If the system flags up a vehicle as being untaxed and not declared SORN, an automated letter and fine of £80 will be sent to your address if you're the registered keeper. You won't get any points on your licence though.
What's the price of driving without car tax in the UK? If you're caught driving an untaxed vehicle in the UK, you're usually looking at an £80 fine. If you don't pay that fine, you could be taken to court, where the fine can go up to as high as £1,000. The DVLA might also clamp your car until the fine is paid in full.
How much do you get fined if you don't pay car tax?
If you do not do anything
You'll be fined £80 if you do not tax your vehicle or tell DVLA that it's off the road. You'll also have to pay for the time it was not taxed. If you do not pay your fine on time your vehicle could be clamped or crushed, or your details passed to a debt collection agency.
If you do not tax your vehicle, you could find your vehicle clamped or impounded. You could also face financial penalties or court action. So, remember to tax your vehicle on time - it's never been easier! In this blog, we tackle several of the biggest myths about vehicle tax.
When you can drive your vehicle. You can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to go to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. You could face court prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 if you use it on the road for any other reason.
If you are caught driving without an MOT or road tax you could face a penalty fine. The only time you can drive an untaxed car is when driving to a pre-booked MOT.
Your car is SORN for as long as you want - there's no time limit. The SORN is removed as soon as you tax the car. If you buy a car that has a SORN, you need to apply for a new SORN under your own name if you want to keep it off the road. The SORN status doesn't transfer automatically from one owner to the next.
It is not possible to get a temporary road tax in the UK. The UK government requires you to pay car tax for either 6 months or 12 months. However, car tax can be paid whilst using temporary car insurance.
If the vehicle is out of road tax for more than two months and two days we can remove the vehicle as untaxed. You can check the current road tax status of a vehicle on the DVLA website.
From today (2 August 2023), motorists can opt for digital vehicle tax reminders rather than having to wait for a paper reminder to drop through their letter box. The change comes as part of DVLA's new Driver and vehicles account service, which launches on GOV.UK today.
These are called ANPR cameras, which stands for Automatic Number Plate Recognition. These cameras can be fixed or mobile and can catch motorists driving without valid tax, insurance and MOT.
If we seize a vehicle which has been driven whilst untaxed, we will take it to a police pound. To reclaim your vehicle you must go to the pound with the following: the V5C Registration Document for the vehicle. evidence that you have re-taxed the vehicle – Post Office receipt or DVLA website receipt.
What about tax when test driving a car? In order not to expose yourself to the chance of a fine, the vehicle you're test driving must be taxed. If it's a used vehicle you're buying privately and it's taxed in the owner's name, that's fine as long as you're insured for it.
The DVLA is responsible for untaxed vehicles. If you are aware of a vehicle where the following circumstances apply, the vehicle should be reported directly to the DVLA. You can use the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service to find out what information is held on its database about a vehicle.
The number of untaxed vehicles on the road has slowly risen in 2021. Some 1.9% of vehicles (up from 1.6% in 2019) were unlicensed over the past year. The figure is equivalent to 719,000 untaxed vehicles representing a potential £119 million loss in revenue.
Can I drive my car without tax while waiting for logbook?
While waiting for the new V5 to arrive, you can still tax the vehicle by using the 11-digit reference number from the car's registration certificate (V5C/2). It is crucial to tax the car promptly to avoid driving without road tax, as this can lead to penalties and fines.
What will happen to the vehicle? Don't expect it to be instantly scooped up and taken away, in many cases the vehicle will be clamped and a notice attached to it. If nothing happens after a set period of time, it's likely the vehicle will be removed and possibly scrapped.
The police, the local council or the DVLA can clamp and tow away cars or other vehicles parked illegally on roads or public land. The DVLA can act when it has the lawful authority to do so if a car is untaxed - unless it's on your own property.
You should contact your local police station by calling 101 and asking for your local police, or call NSL to find out where it's been taken. You can pay a 'surety' (deposit) if you don't tax the vehicle before you get it released. It costs £160 for cars or motorcycles, and up to £700 for other vehicles.
You can tax your car online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year online. You can tax your car both online and offline. To tax your vehicle you will need one a reference number from one of the following: – Your Vehicle Log Book (V5C) which is in your name.
A late licensing penalty (LLP) letter is issued automatically. LLP set at £80 reduced to £40 if paid within 33 days. If the penalty is not paid, the case will be referred to a debt collection agency. If you pay by Direct Debit and fail to make the payment, DVLA may stop you from using this payment method in the future.
As soon as you've had confirmation that your car is taxed you can drive it. You can choose to tax your car up to 2 months in advance to be on the safe side. You can also renew your tax over the phone or at the post office. You'll need your V11 reminder or your V5C if you want to renew your tax.
Unfortunately the DVLA does not extend a grace period once your tax has lapsed. You must SORN your vehicle immediately. The DVLA runs constant checks, cross-referencing untaxed vehicles with the national insurance database which will also flag-up those without cover.
You must keep a SORN car on land that is privately owned. This could be a garage, driveway or even a garden. Garages and lockups are normally preferred since this keeps the car protected from the effects of the elements and theft. You can't keep it on public land like the road outside your house.
Once you've got a SORN for your vehicle, you can only drive it on a public road to go to and from a pre-booked MOT appointment. Be aware that if you attempt to do so outside of this, then you could end up in court and fined up to £2,500.
