Road Tax and Selling a Car mid-Month

[ToothbrushMan]

At last I had a no nonsense buyer for the car last night.

I planned to declare it SORN /sold from 22nd sept when the buyer comes for it.

we havent discussed tax but whats the score if I let my tax run to the end of Sept allowing the new owner to tax from 1st October (saves him taxing for just 1 week but paying the robbing DVLA a full months tax?

Its all hyperthetical but if he was stopped say for a routine check by the police on the day he is driving it home and he hasnt taxed it i presume that although it is still taxed but in my name not his that they would still ticket him ?

I know we could all take a flier and chance it but just wondering what the vibe really is ie; how harshly its enforced that only the new owner can tax in their name they cant drive on previous owners tax even if still valid.

I detest the DVLA for the changes they brought in on road tax where both buyer and seller are paying a months tax if the sale is mid-month - its really screwed with the ease of buying and selling cars especially at the cheap end of the market where you often saw an advert with 6 months tax and MOT so you could literally drive away and not worry.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

When he buys it on the 22nd, the tax will be cancelled and he'll have to tax it that day for the whole of September. Unless you keep the car in your name until end of the month, and he isn't going to want that having paid for it.

[Pica-Pica]

To me it is quite clear on DVLA website. Funnily enough you only have to type DV or dv in your search and it comes up straight away. Easier than typing something in here and getting random responses.

[Toaster Pilot]

Why do people get so obsessed with this?

Sell your car. Fill out the V5 with the new keeper details or do change of keeper online. Date it on the day.

Wave goodbye to your car whether the new owner has taxed it or not (it’s their problem) and enjoy your money.

Any other type of “arrangement” is leaving you open to abuse - if you date the sale 1st Oct so he saves £20 or whatever in tax, you’re wide open to parking / speeding fines etc.

[TooMany2cvs]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Unless you keep the car in your name until end of the month, and he isn't going to want that having paid for it.

Ain't no way I'm letting somebody else drive off in a car that's registered in my name... I don't want their speeding/parking tickets...

And all to save the buyer a few quid...? Sod that.

[Mandat]

ToothbrushMan said:

At last I had a no nonsense buyer for the car last night.

I planned to declare it SORN /sold from 22nd sept when the buyer comes for it.

we havent discussed tax but whats the score if I let my tax run to the end of Sept allowing the new owner to tax from 1st October (saves him taxing for just 1 week but paying the robbing DVLA a full months tax?

Its all hyperthetical but if he was stopped say for a routine check by the police on the day he is driving it home and he hasnt taxed it i presume that although it is still taxed but in my name not his that they would still ticket him ?

I know we could all take a flier and chance it but just wondering what the vibe really is ie; how harshly its enforced that only the new owner can tax in their name they cant drive on previous owners tax even if still valid.

I detest the DVLA for the changes they brought in on road tax where both buyer and seller are paying a months tax if the sale is mid-month - its really screwed with the ease of buying and selling cars especially at the cheap end of the market where you often saw an advert with 6 months tax and MOT so you could literally drive away and not worry.

What's the point?

You take the risk for parking / speeding tickets, and what's the benefit for you?

[DSLiverpool]

TooMany2cvs said:

Ain't no way I'm letting somebody else drive off in a car that's registered in my name... I don't want their speeding/parking tickets...

And all to save the buyer a few quid...? Sod that.

You can’t unown it instantly with dvla on a weekend (?) so you just get a contract signed from 2pm on 16/9 it’s the buyers responsibility - or am I wrong ?

[Mr Whippy]

If the buyer is worried about £45 (worst case on £550 tax car?) vs £15 (pro-rata worst case), so £30 worse off (worst case), then get them to pay/pickup on 1st of the month?

[Jasandjules]

Just another lovely con brought in by the current rulers that makes them millions a year for doing nothing.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Jasandjules said:

Just another lovely con brought in by the current rulers that makes them millions a year for doing nothing.

The amount of money involved for many cars is nothing, or next to nothing. £35/year road tax, so a 12th of that. Under £3 gained.

Once they decided to do away with the paper disc, it's difficult to imagine a better system. The old system, where you could include the rest of the tax with the car in the sale, or cash it in, wouldn't work. Sellers could say they were including the tax, and then apply for a refund, and the buyer would have no way of knowing they were driving an untaxed car. When it came to light, the seller could deny it, or say it was a misunderstanding. the courts would be clogged up with road tax disputes.

