Dealer sasy I don;t have to tax a new to me car
Dealer sasy I don;t have to tax a new to me car
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ColinM50

Original Poster:

2,699 posts

205 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
Agreed a deal on a secondhand car today. It's got a personalised number plate and the dealer says they've written to the DVLA to change the car number back to a '11 plate but the V5 and all the paperwork is still with the DVLA.

I asked him what I can do and he says until the new V5 comes back to them I can drive the car on the current number plate since it's already taxed. I'm not so sure.

I said I'd call the DVLA but he said not to do that, it'd mess the whole thing up.

Should I believe him? As if a dealer would tell porkies. I said I'd want it in writing from him that this is OK and he'll take the risk if ANPR/the police take an interest and he agreed to do that. What do you lot think?

marshalla

15,902 posts

231 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
Presumably, he's worried that if you tax it now you'll become the registered keeper and hence the "owner" of the personal plate.

I suspect he hasn't notified DVLA that the car is in trade, so it's still registered to the previous keeper and taxed in their name. Easy enough to check if it's taxed or not, though :

https://www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dv...


walm

10,644 posts

232 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
ColinM50 said:
Agreed a deal on a secondhand car today. It's got a personalised number plate and the dealer says they've written to the DVLA to change the car number back to a '11 plate but the V5 and all the paperwork is still with the DVLA.

I asked him what I can do and he says until the new V5 comes back to them I can drive the car on the current number plate since it's already taxed. I'm not so sure.

I said I'd call the DVLA but he said not to do that, it'd mess the whole thing up.

Should I believe him? As if a dealer would tell porkies. I said I'd want it in writing from him that this is OK and he'll take the risk if ANPR/the police take an interest and he agreed to do that. What do you lot think?
You're buying a car with no V5 from a dealer who is clearly lying? (New owners MUST tax or SORN.)

PurpleMoonlight

22,362 posts

187 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
It could still be taxed as the change of plate goes through while the previous owner is still recorded as the registered keeper. Once the new V5 comes through the change of keeper is processed,

You would need to check online daily though in case the previous owner SORN's it.

scorcher

4,129 posts

264 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
is it showing as "taxed"?

https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

marshalla

15,902 posts

231 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
walm said:
You're buying a car with no V5 from a dealer who is clearly lying? (New owners MUST tax or SORN.)
New KEEPERS must tax or SORN.

andburg

8,746 posts

199 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
Take the risk or don't

the law says you must tax the vehicle on the date of purchase, not doing so may or may not get you caught depends whether the DVLA start checking date of tax purchase vs date of transfer on V5 when received. No reports of them doing this yet but its entirely possible they could start as it will be easy money for them.

I'd be waiting until said dealer has the v5 back showing the correct number plate then proceeding with purchase and taxing the vehicle.

walm

10,644 posts

232 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
marshalla said:
andburg said:
the law says you must tax the vehicle on the date of purchase,
Can you provide a link to the act or regulation that says that, please ?


https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-cha...

"Buying a vehicle
From 1 October, when you buy a vehicle, the vehicle tax will no longer be transferred with the vehicle. You will need to get new vehicle tax before you can use the vehicle."

(You are right about the owner/keeper thing though - not that it seems relevant - ever...?!)

S26VE P

35 posts

137 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
Did he do it the old way? as far as im aware a plate transfer takes minutes online now. My plate transfer was minutes onto the new car once i had the logbook.

marshalla

15,902 posts

231 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
walm said:


https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-cha...

"Buying a vehicle
From 1 October, when you buy a vehicle, the vehicle tax will no longer be transferred with the vehicle. You will need to get new vehicle tax before you can use the vehicle."

(You are right about the owner/keeper thing though - not that it seems relevant - ever...?!)
None of those are law, though - they're DVLA's "rules" and have minimal basis in statute.

