You must have a distance licence if your vehicle pays road user charges (RUC).
Distance licences are bought in units of 1000km (621 miles). How much a unit costs depends on your RUC vehicle type and RUC weight.
When you buy RUC you pre-pay for the distance you're going to travel. You must buy a new licence before you’ve driven all the distance covered by your current licence.
The quickest and easiest way to buy RUC is online. You can buy up to six RUC licences at a time.
You can also buy RUC at one of our agents.
Electronic RUC provides a simple, more efficient way of administering RUC. It automates the purchasing process, has better accuracy when recording distance, and provides supporting records for any off-road running to help with off-road refund claims.
Electronically assisted RUC is a digital RUC display and app. It doesn't record the distance you travel.
Electronically assisted RUC providers
Light vehicle RUC licences must be displayed on the inside of the windscreen on the passenger side of the vehicle. The side of the licence showing the plate number must be visible from outside the vehicle.
RUC licence labels for heavy vehicles and trailers must either be displayed the same as for light vehicles or carried. If carried, the labels must be shown to an enforcement officer when asked.
If you have an additional licence it must also be displayed or carried.
The details on the licence must match the vehicle's:
If you buy your licence online, we'll email you a temporary RUC label you can print and display in your vehicle. It will be valid for 21 days to cover you until your label arrives in the post.
Example of a temporary RUC licence label
If you buy a RUC licence at an agent for a vehicle in another location, you can use an identical copy of the RUC licence as a temporary licence for up to 7 days.
You can show the identical copy as a printed photocopy, or electronically (like a photo of the licence on a phone). The whole licence must be one image, and clear enough to show the smallest print on the licence.
If your label hasn't arrived in the post, or it's been lost or stolen, you need to a order a replacement.
If your original transaction was in the last 30 days, a replacement is free.
Order replacement RUC labels(external link)
Always check your licences are correct when you buy them. It's up to you to make sure the details are correct on the licence application.
If you notice on the same day that you bought an incorrect RUC licence at a RUC agent, you can go back to the same agent to get it fixed.
If you've bought RUC incorrectly online, or it's not the same day you bought it at an agent, please contact us. Each situation is looked at on a case-by-case basis.
