Thousands of drivers take up DVLA offer to make 'small change' to driving licence

Thousands of drivers and motorists have taken up the DVLA offer of a change on their driving licence. 7,000 road users have taken up the gender-neutral title Mx after it was introduced as an alternative to traditional gender-specific options.

It has seen a dramatic rise in usage between 2019 and 2023, with more than 7,000 drivers choosing it for their applications and renewals over the past three years. Department for Transport figures have revealed that Mx has now become the ninth most frequently requested title on driving licence applications.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Mx, which first appeared in print during the 1970s, as a "gender-neutral title" commonly used by transgender people. The dictionary notes it is also used by "those who do not identify themselves as male or female".

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There are 262,000 people living in England and Wales who identify with a gender different from their sex registered at birth, according to the 2021 census. The number of women choosing Ms, which does not reveal marital status, has jumped from 159,000 last year to 1.6 million this year.

Mr is the most common honorific, with 27 million people opting for the title over the period, while some 12 million chose Mrs. The DVLA said there were a number of pre-defined titles that driving licence applicants can choose from, such as Mr, Mrs and Ms. People also have the option to write a title of their choice in the “other” field.

Use of the Mx title is rising, having increased by around 600 per cent from 2022 when just 944 drivers were registered with the title. This compared with a total of 6,500 using lord, lady or sir. It is also only slightly less than the roughly 7,500 applications for professor.

The DVLA figures have been revealed by the Telegraph newspaper.