New Car Tax B******s

Author
Discussion

dry664

Original Poster:

304 posts

138 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Stupid question here but after spending 20 mins online looking for a definitive answer and failing, I think better to ask the experts. Not sure if this failure reflects badly on me or the t**ts that run the vehicle taxing service....

I'm buying a used car privately which I will be collecting from the vendor. I understand the change of rules means the existing tax wont transfer.

DO I HAVE TO TAX IT BEFORE DRIVING IT?

To tax it I need the ref number from the new keeper supplement, which obviously I wont have until I've collected the car, but I found a DVLA vid that tells me I cant drive it without tax (at 1m 08s).
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-cha...

Feel free to post abuse if I deserve it. Thanks.

igiveup

2,875 posts

281 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Ask the seller for the ref number, or do it on the day on your phone, on there computer or on the phone.

speedking31

3,543 posts

135 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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The old tax will not be cancelled until DVLA is informed, i.e. a few days after the car is sold. the previous owner has paid for tax to the end of the month despite the refund. Therefore morally it's not an issue. We need a test case to confirm though wink

Cupramax

10,469 posts

251 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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bakerstreet

4,755 posts

164 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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You can also do it in a post office, but you have to fill out a form at the counter. I did it on the day I collected the car.

paul_y3k

618 posts

207 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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yep I'm afraid so.
You can either do it online - or over the phone, but it has to be done there n then.

I did wonder if you could get away with driving it home as the DVLA won't have had the change of ownership notification, so technically it'd still be owned by the prev owner and I'm just driving it back on my insurance.
However the seller gave us the info when we paid a deposit a cpl of days before pickup so we were able to get it done there n then.

It also makes sense to try and buy at the beginning of the month, so that the seller gets a full refund for the up n coming month. We did and the seller knocked off their refund from the price of the car (about 8 months tax)


SonicShadow

2,452 posts

153 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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It takes 5 minutes to tax it on the phone. It's not hard.

RicksAlfas

13,355 posts

243 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
quotequote all
paul_y3k said:
It also makes sense to try and buy at the beginning of the month, so that the seller gets a full refund for the up n coming month. We did and the seller knocked off their refund from the price of the car (about 8 months tax)
I "think" this would only work if the seller refunded on the last day of the previous month, and the new buyer bought on the first day of the month. The DVLA work off the date written on the change of owner slip they receive, not the date they receive it.

LovelyTia

553 posts

179 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Just brought a new (to me) car. You need to tax it as the DVLA will know if you've been running around in it without taxing/sorning it after buying it.
I sat there and did it during handover. Only takes a few minutes.

skip_1

3,459 posts

189 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Surely you can drive it home and then tax at home, as long as it is same day?

LovelyTia

553 posts

179 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Same day is fine (afaik or was told by dealer). It's if you're thinking about driving it for a few days. Don't give them an excuse to get anymore money out of you then need be.

I think as long as it show on system. Change of Owner, new tax on same date then there's no issue.

speedking31

3,543 posts

135 months

Friday 15th May 2015
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LovelyTia said:
You need to tax it as the DVLA will know if you've been running around in it without taxing/sorning it after buying it.
How's that? There is no time quoted on the change of ownership wink

Truckosaurus

11,183 posts

283 months

Friday 15th May 2015
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You can always ask the seller what the reference code is and tax it just before you go to collect the car.

MikeyC

836 posts

226 months

Friday 15th May 2015
quotequote all
skip_1 said:
Surely you can drive it home and then tax at home, as long as it is same day?
yes, this seems the sensible option

the tax will be valid upto and including the day of the changeover (date entered on DVLA form), otherwise, if the previous owner drove the car in the morning say, then they themselves would be driving without tax !

Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Friday 15th May 2015
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MikeyC said:
skip_1 said:
Surely you can drive it home and then tax at home, as long as it is same day?
yes, this seems the sensible option

the tax will be valid upto and including the day of the changeover (date entered on DVLA form), otherwise, if the previous owner drove the car in the morning say, then they themselves would be driving without tax !
Sounds right to me - previous owner cannot send the V5 off until you have signed it by which time you will have the car so when you collect it any database check will show it as taxed.

