Car tax query?

[Alfa GTV]

Okay so I have bought a second hand car, I now have the V5C (Logbook) and was just about to tax the car online, but Gov.UK website states "Are you aware that your vehicles current tax is not due to expire until 01 July 2015"

Now as this is the first time I have taxed a car without physically having a tax disc is this right? do I continue or just leave it now till July? Sorry may seem a really noddy question but thanks for any advice.

[V8forweekends]

You need to tax it as you (new keeper) - it sounds as if the way you've entered stuff it thinks you are the previous keeper.

[xRIEx]

How can there be car enthusiasts who still don't know the new rules?

Tax needs to be bought immediately the car changes hands, using the reference number on the new keeper supplement.

What do you mean when you say you "now have the V5"? Just got from the seller or just got the reissued one from the DVLA in your name?

[Alfa GTV]

V5c in my name issued from DVLA. I bought the car in January but have been away with work until now so the car was delivered and stored away off road.

Okay I will tax it now then, thanks for your help.

[davebem]

It is possible that someone put 12 months on it in July last year (under the old rules) and the tax disc has been removed so its still taxed. I would confirm this with previous owner, if the previous owner confirms they have the disc and is claiming it back or they put 6 months on since the new rules you definately need to retax it. Otherwise its still taxed.

Edited by davebem on Monday 23 February 20:00

[V8forweekends]

davebem said:

It is possible that someone put 12 months on it in July last year (under the old rules) and the tax disc has been removed so its still taxed. I would confirm this with previous owner, if the previous owner confirms they have the disc and is claiming it back or they put 6 months on since the new rules you definately need to retax it. Otherwise its still taxed.

Edited by davebem on Monday 23 February 20:00

Something doesn't add up - surely the only way for the car to be taxed is if DVLA don't think it's changed owners? If OP has V5 in his name with a date of change since 30 Nov last year, refund should have automatically gone to previous keeper shouldn't it?

[davebem]

Yeah my mistake, Ive just thought, even when taxed under the old rules, its still not transferable, so the seller would automatically get the refund.

[Claudia Skies]

Alfa GTV said:

Okay so I have bought a second hand car, I now have the V5C (Logbook) and was just about to tax the car online, but Gov.UK website states "Are you aware that your vehicles current tax is not due to expire until 01 July 2015"

This makes no sense.

If you've just bought a car the seller should have kept the V5C (for sending to DVLA) and given you the V5C/2 tear-off slip which is what you use to tax the car in your name.

So, if you think of yourself as sitting at the DVLA office in Swansea the first thing you see is the "new owner" taxing the car into their name. The paper V5C arrives from the seller in the post a few days later. So there must be an overlap where the car is effectively registered to both the seller and the buyer at the same time. And the delay in refunding the seller's Road Tax reflects this situation. It's really not a big deal.