Driving with no road tax (VED)....
Driving with no road tax (VED)....
Author
Discussion

gavin18787

Original Poster:

121 posts

222 months

Thursday
quotequote all
Yep I messed up banghead

I moved house at the end of June and was in the process of changing my address on all my documents.
I remember when I logged into the gov website to change my V5 on my exige to the new address it said I couldn't use the service unless it was within office hours (God knows why when its a website!)
But anyway this meant that I forgot to do it......

Fast forward a month and the road tax ran out at the start of July and I didn't get the reminder in the post due to the above.

Since the expiry of the tax I have driven from Essex to Wiltshire for a track day and been to various car and coffee mornings in Essex. Therefore I am sure I will have triggered some ANPR cameras.

Obviously when I remembered this last night I taxed the car imediatly and got the V5 sorted.


So question is whilst this paperwork works it way through the postal re-direct service will I get a fine for every camera I triggered or will it be just the one fine? trying to work out how costly this mistake is frown

I am shocked I didn't get a tug to the side of the road as I remember seeing a good few police cars on my travels boxedin


Thanks
Gavin

Oceanrower

1,317 posts

139 months

Thursday
quotequote all
I’ll be absolutely amazed if anyone even notices!

Lincsls1

4,018 posts

167 months

Thursday
quotequote all
I bet you get away with it. And rightly so, it was a simple mistake you've put right in a relatively short time frame.
The tax is back dated to the start of the month anyway, so they haven't lost anything.

gavin18787

Original Poster:

121 posts

222 months

Thursday
quotequote all
Lincsls1 said:
I bet you get away with it. And rightly so, it was a simple mistake you've put right in a relatively short time frame.
The tax is back dated to the start of the month anyway, so they haven't lost anything.
I did notice that the tax was back dated to the start of the month. Thought I might have got a bit of a saving on the £700 a year it costs as a saving grace.

I am just assuming the car would have pinged at least one camera on a lap of the M25 and M4


Other the knocking the door of my old house I am not sure how to be certain or not if I have the dreaded mail

paul_c123

2,257 posts

20 months

Thursday
quotequote all
I don't think the police even bother "policing" out of date or no car tax any more. Its pretty much automated by DVLA.

vikingaero

12,904 posts

196 months

Yesterday (10:24)
quotequote all
Car tax is generally enforced by the DVLA with cars or vans with ANPR at key locations, for instance a a main road into a town/city. Or by their contractor NSL who go around clamping vehicles on public roads after a while. The Police can pull for no tax as it often combines other offences.

I admit that I got one of my cars clamped as I messed up with the private/vanity plates - we have M8, M88 and M888 and I thought I renewed it. The car was being clamped as I turned into my road and I asked him why? It was then I had a doh! moment and immediately popped indoors and taxed it and paid the surety. The guy said it would take 24 hours to unclamp, but he popped around 20 minutes later.

Shabaza

289 posts

124 months

Yesterday (10:36)
quotequote all
The most you will get is a reminder through the post to tax your vehicle.
It will say an ANPR camera has spotted your car on the road but they will not be taking action.

This has happened to me when a mechanic was driving it to get it road worthy before sale.

Aretnap

1,954 posts

178 months

Yesterday (10:46)
quotequote all
Very unlikely that you'll hear anything. There are ANPR cameral along major routes, but they're used mainly for (a) monitoring traffic flows, spotting jams etc or (b) tracking cars linked to serious organized crime, drug trafficking, terrorism etc. They're not routinely used to enforce minor motoring offences.

RSTurboPaul

13,005 posts

285 months

Yesterday (10:54)
quotequote all
gavin18787 said:
Lincsls1 said:
I bet you get away with it. And rightly so, it was a simple mistake you've put right in a relatively short time frame.
The tax is back dated to the start of the month anyway, so they haven't lost anything.
I did notice that the tax was back dated to the start of the month. Thought I might have got a bit of a saving on the £700 a year it costs as a saving grace.

I am just assuming the car would have pinged at least one camera on a lap of the M25 and M4


Other the knocking the door of my old house I am not sure how to be certain or not if I have the dreaded mail
VED is not backdated in terms of covering your error, as in it cannot be paid retrospectively - it is just that they will take the money for the month you are in and then (if they do catch you) fine you for your error that took place before you paid.

aterribleusername

587 posts

90 months

Yesterday (11:23)
quotequote all
I did the same this month except it was down to me putting the reminder on the fridge door the day before I had to empty the kitchen for a new floor to be laid and it going AWOL in between then and when the kitchen was back together. Phoned the DVLA to tax it on the 17th July as I remembered when away with work, they said it's fine as I've taxed it for this month. Haven't had any letters so far and the car was in use all month!

bimsb6

8,715 posts

248 months

Yesterday (13:10)
quotequote all
I was working at the police building at toddington services northbound years ago and the computer was pinging every 30 seconds or so , i asked what that was and got told it was the anpr system. Nobody bothered to even look what it was spotting .