Bought my last one the last week of November 14 from a stealer so no tax on it, but my trader mate drove it home for me on his trade plates and it stayed off the road until 1 December when I taxed it. Not had any issues (so far)!

But it is a load of b*****ks as you say - makes sense to scrap the discs but FFS why not just let the tax stay on the car like it always did?

Or scrap the Road Fund Licence, clear sh*tloads of staff out of Swansea and use the saved salaries plus a penny or two of fuel duty to get the same income then do insurance checks on the insurance industry database, or is that too obvious?

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Friday 15th May 2015
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Mr Tidy said:
Bought my last one the last week of November 14 from a stealer so no tax on it, but my trader mate drove it home for me on his trade plates
Wow. Aren't you lucky to have a 'stealer' as a mate who's prepared to illegally use his trade plates to help you out.

CarsOrBikes

1,135 posts

183 months

Friday 15th May 2015
quotequote all
Actually the system is brilliant, and the best thing they ever did. I have 12 vehicles and never have to go to the post office, and can now tax one for a short period and sorn it again in minutes from a pc, nobody can say that is crap surely.

Taxing is always from the fist of a month to the last day of a month no matter who pays. The V5 show a keeper not an owner. You can tax two days prior to the end of a month if the vehicle isn't to be used on the road. These are simple things to enable you to know if you buy a vehicle you are just a liable as always o insure it before you drive it anywhere. The tax taken out by the previous owner will be cancelled upon dvla receipt of notification of sale or transfer, but it lasts regardless to the end of the month. This is better than previously, as then they had to remove the required disc to return it for a refund, now they don't so it is actually better for all of us.

Just do a .gov check for your own sanity prior to purchase to check if a vehicle is taxed, if it is the seller cannot change anything displayed on that information page other than insurance, and neither can anyone else. So as long as you have cover on the day, drive it home and do nothing about tax until two days before the start of the following month if you wish. If you panic and want to tax it yourself when you get home fine, help the government earn the extra they're hoping for from this system, and double tax it for the changeover month. That is what they'd like.

Nowhere does it say a tax disc will end during a month even due to the change of ownership, only that the notification generates a tax cancellation and automatic refund to the person that took it out/registered keeper if different.

Enjoy your new motor

Toaster Pilot

14,615 posts

157 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
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^ if you check the tax status of a newly purchased car you haven't taxed, you'll find as soon as DVLA process the paperwork it shows as "Untaxed - 16th May 2015" - so your point about tax not being stopped mid month is wrong.

I really don't understand all of the "you'll be fine to drive it home", ";)" etc that goes on over this - how difficult is it to tax before driving off these days with internet access almost anywhere and phone calls even more widely available

Edited by Toaster Pilot on Saturday 16th May 23:22

fausTVR

1,442 posts

149 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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Toaster Pilot said:
^ if you check the tax status of a newly purchased car you haven't taxed, you'll find as soon as DVLA process the paperwork it shows as "Untaxed - 16th May 2015" - so your point about tax not being stopped mid month is wrong.

I really don't understand all of the "you'll be fine to drive it home", ";)" etc that goes on over this - how difficult is it to tax before driving off these days with internet access almost anywhere and phone calls even more widely available

Edited by Toaster Pilot on Saturday 16th May 23:22
Surely most car purchases take place at out of office hours times generally speaking, so the phone option is out at least? Can it be done 24/7 online, I've read not always.

tonygt3

255 posts

222 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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ANPR only look for ins and MoT.
I waited for my new V5 to arrive, then taxed it. Two weeks.
HMG still get their grubby road tax as it will revert to the beginning of month.
The DVLA site does not accept the numbers from the blue section of old V5.
The car remains taxed for a period until DVLA receive and then act upon it.