Automatic licence plate renewal takes effect in Ontario on Canada Day. What you need to know

Ontario government officials say automatic licence plate renewal is set to take effect provincewide on July 1.

In a news release, the government noted that licence plates for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds will renew automatically 90 days before expiry if the vehicle owner has valid insurance and no outstanding fines or tolls. 

If there are outstanding tickets or fines, that person must pay them before the licence plate renewal process can begin. If a vehicle owner’s licence plate cannot be automatically renewed, that person will be notified and required to manually renew online or in person at ServiceOntario.

Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s transportation minister, made the announcement on Wednesday. Sarkaria said the move will save vehicle owners more than 900,000 hours annually.

“Under the leadership of Premier [Doug] Ford, our government is making life more affordable and convenient for drivers,” he said.

“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 licence plate renewals take effect on July 1, vehicle owners must manually renew their plates at no cost. You can check your licence plate status here.

The Ford government scrapped the annual renewal fee for licence plate stickers in 2022. Renewing driver’s licence stickers was previously $60 in northern Ontario and $120 in southern Ontario.

In 2020, Premier Ford’s government scrapped a redesign of Ontario’s licence plates, returning to the old, white-and-blue “Yours to Discover” version.

The blue licence plates that the Progressive Conservative government rolled out at the time using the slogan “A Place to Grow” were pulled after they were widely denounced by local police officers and members of the public after people said the plates were impossible to read in the dark.