How Much Is an Operator Licence? Fees and Cost per Truck

A goods vehicle operator licence costs £257 to apply for and £401 to issue, so £658 to start. It then costs £401 to continue every five years. The fee page lists no per-vehicle charge, so the cost per truck falls as you add trucks: £131.60 each for 5 trucks over five years, £26.32 each for 25.

What are the operator licence fees?

There are five fees on the gov.uk fee table. Three of them are routine and two depend on what happens to your licence. These are the figures on the gov.uk goods vehicle licence fees page, which we read on 28 October 2026. The page was last updated on 29 January 2025 and does not give an effective-from date for the fees.

Fee	Amount	When you pay it
Application for a licence	£257	Once, when you apply
Issue of a licence	£401	Once, when the licence is granted
Continuation of a licence	£401	Every 5 years
Issue of an interim licence	£68	Once, if you are issued one
Major change to a licence	£257	Each application

Fees can change, so check the page before you budget. We have not seen a newer fee announcement on gov.uk as at 28 October 2026.

What does each operator licence fee cover?

Each fee is charged at a separate step in the life of the licence. The first two come as a pair, the third repeats, and the last two only appear in particular cases.

• Application, £257. You pay this once, when you apply for the licence.
• Issue, £401. You pay this when the licence is granted.
• Continuation, £401. You pay this to keep the licence going after five years.
• Interim licence, £68. This is a separate line on the fee table for issuing an interim licence.
• Major change, £257. You pay this when you apply for a major change, such as a new operating centre. The gov.uk guide to goods vehicle operator licensing says: “Some changes may incur a fee. These are known as ‘Chargeable Variations’.” Read the operator licensing guide before you plan a change, because it sets out which changes count.

How much is an operator licence per vehicle over five years?

It works out at £131.60 per truck for a fleet of 5, £65.80 for a fleet of 10 and £26.32 for a fleet of 25. This is our arithmetic, not a gov.uk figure. We take the first five years as the application fee plus the issue fee, then divide by the number of trucks on the licence.

£257 + £401 = £658 for the first five years.

Trucks on the licence	First 5 years, per truck	Per truck, per year	Second 5 years (continuation), per truck
5	£131.60	£26.32	£80.20
10	£65.80	£13.16	£40.10
25	£26.32	£5.26	£16.04

Divide £658 by 5, 10 or 25 to get the first column. Divide that by five for the per-year column. The last column divides the £401 continuation fee by the same fleet sizes.

The fee table has no per-vehicle line. We have assumed that all the trucks sit under one licence and that the licence covers all of them. If your licence needs a major change to cover a larger fleet, add £257 to the £658. For 10 trucks that takes the five-year figure from £65.80 to £91.50 each.

What is the total cost over ten years?

For a licence that runs for two full terms, the fees total £1,059. That is £257 to apply, £401 to issue and £401 to continue after five years. For 10 trucks that is £105.90 each over ten years, or £10.59 each per year.

Trucks	Ten-year fees, per truck	Per truck, per year
5	£211.80	£21.18
10	£105.90	£10.59
25	£42.36	£4.24

The point to take from this: the licence fee is a small line next to fuel. A single 5% improvement in fuel use on a truck doing 80,000 miles is worth more than the licence costs per truck per year at any of these fleet sizes. For a worked example, see what each mpg is worth to an HGV fleet.

What does an operator licence not include?

The fee table covers the licence only. It does not include the other requirements you have to meet to hold one, so budget for these separately.

• Financial standing. The operator licensing guide sets out the amount of money you must show you have available, which depends on how many vehicles you run. We do not quote the amounts here because the guide has different rates for different licence types. Read the guide for the rate that applies to you.
• Vehicle testing. Each HGV and trailer needs an annual test. See our HGV MOT cost guide.
• Vehicle tax and the HGV levy. These are charged by vehicle, not by licence. Our HGV running costs tool puts them alongside fuel and the licence fees, per mile.

Does a speed limiter affect your operator licence?

It does not change the fee, but it is a legal requirement for the vehicles on the licence. Goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes must be limited to 90 km/h, about 56 mph, under regulation 36B of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. We cover this in speed limiters and operator licence compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an operator licence cost?

An operator licence costs £257 to apply for and £401 to have issued, so £658 to start. It then costs £401 to continue every five years. These are the gov.uk fees as read on 28 October 2026.

How much is the operator licence continuation fee?

The continuation fee is £401 every five years. For a fleet of 10 trucks that is £40.10 per truck for the five-year period.

Is there a fee per vehicle on an operator licence?

The gov.uk fee table lists no per-vehicle fee. The fees apply to the licence. Major changes to a licence carry a £257 fee, and the licensing guide explains which changes are chargeable.

What is the interim operator licence fee?

The fee for issuing an interim licence is £68. It has its own line on the fee table, separate from the application and issue fees.

How much does an operator licence cost per truck for 10 trucks?

Over the first five years it is £65.80 per truck: £658 divided by 10. In the second five years, with the £401 continuation fee, it is £40.10 per truck.

Cut your fleet’s fuel bill

Fees like these are fixed. Fuel is not, and it is usually the biggest line in an HGV budget. Find your own cost per mile and see where the licence sits beside it with the HGV running costs tool.

A speed cap saves fuel where vehicles would otherwise run faster. The Department for Transport’s fuel consumption curves show a diesel van using 14.5% less fuel per mile at 60 mph than at 68 mph. HGVs are already limited by law to 90 km/h, so for the lorries on your licence the saving comes from holding that limit and keeping speed steady, and for any vans in the fleet it comes from setting the cap lower.

Talk to us. AutoKontrol has made speed limiters in Britain since 1985, for vans, cars, HGVs and buses, with nationwide installation where we come to you. Book a free consultation or get a quote.