If I buy a car privately and it is taxed for the previous owner, I would insure it and drive it home. The DVLA won’t know it changed hands until he tells them by snail mail, so any passing cop with ANPR will see it as taxed.
If the previous owner is slow sending the paperwork off - can I tax it in my name before he does anyway?
Santa:
If I buy a car privately and it is taxed for the previous owner, I would insure it and drive it home. The DVLA won’t know it changed hands until he tells them by snail mail, so any passing cop with ANPR will see it as taxed.
Yep, did that
Santa:
If the previous owner is slow sending the paperwork off - can I tax it in my name before he does anyway?
This is where the website and the DVLA phone staff disagree. The website says provided you have the V5C/2 the answer is “yes”. The phone staff (muppets and manager) said you can’t tax it at a post office if you aren’t the keeper on record. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is correct now the tax is linked to the keeper, and the website hasn’t been updated to reflect this.
Seany:
You’re not supposed to sell a car without a V5 …
Not quite… You are required to ensure that DVLA receive notification of the change of registered keeper, which I have done. My complaint isn’t about waiting for the V5. It’s that there is no way to tax it until one comes back.
Earlier this year, in written evidence to the House of Commons Transport Committee, the AA said: "The AA believes that ailing mainframe systems like the vehicle and driver registers at DVLA have worked admirably well given what is now expected of them.
“However, they are no longer fit for purpose to deliver the motoring agencies’ vision now proposed.”
That is the crux of this - the system is not fit for purpose - this was one bolt on hack too far
chaversdad:
Remember as well if you sell a car from today the tax doesnt go with it, when the new owner applys for the V5 any remaining tax on the vehicle is refunded to the last registered keeper, bit of a baĺl ache if your car sits on a dealers forecourt for the next 6 months as you wont get whats due to you until its sold and the new owner applys for the logbook
thought I wasn’t hearing things on the radio today,bit of a rip off I reckon,as you know when you bought a car you allways hope for a couple of months tax left on it,now we are going to have to budget for road tax on top of the price of the car,and what happens if you buy on a sunday and the previous owner wants rid of it that day,do you chance driving it home without tax
Santa:
If I buy a car privately and it is taxed for the previous owner, I would insure it and drive it home. The DVLA won’t know it changed hands until he tells them by snail mail, so any passing cop with ANPR will see it as taxed.If the previous owner is slow sending the paperwork off - can I tax it in my name before he does anyway?
I just asked that question myself about driving home without tax,that is a good point about letting D V L A know it probably would take about 2 or 3 days before they know
Its the same scenario, as the poll tax and the bedroom tax. It hasn’t been thought out properly. Another almighty ■■■■ up !!!
Trukkertone:
got new disc in my car already
Snap !
No one has mentioned the fact that this new system has now done away with the trade in stolen tax discs, and also the same trade in stolen mot certificates a few years ago, when they started printing them on an A4 piece of paper.
weeto:
No one has mentioned the fact that this new system has now done away with the trade in stolen tax discs, and also the same trade in stolen mot certificates a few years ago, when they started printing them on an A4 piece of paper.
These are indeed benefits, as is the ability to pay by direct debit.
This is balanced by a projected increase in number plate theft though.
We all know there are unscrupulous dealers around, and although the good guys will ask for an V5 document proving ownership, before selling a new set of number plates, others will do it for extra cash. It is already known what will happen. Villains will copy an identical cars details, and clone that car for their own ( all will be ok if the owner has in fact bothered taxing the original ) I think i preferred the old system, as those who never taxed their vehicles would often get clamped until they did, and wardens would also spot an untaxed vehicle and give it a penalty, that now cannot happen, and seeing as DVLA are going to rely on NPRC software i havnt seen any new cameras in my area, or indeed any activity elsewhere they are installing, the police are few and far between now and quite frankly dont think theyre bothered, only if a motorist is pulled will they do vehicle checks to see if they have insurance/tax/mot.
I do see a flaw in the system as others have reported at the way a vehicle is now taxed, if you own the vehicle theres no problem, but if your just buying a second hand vehicle, and you havnt got the new V5 you cannot tax it as i see it, a new car isnt a problem because the dealer will do it online for you, so maybe some interference from the public may make DVLA see sense and tweak the system if enough complain, failing that, if you purchase another vehicle, you will have to delay the collection until its road legal, and thats an inconvenience for some.
Coffeeholic:
I’ll take mine out of the windscreen on Sunday when I get home from holiday, currently in Cyprus, simply because I don’t like stuff in the windscreen.As with any change people looking for problems where there are either none of there are simple solutions. People complaining about the website when they left it to the last minute, just like the big queues in the Post Office on the last and first day of the month. Folk don’t like change and look for any opportunity for a moan.
Yep it’s pretty much what keeps the daily mail in business, in a few months time it will all be normal.
If you buy a vehicle it will still be taxed for the rest of that month as the previous owner will only get a full months tax back and as others have said they won’t have even sent the paperwork off by the time you’ve driven it home.
For those that bought vehicles with x amount of tax in the past, well the fact you’ll have to tax it and seller will get the remaining months tax back will be part of the negotiations on the price.
They’ve also reduced the loading for paying 6 monthly from 10 to 5% and you will also now be able to pay for it monthly.
Hopefully this may help someone.
I have just bought a vehicle which was previously registered to a disabled person and taxed as disabled.
There is no way to tax such a vehicle as PLG on the website or over the phone, nor is the phone number given on the website of any use if you wish to speak to a human being. You need to go to a Post Office as before. It is slightly easier if you have both parts of the registration document and fill in section 7 ‘Changes to current vehicle’.
Santa:
Most of the reports about this conflate the driver, the owner and the registered keeper, and talk about penalties for ‘drivers’ of untaxed vehicles. Can anyone point me to an official site that clearly say that the driver is not liable, only the RK?
before the new rules came into force if you as the driver of a vehicle where caught driving without tax and taken to court you would be charged with “failing to display a valid tax disc”.
As the owner of that vehicle you would be charged “permitting a untaxed vehicle to be used on the public highway”.
Now as it is no longer legal requirement to display a tax disc a driver can not be charged with that offence. but the owner can be still charged with the permitting offence.
to be honest I cant find anywhere, where a driver who was not the owner of the vehicle that has been taken to court for failing to display, probably some one will prove me wrong lol 
If you sell your car on the 15th (other dates are available) of a month, and there’s two and a half moths tax left you only get refunded the two full months and the new owner has to re tax it in full months too, then if my thinking is correct for every car sold in the uk they are getting two lots of tax for that month it was sold ■■ Is my thinking correct ■■ 
^ spot on