Reply to: New road tax rules a PITA

[quackhandle]

Not that 'classic'.

Classic enough to get classic car insurance but not classic enough to get free tax. Its a 1986 mini.

Ah, I get ya. I did that with my MK2 Gti for two years I only paid 137 per year, of course it was garaged. Then someone twigged and it went up to 350py.

qh

[psychocandy]

Historic vehicle duty is free (1972 or older) so why claim a refund for something that is free? Or have I read your post wrong?

qh

Not that 'classic'.

Classic enough to get classic car insurance but not classic enough to get free tax. Its a 1986 mini.

[quackhandle]

So going back to the bit about classic cars.
Can you still declare sorn and get refund on tax (Even though theres no physical tax disc now)?

Wife has got classic car which she just uses in summer. In the past, its insured all year but then in April, but 12 months, just before end sept get refund and declare sorn. repeat next year.

Historic vehicle duty is free (1972 or older) so why claim a refund for something that is free? Or have I read your post wrong?

qh

[Old Greg]

Can a 1978 Datsun Cherry really be considered a classic car?

It can when the rear half is a Ford Cortina.

[barrydidit]

Wife has got classic car which she just uses in summer.

Can a 1978 Datsun Cherry really be considered a classic car?

[psychocandy]

So going back to the bit about classic cars.
Can you still declare sorn and get refund on tax (Even though theres no physical tax disc now)?

Wife has got classic car which she just uses in summer. In the past, its insured all year but then in April, but 12 months, just before end sept get refund and declare sorn. repeat next year.

[darmstadt]

Can't you just buy your tax disc and MOT down the pub like in the good old days?

[BrilloPad]

Yes it's all possible to do given extra delay but they are removing flexibility from the system. No long rock up and get the car but have another level of bureaucracy to deal with. Why force the tax to be taken off the car just to put it back on again? It's not for our benefit. Someone please point out what's great about this change, because I'm missing it.

Agreed. But its the same in every area of life these days.

[ZARDOZ]

As already mentioned:

• The phone service operates 24/7, as does the online service;
  
  
• There is no longer any need to prove insurance cover.

Yeah, sorry, just seen that post.

Bloody hell! They are going to allow people to tax cars without checking the insurance? I suppose now everything relies on ANPR an uninsured driver won't even attempt to get road tax.

It's looking increasingly like a fudge. I'm still not seeing the benefit for the motorist the main grumble being the removal of any unlapsed tax.

[NickFitz]

Getting the insurance is pretty simple and immediate. Will this be?
Say you phone up, the system checks the MOT and insurance databases but the insurance details have not yet updated (like the ANPR system lags). Now you have to find a post office and get a cover note and hope they are open and they dont do electronic checks. Perhaps this can't happen?

You take the insurance out from 1pm on a Saturday and pick the car up, when do you tax it? You either have to mess about the other end and hope its on the system, or buy the car and not transfer the ownership until you can. There doesn't seem to be any grace period for change of tax. Perhaps you can pre-tax someone's car that doesn't belong to you? That's a big leap of faith.

Yes it's all possible to do given extra delay but they are removing flexibility from the system. No long rock up and get the car but have another level of bureaucracy to deal with. Why force the tax to be taken off the car just to put it back on again? It's not for our benefit. Someone please point out what's great about this change, because I'm missing it.

As already mentioned:

• The phone service operates 24/7, as does the online service;
  
  
• There is no longer any need to prove insurance cover.

[ZARDOZ]

If there is no tax disc, how do you know as a buyer that the car is taxed or not?

If the system is changed so that it is your responsibility to tax the car, then there is no doubt anywhere in the process - you know whether you have taxed it or not. You can tax it online or over the phone 24x7 so there is no excuse not to have it taxed, and you know that it is done.

That is what they have decided to do, so thats the fudge required. What was wrong with the old system? You can tax the car online now or at a post office the disc itself and the reminder letter were sufficient reminders and you'll still need that reminder for subsequent tax.
Taxing at time of used car purchase is just another hassle at a time when you have enough to deal with.
What's the benefit? So far the negatives I see are loss of 'Free Tax' and hassle, which may or may not impact on your ability to drive the car immediately

[Contreras]

Are you sure, or does it say you can drive any car you don't own? Because the latter is the norm.

... and only if the legal owner *does* have valid insurance on the vehicle.

Check if a vehicle is taxed:
https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

Check if a vehicle is insured:
askMID

[TheFaQQer]

Why force the tax to be taken off the car just to put it back on again? It's not for our benefit.

If there is no tax disc, how do you know as a buyer that the car is taxed or not?

If the system is changed so that it is your responsibility to tax the car, then there is no doubt anywhere in the process - you know whether you have taxed it or not. You can tax it online or over the phone 24x7 so there is no excuse not to have it taxed, and you know that it is done.

[ZARDOZ]

When you notify DVLA of the change of ownership (which has always been a legal requirement) they will automatically give you the refund, so you don't need to do any more than you already do.

When buying, you can get the tax online, at the Post Office, or by phone. The phone and online options are (or will be) available 24/7. If the new owner can't manage to sort out the tax by one of those methods, they're not going to be able to sort out insurance either, so they shouldn't be on the road in the first place.

Source: Vehicle tax changes at www.gov.uk.

Getting the insurance is pretty simple and immediate. Will this be?
Say you phone up, the system checks the MOT and insurance databases but the insurance details have not yet updated (like the ANPR system lags). Now you have to find a post office and get a cover note and hope they are open and they dont do electronic checks. Perhaps this can't happen?

You take the insurance out from 1pm on a Saturday and pick the car up, when do you tax it? You either have to mess about the other end and hope its on the system, or buy the car and not transfer the ownership until you can. There doesn't seem to be any grace period for change of tax. Perhaps you can pre-tax someone's car that doesn't belong to you? That's a big leap of faith.

Yes it's all possible to do given extra delay but they are removing flexibility from the system. No long rock up and get the car but have another level of bureaucracy to deal with. Why force the tax to be taken off the car just to put it back on again? It's not for our benefit. Someone please point out what's great about this change, because I'm missing it.

[BolshieBastard]

Whoosh!

No, I gather you just 'scrabble about' for those documents when you get a producer or the like or maybe want to be seen as green and go 'paperless' instead?

Myself I prefer to have the hardcopy even though I dont need to produce it to tax the cars. Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!