your driving, and how to get about if you decide the car has had its day.
What actually changes as you get older
Three things are worth knowing from the start.
- Your licence expires at 70. Renewing it is free and can be done online or by post. After that it runs for three years at a time. The rules are the same idea in Northern Ireland, but a different agency (the DVA rather than DVLA) handles it.
- You declare your own fitness to drive. There is no driving test and, at the time of writing (November 2026), no compulsory eye test at renewal. You confirm that you can meet the eyesight standard and you tell the licensing agency about any medical condition that affects your driving. The government consulted in 2026 on making eye tests compulsory for drivers aged 70 and over in Great Britain; no decision has been published yet.
- Insurance and running costs carry on regardless. A car that does only a few hundred miles a year can cost far more per journey than most people realise. Working that out honestly is the first step in deciding whether to keep it.
Staying on the road safely
Most drivers in their seventies and eighties are safe, experienced and careful. The sensible approach is to keep checking, in the same way you would service the car. Have your eyes tested regularly (NHS sight tests are free from 60 across the UK), ask your pharmacist whether any new medicine can cause drowsiness, and be honest with yourself about night driving, busy junctions and motorways.
Life without a car, or with less of one
Giving up driving is a big step, and for many people it is a gradual one: no more night driving first, then no motorways, then only local trips. When the time does come, there is usually more help than people expect. The free bus pass and Senior Railcard are the obvious ones, but there are also door-to-door minibuses, volunteer car schemes, taxi vouchers from some councils, and help with the cost of getting to hospital if you are on a low income. Supermarket home delivery takes care of the heavy shopping.
Guides in this section
- Renewing your licence at 70 – free, every three years, online or with the D46P form by post, and what differs in Northern Ireland.
- Eyesight and driving – the number-plate test at 20 metres, what you must tell DVLA, and where the proposal for compulsory eye tests has got to.
- Driving assessments – mobility centres, refresher drives and what happens on the day.
- Giving up the car – an honest way to compare a year of car costs with taxis, buses and deliveries.
- Community transport – dial-a-ride, volunteer car schemes, hospital transport and claiming back travel costs.
- Taxi cards and travel tokens – London's Taxicard and the voucher schemes some councils run elsewhere.
Common questions
Do I have to take a driving test again at 70?
No. You renew your licence by filling in a form, online or on paper, and declaring that you meet the eyesight and health standards. There is no retest.
Who do I tell if my health changes between renewals?
You must tell DVLA (or the DVA in Northern Ireland) straight away about a medical condition that affects your driving. You do not wait for the next renewal. See eyesight and driving for how that works.
Will my bus pass be enough if I stop driving?
It depends where you live. In a town with good buses it can cover most trips; in a village it may not. Our page on giving up the car shows how to work out what your own journeys would cost, and where you live explains the extra travel concessions in the devolved nations and the big city regions.