Buying a tax disc at a Post Office

[Kiltie]

Does the insurance document you produce have to be specific to the car you're taxing?

... or, could you produce any certificate which additionally covers "any car not owned or hired by you"?

[KungFuPanda]

The majority of Post Offices don't check tax or insurance now. I think they rely on it being done online by the owner. In any event, shouldn't all vehicles be insured under the new continuous insurance regs?

[Kiltie]

Thanks, some Post Office branches do still issue tax discs.

Circumstances are such that I can't rely on doing it online as I need the disc by Thursday.

This is why I wanted to do it in person.

My problem is that, right now, I can't put my finger on the insurance certificate which covers the car in question.

[HTP99]

You don't need to produce either proof of insurance or MOT now.

[Kiltie]

Sorry, should have said ... car in question is currently SORNd.

From the Post Office website ...

[Tyre Smoke]

I'd still do it on line.

If you get pulled, you are unlikely to get done, because you will be able to prove you have applied for the tax. Only the most arsey copper is going to do you for failure to display, which I believe is a non endorsable £30.

[ajh38]

Also, I don't think that you have to display a disk for two weeks until after it has been issued now.

[cjb1]

I taxed my car from being SORNED last week. All I needed was the V5(C) and payment. Insurance and MOT were checked on line at the counter (Post office).

[eybic]

ajh38 said:

Also, I don't think that you have to display a disk for two weeks until after it has been issued now.

I think that's the rule for newly registered cars only.

[cjb1]

sorry forgot, to answer the OP, I also taxed a car a few months ago using my right to drive another vehicle on another car policy.

Al HMRC are bothered about is that car is insured in some shape or form.

[confused_buyer]

You do not need to produce an insurance certificate to tax a car and they do not check it on the insurance database either.

This changed occured in December last year.

[SS2.]

eybic said:

ajh38 said:

Also, I don't think that you have to display a disk for two weeks until after it has been issued now.

I think that's the rule for newly registered cars only.

The 14 day grace period (from the start of the month) applies to renewals as well, but the application for the disc must have been submitted before the old disc has expired.

[cjb1]

confused_buyer said:

You do not need to produce an insurance certificate to tax a car and they do not check it on the insurance database either.

This changed occured in December last year.

that is contrary to what the lady in the post office told me? She definitely said that they check on their screen that it has an MOT and insurance.

[iva cosworth]

I taxed mine end of March and I was surprised she didn't look at the MOT at all.

[confused_buyer]

cjb1 said:

that is contrary to what the lady in the post office told me? She definitely said that they check on their screen that it has an MOT and insurance.

Taxed one this morning which definately has no insurance on it. It wouldn't work anyway, the insurance database is far from "realtime" so people would have to wait days to tax their car after insuring it.

[KungFuPanda]

There is abolutely no way the Post Office check the insurance and MOT status of your vehicle when purchasing a tax disc at their counters. The last time I taxed my vehicle about a month ago, my documents got thrown straight back at me without even a cursory glance.

[graham22]

The current reminder says you only need the MoT and not the insurance certificate.

I took just the MoT last month to tax the bike but as she was checking this, I noticed I'd taken the car MoT by mistake - BMW not KTM, good job I picked the dyslexic cashier. In my rush to leave I left my sunglasses on the counter!

[ChasW]

I recently taxed my car at the PO. The guy said he did not need to see the MOT certificate as they have access to the database.

[cjb1]

KungFuPanda said:

There is abolutely no way the Post Office check the insurance and MOT status of your vehicle when purchasing a tax disc at their counters. The last time I taxed my vehicle about a month ago, my documents got thrown straight back at me without even a cursory glance.

You must use a different post office department to me, I actually asked the question of the teller, "do you check the MOT and insurance on the national data base?"...."Yes we do" was the answer, only saying like!

[Winder]

Just taxed my 968 at local PO in Cornwall, Postie wanted to see the MOT, not insurance. Car's been SORN since last October, I'm on the train to Bristol now to pick it up from it's hidey-hole.