40 YO tax exemption woes
Discussion
Just a bit of a heads up to anyone it may affect as it caught me by surprise. I've been (im)patiently waiting for my car to reach 40 years old this year. I went to the post office and it wasn't giving them the option to update it. I called the DVLA and apparently despite being first registered on 1st August 1985, the DVLA don't let you swap it over until the end of their financial year, so that's me paying 30 quid a month until 1st April.
Bums.
Bums.

TarquinMX5 said:
IIRC, it's a little more complicated as in if at January 1st the car is more than 40- years old then it becomes exempt from the following April. Mot exemption is simply 40-years. Why they're not both the same, who knows?
The 40 year MoT exemption is already laid down by DVSA. I expect the rolling forward of VED set at £0 (so not really an exemption, just zero rated for VHI) has to be approved by the Treasury, i.e. In the budget. Which is why I wonder if it'll continue much longer. 
A car has to be transferred into the VHI category to be £0 VED. No MoT requirement is automatic.
My Motoguzzi (Motorbike) fell fowl of the rules by a day.
To qualify, it needed to be 40 years old and registered before (IIRC) the 8th of January 1980 but it was first registered (in Italy) on the 9th so I had to wait another year.
Obviously the bike was built and bought in 1979 as the factory and likely the bike shop would have been closed until at least 6th Jan (Epiphany, national Holiday) but registered early '80 - this being a classic Italian thing, registering a '79 bike in '80 to make it a year later on the reg, presumably to help with future residual values?
I discovered that I could have got a dating letter from Moto Guzzi (doubtful?) or the UK owner's club stating it was actually built in 1979 which may have been accepted but this would have been complex and likely cost as much (or more) as the tax so didn't bother.
As it happened the 40 year thing fell during lockdown and so the MOT was given a free 6 month extension, taking me into the winter after which I SORN'd it so it was only the tax I had to pay and it became MOT exempt/free tax from April the following year.
To qualify, it needed to be 40 years old and registered before (IIRC) the 8th of January 1980 but it was first registered (in Italy) on the 9th so I had to wait another year.
Obviously the bike was built and bought in 1979 as the factory and likely the bike shop would have been closed until at least 6th Jan (Epiphany, national Holiday) but registered early '80 - this being a classic Italian thing, registering a '79 bike in '80 to make it a year later on the reg, presumably to help with future residual values?
I discovered that I could have got a dating letter from Moto Guzzi (doubtful?) or the UK owner's club stating it was actually built in 1979 which may have been accepted but this would have been complex and likely cost as much (or more) as the tax so didn't bother.
As it happened the 40 year thing fell during lockdown and so the MOT was given a free 6 month extension, taking me into the winter after which I SORN'd it so it was only the tax I had to pay and it became MOT exempt/free tax from April the following year.
catso said:
My Motoguzzi (Motorbike) fell fowl of the rules by a day.
To qualify, it needed to be 40 years old and registered before (IIRC) the 8th of January 1980 but it was first registered (in Italy) on the 9th so I had to wait another year.
Obviously the bike was built and bought in 1979 as the factory and likely the bike shop would have been closed until at least 6th Jan (Epiphany, national Holiday) but registered early '80 - this being a classic Italian thing, registering a '79 bike in '80 to make it a year later on the reg, presumably to help with future residual values?
I discovered that I could have got a dating letter from Moto Guzzi (doubtful?) or the UK owner's club stating it was actually built in 1979 which may have been accepted but this would have been complex and likely cost as much (or more) as the tax so didn't bother.
As it happened the 40 year thing fell during lockdown and so the MOT was given a free 6 month extension, taking me into the winter after which I SORN'd it so it was only the tax I had to pay and it became MOT exempt/free tax from April the following year.
Maybe it's time to 'give the bird' to the rules To qualify, it needed to be 40 years old and registered before (IIRC) the 8th of January 1980 but it was first registered (in Italy) on the 9th so I had to wait another year.
Obviously the bike was built and bought in 1979 as the factory and likely the bike shop would have been closed until at least 6th Jan (Epiphany, national Holiday) but registered early '80 - this being a classic Italian thing, registering a '79 bike in '80 to make it a year later on the reg, presumably to help with future residual values?
I discovered that I could have got a dating letter from Moto Guzzi (doubtful?) or the UK owner's club stating it was actually built in 1979 which may have been accepted but this would have been complex and likely cost as much (or more) as the tax so didn't bother.
As it happened the 40 year thing fell during lockdown and so the MOT was given a free 6 month extension, taking me into the winter after which I SORN'd it so it was only the tax I had to pay and it became MOT exempt/free tax from April the following year.

catso said:
I discovered that I could have got a dating letter from Moto Guzzi (doubtful?) or the UK owner's club stating it was actually built in 1979 which may have been accepted but this would have been complex and likely cost as much (or more) as the tax so didn't bother.
I've done that on two cars - one of them is registered on 13th January, the other closer to the end of January. One dating certificate was free of charge and just involved emailing some photographs to Vauxhall Heritage (though I believe they now make a small charge) and the other was done entirely by email and at no cost with Audi UK customer services.That reminds me, I need to send the confirmation letter off for the second one and get the date of manufacture added to the V5C, as that will become eligible on April 1st next year as long as the rules don't change.
Edited by droopsnoot on Thursday 11th September 12:10
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