DaveH23

3,355 posts

197 months

Yesterday (15:41)
quotequote all
Brother in law realised his Tax lapsed last week before heading to the Open at Royal Birkfield, logged online to tax it and realised the MOT expired in Nov.

Left the van at home and sorted it later in the week, never heard anything about either.

WrekinCrew

5,625 posts

177 months

Yesterday (15:45)
quotequote all
Just pay VED by direct debit - it's very easy to set up and then you can forget about it.

Sheepshanks

40,424 posts

146 months

Yesterday (16:21)
quotequote all
gavin18787 said:
Yep I messed up banghead

I moved house at the end of June and was in the process of changing my address on all my documents.
I remember when I logged into the gov website to change my V5 on my exige to the new address it said I couldn't use the service unless it was within office hours (God knows why when its a website!)
But anyway this meant that I forgot to do it......

Fast forward a month and the road tax ran out at the start of July and I didn't get the reminder in the post due to the above.

Since the expiry of the tax I have driven from Essex to Wiltshire for a track day and been to various car and coffee mornings in Essex. Therefore I am sure I will have triggered some ANPR cameras.

Obviously when I remembered this last night I taxed the car imediatly and got the V5 sorted.


So question is whilst this paperwork works it way through the postal re-direct service will I get a fine for every camera I triggered or will it be just the one fine? trying to work out how costly this mistake is frown

I am shocked I didn't get a tug to the side of the road as I remember seeing a good few police cars on my travels boxedin


Thanks
Gavin
Sorry but I'm finding it hilarious how much of a panic you're in!

A fine for every every camera you passed - WTF!!!

They send a "last chance" a couple of weeks or so into the new month but in your case that wouldn't have helped and I've seen multiple people say they didn't get it.

It seems that as long as you tax within the month you'll be OK.

LosingGrip

8,798 posts

186 months

Yesterday (16:37)
quotequote all
paul_c123 said:
I don't think the police even bother "policing" out of date or no car tax any more. Its pretty much automated by DVLA.
Correct. The database we use on PNC is never up to date. We have powers from the DVLA (varies from force to force on who can seize it and there are time frames).

I'll only seize cars for no tax if they are one of our nominals. Billy burglar? Know they are up to no good but no evidence. Seize the car.

Drug dealers? Same.

Doesitdrive

1,542 posts

8 months

Yesterday (16:41)
quotequote all
Oceanrower said:
I ll be absolutely amazed if anyone even notices!
This, driven untaxed cars mistakenly, for months, longest was 4 months, never got a tug or anything else.

My current shed was out of both test and tax for nearly a month before I checked it for airport parking. Proper agg if you drop it and its out. I know lol, recovered a few.

The only thing to get caught by is white Skodas parked roadside or an anpr trap as far as I can see.

dundarach

6,160 posts

255 months

Yesterday (16:47)
quotequote all
We forget once, got told off, had to pay the back tax, no fines, no problem

RazerSauber

2,813 posts

87 months

Yesterday (16:59)
quotequote all
I did exactly the same, a full month out of date. Got a final reminder from the DVLA and sorted it on the day. Used it daily all round everywhere, I swear I had police behind me more than once. Never a word said.

Don't worry about it.

slievenashaska

268 posts

5 months

Yesterday (17:40)
quotequote all
gavin18787 said:
I remember when I logged into the gov website to change my V5 on my exige to the new address it said I couldn't use the service unless it was within office hours (God knows why when its a website!)
The answer to that question - https://dafyddvaughan.uk/blog/2025/why-some-dvla-d...

Mr Tidy

30,755 posts

154 months

Yesterday (20:54)
quotequote all
I think you should be fine as you've paid for all of July anyway!

Back in the mid-80s I had bought an untaxed car towards the end of the month and hoped to wait until the next month to tax it because I was pretty skint at the time. But my then girlfriend wanted to go into Brighton and sure enough it got spotted by a policeman who told me it would go no further if I taxed it within, IIRC, 5 days. Obviously I did and never heard any more.