We've had plenty of readers get in touch to say they're suffering delays when renewing - however, these are affecting over-70s and drivers without passports the most. If you have a valid passport then you can renew online, which shouldn't have any delays. The DVLA isn't accepting paper applications anyway due to coronavirus, so online forms are the way to go.

DVLA also announced a seven month extension recently. This means photocards that expire between 1 February and 31 August 2020 will automatically be extended for a further seven months from the date of expiry. Drivers will be sent a reminder to renew before their extension ends. But this extension only applies to the photocard, which must be renewed every ten years. This means that if a driver’s entitlement to drive is due to expire and they wish to continue to hold a valid licence, they will need to renew this entitlement in the normal way. Therefore, over-70s are excluded from this because they must renew their entitlement to drive every three years if they wish to continue to hold a valid licence.

If you've sent in your application, there is a condition that lets you keep driving even if you haven't got your licence back yet, though. This is directly from the DVLA's website: "You can drive while your licence is being renewed if you meet all the following conditions:

- you have the support of your doctor to continue driving
- you had a valid licence
- you only drive under the conditions of the previous licence
- your application is less than a year old
- your last licence wasn’t revoked or refused for medical reasons
- you’re not currently disqualified
- you weren’t disqualified as a high risk offender on or after 1 June 2013"