Taxi and private hire licensing in all 32 Scottish councils
In Scotland your council licenses you, so the fee, the medical and whether there's a knowledge test all depend on where you drive. This table links every council's own licensing page and gives what each one publishes about the driver's licence, as read on 14 November 2026.
Driver's licence by council
Each council's name links to its taxi and private hire licensing page, and each figure links to the page or document it came from. "Not stated" means the pages read for this table didn't say; it doesn't mean there's no requirement. Where a council's site refused a plain request, the row says "See council site". For a cost per year comparison, see licence costs by council.
| Council | Driver licence fee, as published | Medical | Knowledge or route test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| Aberdeenshire | £200, normally 3 years | Not stated | Not stated |
| Angus | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| Argyll and Bute | £133 for 3 years | Group 2; a medical over 65 | Not stated |
| Clackmannanshire | Grant £249.60 or renewal £197.60 for 1 year; £468.00 for 3 years (2026/27) | Medical certificate if appropriate | Not stated |
| Dumfries and Galloway | £131; temporary licence £79 | Not stated | Not stated |
| Dundee City Our renewal guide | £235 for 3 years, new or renewal (from 1 April 2026) | Group 2 | Street knowledge guide published |
| East Ayrshire | Grant £216, renewal £156 (from 1 August 2025) | Not stated | Topographical test for new drivers, £30 |
| East Dunbartonshire | £307 for 3 years | Not stated | Not stated |
| East Lothian | £224 for 1 year, or £335 for a 3-year renewal (2026/27) | Group 2 medical from age 45 (£55) | Not stated |
| East Renfrewshire | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| City of Edinburgh Our renewal guide | New £246 (1 year); renewal £151 (1 year) or £231 (3 years), 2026/27 | Medical examination required | Not stated |
| Falkirk | New £273.50 (1 year); renewal £139.90 (1 year) or £337.70 (3 years). Year unclear: see note | Not stated | Knowledge test information published |
| Fife | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| Glasgow City Our renewal guide | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| Highland | £326 for 3 years (schedule from 1 April 2025, the latest found) | Annual medical over 65 | Knowledge test for new drivers from 1 September 2026 |
| Inverclyde | £102 from 1 April 2026; one taxi driver's licence covers private hire | Not stated | Not stated |
| Midlothian | £128 new or 1-year renewal; £226 for a 3-year renewal (from 1 April 2026) | Not stated | Not stated |
| Moray | Grant £279, renewal £225 (from 1 April 2026) | Group 2 | Not stated |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | New £80, renewal £60, usually 3 years | Over 65 or with a declared condition | Written test on motoring and local knowledge |
| North Ayrshire | £103 for 1 year or £242 for 3 years | Must be medically fit | Not stated |
| North Lanarkshire | Grant £203, renewal £185 (page updated 1 May 2026) | Not stated | Local knowledge test |
| Orkney Islands | £96 for 1 year or £243 for 3 years (2026-27) | Evidence if you declare a condition | Not stated |
| Perth and Kinross | New £161 (1 year) or £225 (3 years); renewal £132 or £196 | Annual medical from 65, or with a condition | Knowledge test, included in the fee |
| Renfrewshire Our renewal guide | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| Scottish Borders | £134 for 1 year, grant or renewal | Not stated | Not stated |
| Shetland Islands | £90, usually 3 years (2026/27) | Not stated | Not stated |
| South Ayrshire | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| South Lanarkshire | New £225.04, renewal £205.96 | Not stated | Route test before the licence is granted |
| Stirling | See council site. Its licensing pages couldn't be opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026 | ||
| West Dunbartonshire | £395, grant or renewal (from 1 April 2026) | Council may ask for a medical | Knowledge test for your zone |
| West Lothian | Grant £252.73, renewal £213.72 (2025-26 schedule, now ended) | Group 2 | Not stated |
Every council page and fee document linked in the table, opened with a plain request on 14 November 2026. Dates on the fee sources are in the table and in the notes on the dates. Fees are for the driver's licence (your badge), not the car. Where a council lists one fee for taxi and private hire drivers, that's the figure shown.
Notes on the dates
- Falkirk: the fees page is headed 2025/26, but the council's own 2026/27 fees and charges schedule lists the same figures as the proposed 2026/27 charges. Check with the council which year applies.
- Highland: the only fee schedule on the site is headed from 1 April 2025, so it may have been replaced.
- West Lothian: the schedule linked from its page covers 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, which has ended.
- No date on the page: Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, Na h-Eileanan Siar, North Ayrshire, Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire publish their fee without a date. Perth and Kinross's page was last modified on 1 April 2026.
The councils that couldn't be read
Aberdeen City, Angus, East Renfrewshire, Fife, Glasgow City, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire and Stirling refused a plain request on 14 November 2026 (Aberdeen's old licensing address now gives a "not found" page). This site doesn't work around that, so those rows only link the council. There are guides with figures read earlier for Glasgow and Renfrewshire, each dated on its own page.
Licensed in Edinburgh or Dundee? There are renewal guides for Edinburgh and Dundee too. Spotted a fee that's changed? Email [email protected] with the council's page.
Sources
- Each council's own taxi and private hire licensing page and fee document, linked from its row in the table above (opened 14 November 2026).
- Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, section 2 — legislation.gov.uk: each local authority is the licensing authority for its area (read 10 November 2026).