Quebec Drivers ​Will Get Another Major Discount On License Renewals In 2023

Between dead ends, countless orange cones and the snow-clearing season, Quebec drivers have a lot on their plate. At least they won't have to worry about exorbitant Quebec license renewal costs in the new year. The big discount offered by the SAAQ in 2022 will continue through 2023.

Class 5 (passenger vehicle) or 6 (motorcycle) license holders who are renewing their driver's licenses after December 31 will still have to pay license and administrative fees, but they won't have to contribute to the cost of insurance unless they've accumulated demerit points.

This means that if you've been well-behaved and committed no offence on the road (despite the nightmarish local traffic), you'll likely only pay a fraction of what a renewal would normally cost. In 2022, fees totalled just $24.

This "insurance contribution vacation" doesn't apply to learner drivers or people with licenses issued for a period of fewer than 12 months.

Without the big discount, insurance would have cost drivers with no demerit points $83.62 in 2022, according to the SAAQ. That plus license and admin fees would have added up to $107.62.

In 2021, the SAAQ estimated that drivers with a class 5 license would save a total of $184.11 over the course of the two-year insurance contribution vacation. Combined car and motorcycle license holders would save $338, it said.

However, those caught violating the law while driving had insurance contributions totalling between $52.29 and $436.89 in 2022, depending on their license class and the number of demerit points they had accumulated.