From October 1 this year, the traditional paper tax disc will cease to exist. So it’s important for all Dubbers to know the new rules to avoid getting lumped with a hefty fine…
Under new regulations, motorists will have to register their car online to pay Vehicle Excise Duty, or road tax. This can be done via direct debit on the DVLA website or at a post office. Those who don’t register run the risk of being caught out by number plate recognition cameras dotted around the country.
But there’s also important repercussions for those buying a secondhand VW. The new rules say that buyers no longer benefit if there’s months left on the disc, as the vehicle tax will no longer be transferred with the car. So, gone are the days of, “okay, mate, you’ve got a deal if you chuck in the tax disc,” because buyers will have to renew their tax disc straight away, or risk driving away in an untaxed motor.
It works the other way too. The seller must inform the DVLA of a change of car ownership, or face a possible fine of £1,000. Sellers will automatically get a refund for any full calendar months left on the disc, assuming they’ve filled out a V5C form.
We can see other areas for possible confusion; from October, a driver, not the registered owner, can be issued a non-endorsable fixed penalty for driving an untaxed car. But how can the driver be certain a car is taxed when it’s all done online and there’s no tax disc flapping around in the windscreen?
The answer lies at the DVLA page here, so if you’re in the habit of jumping in someone else’s car it occurs to us that it might be worth having it as a bookmark on your smartphone… By inputting the car’s registration, this page will allow you to confirm when the current tax disc expires and MoT expires and its SORN status. Actually, it’s also a useful link for those viewing cars for sale because it will also confirm the colour, engine size and year of manufacture so you’ll instantly be able to tell if the vendor’s telling fibs or not…
Owners who don’t register their cars as being off the road (SORN’d) face an £80 fine for using an untaxed vehicle and can also be charged any back tax.
There is a positive to the new regulations: from October it’s expected that you will be able to pay your road tax by monthly installments which should help the finances!
Ian
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage
Hi
I have a tax disc on my bus that expires next year, do I still need to display it after October this year?
In the last budget, it is was proposed that in future (When? As of now?) once a SORN had been declared, then this was an on going situation, and that a new SORN didn’t have to be declared on an annual basis. I haven’t seen this written anywhere, but yet again, I haven’t received any SORN renewal paperwork for my many hidden cars!
Jonathan, I work in the new car motor trade and (although I haven’t seen this written) we understand that the current tax disc has to remain displayed until it expires. At that point you will no longer need one.
Mark
Not true! If you look at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-changes
you will see that it says: From 1 October 2014, the paper tax disc will no longer need to be displayed on a vehicle. If you have a tax disc with any months left to run after this date, then it can be removed from the vehicle and destroyed. This includes customers with a Northern Ireland address, however they will still need to display their MoT disc.