Discussion
Trying to understand the sequencing of SORNing a car. I've bought a car for my daughter & brought it home. It is taxed & MOT'd and I insured it for an hour to bring it home. The seller will apply for a tax refund & I will leave the car on stands here while it is refurbsihed mechanically. I've also sent DVLA the change of keeper form this week, so to avoid any problems should I apply to SORN it now or wait until either the new V5 arrives or the seller confirms they've cancelled the tax? Sorry of this is obvious, never had to SORN a car before.
You can declare SORN on a website and the job is done: https://www.gov.uk/make-a-sorn
You can SORN online using the reference number from the V5C/2 (New Keeper Supplement). I'd do it now to avoid any complications arising from owning or keeping an uninsured vehicle.
The previous owner won't apply for a refund of VED - any whole unused months will be refunded automatically upon DVLA receiving notification of the sale.
The previous owner won't apply for a refund of VED - any whole unused months will be refunded automatically upon DVLA receiving notification of the sale.
President Merkin said:
I've also sent DVLA the change of keeper form this week...
The previous keeper should have sent that. Also, it would have been far easier, safer and cheaper had it been done online.Edited by SS2. on Friday 28th July 08:21
SS2. said:
The previous keeper should have sent that. Also, it would have been far easier, safer and cheaper had it been done online.
Fair point. I bought it off the mother in law, so we're covered on the dodgy seller front. Just tried using the V5C2 as the V5 is off in the post & it doesn't recoginise it, so I guess I'll have to wait for the new V5.Edited by SS2. on Friday 28th July 08:21
MustangGT said:
No, because they did not do the change of keeper online. The existing tax is valid until it either expires, or, the DVLA is notified of a change of keeper.
Wrong!! The tax stays with the previous keeper...As soon as you take possession of it, legally, YOU as the new keeper must tax it before driving it on a public road...
TechBod said:
Wrong!! The tax stays with the previous keeper...
As soon as you take possession of it, legally, YOU as the new keeper must tax it before driving it on a public road...
Don't confuse owner with registered keeper. They are not the same thing. As soon as you take possession of it, legally, YOU as the new keeper must tax it before driving it on a public road...
It is entirely possible for ownership to change but the registered keeper stays the same.
The registered keeper only changes once DVLA are notified of the change, and they update the database & issue a new V5 to the new keeper.
Naa, you are wrong!
As soon as the vehicle changes hands, the tax becomes void, fact!
But you keep driving under your misled views and wait for the boys in blue to seize your car!
Tax does NOT pass on to the new owner!! Been like that since 2014!!
Taken from Gov.uk website...
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-cha...
Buying a vehicle
When you buy a vehicle, the tax or SORN doesn’t come with it. You’ll need to get new vehicle tax before using the vehicle.
You’ll need the reference number on your new keeper supplement (V5C/2).
You can also tax at your local Post Office® or by calling:
Telephone: 0300 123 4321
Edited by TechBod on Monday 7th August 19:07
Techbod, you need to think more critically about the transaction. The essence is that a person buys a car from another person. Ownership clearly changes at that point.
Then the old owner and the new owner decide on what happens to the registered keeper. It's perfectly possible that the old owner stays as RK. The tax burden stays with them along with the other responsibilities.
If as usually happens the old owner wants to dump RK as soon as possible, then the tax stops as you rightly say. But there's no reason that the old owner doesn't stay registered keeper for the duration of the new owner's drive home for example.
Then the old owner and the new owner decide on what happens to the registered keeper. It's perfectly possible that the old owner stays as RK. The tax burden stays with them along with the other responsibilities.
If as usually happens the old owner wants to dump RK as soon as possible, then the tax stops as you rightly say. But there's no reason that the old owner doesn't stay registered keeper for the duration of the new owner's drive home for example.
I've done this a coupe of times. One seller (it was a motorcycle) agreed to give me a couple of hours before doing the change of keeper online. (I'd put the time of sale on a receipt so no issue with speed cameras etc) Just to save 1 month I know, but it was the 27th of the month. 
The seller of a 2008 Alfa GT I bought insisted on sending it by post to DVLA! So it remained taxed for several days.
There really is no need to panic about buying VED, the only time I bought it immediately was because the car was SORN.
The seller of a 2008 Alfa GT I bought insisted on sending it by post to DVLA! So it remained taxed for several days. There really is no need to panic about buying VED, the only time I bought it immediately was because the car was SORN.
TechBod said:
Naa, you are wrong!
As soon as the vehicle changes hands, the tax becomes void, fact!
But you keep driving under your misled views and wait for the boys in blue to seize your car!
Tax does NOT pass on to the new owner!! Been like that since 2014!!
Taken from Gov.uk website...
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-cha...
Buying a vehicle
When you buy a vehicle, the tax or SORN doesn’t come with it. You’ll need to get new vehicle tax before using the vehicle.
You’ll need the reference number on your new keeper supplement (V5C/2).
You can also tax at your local Post Office® or by calling:
Telephone: 0300 123 4321
Owner is not the same as registered keeper.As soon as the vehicle changes hands, the tax becomes void, fact!
But you keep driving under your misled views and wait for the boys in blue to seize your car!
Tax does NOT pass on to the new owner!! Been like that since 2014!!
Taken from Gov.uk website...
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-cha...
Buying a vehicle
When you buy a vehicle, the tax or SORN doesn’t come with it. You’ll need to get new vehicle tax before using the vehicle.
You’ll need the reference number on your new keeper supplement (V5C/2).
You can also tax at your local Post Office® or by calling:
Telephone: 0300 123 4321
Once you understand that, the rest becomes clear.
No one is adjusting the law, just working within it.
Until DVLA receive notification of a change of keeper, the vehicle remains taxed.
During the OP's drive home, it won't flag up as un-taxed, and therefore won't be seized by the police for being un-taxed.
You are continuing to conflate change of owner with change of keeper.
Until DVLA receive notification of a change of keeper, the vehicle remains taxed.
During the OP's drive home, it won't flag up as un-taxed, and therefore won't be seized by the police for being un-taxed.
You are continuing to conflate change of owner with change of keeper.
TechBod said:
You cannot adjust the law to suit you!!
As I said and as the .GOV website states, its illegal!!
If you get stopped on your way home, and you have not taxed your vehicle, then you WILL have it seized!!
It really is that simple!!
You really don’t seem to be getting this, the vehicle is still taxed and perfectly legal to drive until such time that the keepers details are updated, who owns it and whether money has changed hands is an irrelevance. It would also be vanishingly unlikely to have a vehicle seized for no tax alone As I said and as the .GOV website states, its illegal!!
If you get stopped on your way home, and you have not taxed your vehicle, then you WILL have it seized!!
It really is that simple!!
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