Vehicle Licence

New vehicle applications - If you wish to licence a new vehicle, please contact the licensing team at licensing@nwleicestershire.gov.uk

To operate your vehicle as a taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) you need to submit a vehicle licence application form which you can do online from here. 

All vehicles have to pass our visual and mechanical inspection criteria. The visual inspection is carried to ensure the general visual condition of the vehicle is satisfactory eg if the vehicle's bodywork is dented, scratched, has mismatched paintwork or a shabby interior the vehicle will need to be repaired. Vehicles will also need to satisfactorily pass the mechanical inspection before a licence is issued. 

Any vehicle that is to be inspected at our depot must be presented in a clean and valeted condition.  Drivers that present vehicles must adhere to the testers instructions. Vehicles that are presented un-valeted will be refused an inspection and a charge may be applied.

It is expected that all vehicles should pass the mechanical inspection first time. The inspection should not be used as a way of identifying defects and if your vehicle fails then a re-test fee may be charged. All vehicles will be tested once a year with vehicles that are 6 years and over being tested twice a year.

All vehicles that fail certain parts of a mechanical inspection will need to have a retest and may be charged a fee. Vehicles that fail 'spot checks' and consequently need to have a retest will also be charged a retest fee.

If a vehicle is found to be dangerous whilst undergoing a vehicle inspection then we have the right to remove the vehicle's plate and suspend it from operating.

Hackney Carriage Vehicles must be fitted with a taxi meter. We will not issue a taxi licence until a meter has been fitted and is programmed in accordance with the our vehicle policy. However, it is not mandatory for Private Hire Vehicles to have a meter fitted.

If you are transferring an existing vehicle licence to a new owner or transferring your vehicle to a different licence type eg PHV to HCV you need to submit an online application form.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy

It is important that you read and understand the following documents before submitting your application:

The documents contain all the relevant information and conditions in relation to Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Vehicles, Drivers and Operators.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy (PDF Document, 1.01 Mb)

Hackney Carriage Byelaws (Word Document, 0.1 Mb

If you have any queries regarding the conditions, they should be directed to licensing@nwleicestershire.gov.uk