Starting July 1, Ontario drivers will benefit from a new automatic licence plate renewal system for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles, and mopeds. This initiative, announced by Ontario’s transportation minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, aims to simplify the renewal process and save time for vehicle owners.
According to the government’s news release, licence plates will be automatically renewed 90 days before their expiry date, provided the vehicle owner has valid insurance and no outstanding fines or tolls. If there are any unpaid tickets or fines, these must be settled before the renewal can occur. Vehicle owners unable to have their plates automatically renewed will receive a notification and will need to renew their plates manually, either online or at a ServiceOntario location.
Sarkaria highlighted the significant time savings this new system will provide, estimating that it will save vehicle owners over 900,000 hours annually. “Under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, our government is making life more affordable and convenient for drivers,” he stated. “First, we eliminated licence plate sticker fees for passenger vehicles, saving drivers $120 a year for every car they own. Now, we’re saving drivers valuable time and making their lives easier by automatically renewing licence plates.”
Until the automatic renewal system comes into effect on July 1, vehicle owners are required to manually renew their plates at no cost. The elimination of the annual renewal fee for licence plate stickers, implemented in 2022, previously saved drivers $60 in northern Ontario and $120 in southern Ontario.
This initiative follows several changes made by Premier Ford’s government, including the reversion to the old white-and-blue “Yours to Discover” licence plate design in 2020 after the new blue plates were criticized for being hard to read at night.