The "millions" they make, plus the savings in not having to deal with paper discs any more, is all our money anyway. Taxes pay to run DVLA.

[Butter Face]

As above, if the buyer is really that worried, take £10/15/40 less off them, it’s really really not worth the hassle.

[Alucidnation]

So there's more to your 'cretinous driving' thread than you're letting on.

[Mr Whippy]

DVLA could just do daily tax.

Not sure how that works with databases for anpr etc but mid is updated on the fly afaik so no big issue.


But it’s nice now being online and monthly as you can tax/sorn fine grained, which is nice for summer cars.


The sums are small but annoying.

[TooMany2cvs]

Mr Whippy said:

DVLA could just do daily tax.

And it'd only take a complete redevelopment of computer systems which were only ever intended for monthly taxing.

Then you've got to scale it all to cope with people who would tax their car just for using it on Saturday, then SORN it for the week - oh, wait, need it on Thursday after all, so re-tax, then SORN...

[Monkeylegend]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Jasandjules said:

Just another lovely con brought in by the current rulers that makes them millions a year for doing nothing.

The amount of money involved for many cars is nothing, or next to nothing. £35/year road tax, so a 12th of that. Under £3 gained.

Once they decided to do away with the paper disc, it's difficult to imagine a better system. The old system, where you could include the rest of the tax with the car in the sale, or cash it in, wouldn't work. Sellers could say they were including the tax, and then apply for a refund, and the buyer would have no way of knowing they were driving an untaxed car. When it came to light, the seller could deny it, or say it was a misunderstanding. the courts would be clogged up with road tax disputes.

The "millions" they make, plus the savings in not having to deal with paper discs any more, is all our money anyway. Taxes pay to run DVLA.

But more than offset by drivers taking a chance and driving without paying for VED as a result of dispensing with the paper disc, allegedly.

[TooMany2cvs]

Monkeylegend said:

But more than offset by drivers taking a chance and driving without paying for VED as a result of dispensing with the paper disc, allegedly.

Because, obviously, in the 21st century what is REALLY needed to track and enforce vehicle tax is a round piece of coloured paper stuck in the window...

[Monkeylegend]

TooMany2cvs said:

Monkeylegend said:

But more than offset by drivers taking a chance and driving without paying for VED as a result of dispensing with the paper disc, allegedly.

Because, obviously, in the 21st century what is REALLY needed to track and enforce vehicle tax is a round piece of coloured paper stuck in the window...

Not so apparently, but those who are more likely to take a chance without a piece of paper in the window are guess what?


...........................................taking a chance.

How surprising is that

[TooMany2cvs]

Monkeylegend said:

Not so apparently, but those who are more likely to take a chance without a piece of paper in the window are guess what?

...........................................taking a chance.

How surprising is that

Because a colourful piece of paper is such high security in these days of cheap, high-res colour laser printers.

When the average new car's annual VED got to £30, that piece of paper becomes a large part of the cost.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

It's such a scam isn't it.
You sell a car mid month - so you loose that months tax. The new buyer has to tax from the first of that month. So there's an overlap of one month.
The Government get an extra month of tax for nothing.

But as you can see from the responses above - people are perfectly happy with this arrangement.
So OP - just do as your told like a good little citizen and stop complaining.

If you post the new keeper supplement chances are it won't show up for a week or so, and the new buyer should get away with it and he can tax it next month. The new buyer will just keep checking the tax status of the vehicle on-line. If you do it on-line, it'll show up as untaxed straight away.
Make sure you print a signed/dated receipt.

[TooMany2cvs]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

It's such a scam isn't it.

No, not really.

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

You sell a car mid month - so you loose that months tax.

You needed to pay that month's tax anyway, because you had the car on the road. You've lost nothing.

Before: You sold the car with the tax on, you got no refund.
Now: You get a refund of all complete remaining months.

Dr Doofensmirtz said:

The new buyer has to tax from the first of that month.

Just as he always had to do if buying an untaxed car. Most used cars were sold untaxed before the change, because they were in the trade, and traders have never had their stock taxed.

And all this over just £2.50 for a month's tax on the average new car in 2016.