Concern has been expressed that British drivers may not be able to hire a car abroad, including Portugal, if they follow DVLA advice.
The old paper British driving licences with counterparts have now been superseded as of midnight 8 June by a photocard.
The paper version no longer has any legal status in the UK or abroad. The counterpart showed the driver’s records and any offences.
The DVLA recommends that people destroy the paper counterparts, but motoring groups have warned that people could be refused rental cars if they do so.
Motorists are advised to travel with their National Insurance on a document, such as a pay or pension slip, in order to access a specific code which rental companies will now require to check driving records online. The code is valid for a mere 72 hours.
Hire companies may also wish to have driving licence number and postcode.
Oliver Morley, DVLA boss, said that people could use their mobile phone to access their code.
The AA, however, thinks that some car hire companies abroad, including Portugal, could block rentals unless they see a copy of the information.
Edmund King, AA president of the AA, said: "It is possible that hirers overseas, who have been used to checking a British driver’s paper record in the past, may not know of the change and still ask to see the counterpart.
"Although the paper counterpart has now been rendered invalid, we are advising our members not to tear up their counterparts just yet, but to take them abroad as a ‘belt and braces’ measure if they intend to hire a vehicle."
It has been reported that Europcar is among the few companies that said Brits renting abroad will not need a paper counterpart, code or printed forms.
But Hertz has said that drivers will require evidence of their endorsements for rentals in Austria, the Balearics, Canaries, Croatia, Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia.
It will accept a printed copy of a driver's licence summary, which can be found at gov.uk/view-driving-licence.
The DVLA advised people to check in advance what documents the hire company will require.