The law says that the tax stops when the car is bought AND DVLA are notified of the change of keeper. Both conditions have to be met. The act is quite sensibly written - it effectively gives a bit a grace time while the change of keeper is processed. It's pretty clear that the intent is not to penalise someone because they bought a car at a time when they couldn't tax it immediately (yes, yes, smartphone, internet, blah blah blah).

walm

10,644 posts

232 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
marshalla said:
None of those are law, though - they're DVLA's "rules" and have minimal basis in statute.

The law says that the tax stops when the car is bought AND DVLA are notified of the change of keeper. Both conditions have to be met. The act is quite sensibly written - it effectively gives a bit a grace time while the change of keeper is processed. It's pretty clear that the intent is not to penalise someone because they bought a car at a time when they couldn't tax it immediately (yes, yes, smartphone, internet, blah blah blah).
Sounds odd.
I can't really find an occasion when you can't tax a new car.
Either you have the V5 or you can tax it at a post office with a V62.

And the DVLA do seem pretty adamant about their "rules" e.g. "If you buy a vehicle without a V5C certificate, you might not be able to tax it and drive it on public roads until you get one."

Do you really think that quoting the statute would get you out of a fine if you are stopped by the Bibs?

marshalla

15,902 posts

231 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
walm said:
Sounds odd.
I can't really find an occasion when you can't tax a new car.
Either you have the V5 or you can tax it at a post office with a V62.

And the DVLA do seem pretty adamant about their "rules" e.g. "If you buy a vehicle without a V5C certificate, you might not be able to tax it and drive it on public roads until you get one."

Do you really think that quoting the statute would get you out of a fine if you are stopped by the Bibs?
No internet access, no access to a phone for some reason, no credit/debit card, or post office closed. The only option then is post - so you can't do it immediately.

It's the immediate bit I object to, the statute is framed to allow for reasonable delays in the process.

walm

10,644 posts

232 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
marshalla said:
No internet access, no access to a phone for some reason, no credit/debit card, or post office closed. The only option then is post - so you can't do it immediately.

It's the immediate bit I object to, the statute is framed to allow for reasonable delays in the process.
How can you tax a car by post? Genuine question.
I can't find any reference to a form to use or anything really!

marshalla

15,902 posts

231 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
walm said:
How can you tax a car by post? Genuine question.
I can't find any reference to a form to use or anything really!
They keep it well hidden, but you can still use a V10 form and post it, and a cheque, to DVLA. They do everything they can to discourage it, but the system is still in place.

ColinM50

Original Poster:

2,699 posts

205 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
Checked on the DVLA gov web site and it shows up as taxed. I'm not trying to get out of taxing it, but without the correct new registration number and a V5 I can't actually tax it. Gov website seems to agree that I can use it until new docs come through though. Think as long as I get an indemnity from the dealer I'll risk it, he'll get the fine and IF it went as far as getting crushed, maybe I'd just pick another car from his foreskincourt. wink

walm

10,644 posts

232 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
marshalla said:
walm said:
How can you tax a car by post? Genuine question.
I can't find any reference to a form to use or anything really!
They keep it well hidden, but you can still use a V10 form and post it, and a cheque, to DVLA. They do everything they can to discourage it, but the system is still in place.
Got it.
And thanks for correcting me!

marshalla

15,902 posts

231 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
walm said:
Got it.
And thanks for correcting me!
I'm correcting DVLA - their statement of the what the law says is uniquely theirs.

rallycross

13,757 posts

267 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
It takes a few days for the new V5 to be processed and sent back out, once that comes back with the correct plate it can be taxed by you, until then use it on the current tax (which will expire the day the form is processed). It usually takes about 10 days from point of sending off to being processed.

spitfire-ian

4,243 posts

258 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
Why would the dealer be interested in getting the private plate off anyway?

Surely if the person selling the car wanted to keep the plate they would have applied to get it removed before they sold the car to the dealer.

cowboyengineer

1,419 posts

144 months

Wednesday 17th February 2016
quotequote all
The last couple of secondhand cars I've bought for various reasons I've not managed to tax the car on the day I bought it. However they always send the docs through with a reminder to tax it, sometimes 2-3 weeks after I bought the car. Then they send another reminder, and a final reminder just incase you've forgotten about it