Road Tax, MOT, Insurance - What to Remember if You Own a Car
Owning a car is a complicated business. You need to think about road tax, insurance, MOTs. But what exactly does the law say, and what happens if you get it wrong?
Road tax - you need a valid tax disc to avoid a fine
If you're driving or storing your car on a public road you need to pay road tax (also known as vehicle tax or car tax). To show that your tax is up to date you need to display a valid tax disc in your front window. Road tax can be renewed 6-monthly or yearly, depending how much you want to pay at one time.
Renewing your tax disc should be straightforward - you should receive a reminder form in the post about 2 weeks before your current disc runs out. You can use a reference number from this form to renew at a post office, online or on the phone. If you don't have a renewal reminder, you will need a reference number from your car registration certificate.
In order to renew your road tax, you also need a valid MOT certificate (if your car is over 3 years old) and valid insurance. This is normally done by showing certificates at the post office, or can be checked on a computer if you renew online or on the phone.
If you are the registered owner of a car, you are responsible for paying road tax, so you must tell the DVLA if you sell or scrap your car. If you decide to keep your car off the road for sometime, you must make a SORN declaration (Statutory Off Road Notification).
It is almost impossible not to pay road tax now, if you are the registered owner of a car. The DVLA does monthly checks for untaxed cars and will send you an £80 fine within 4-6 weeks of your tax running out. The fine is reduced to £40 if you pay within a month, but can increase to £1000 if you continue to drive without a valid tax disc, and your car may be clamped.
When you order a new tax disc you can backdate it by 14 days, so if you are a little late renewing you can avoid a fine, as long as there is no gap between the two tax discs. However, you musn't use your car on the road before you receive the new disc.
The only time you can drive a car without valid tax is if you are unable to renew your tax because your MOT has run out. Then you can drive your car to a pre-booked MOT test.
MOT - you need a valid MOT certificate if your car is over 3 years old
If your car is over 3 years old you need to get an MOT, and renew the certificate every year. It is illegal to drive without an MOT (you can be fined up to £1000 if caught), and you cannot renew your road tax without a valid MOT certificate.
The only time you can drive without an MOT is to a pre-booked MOT test. The MOT system is currently becoming computerised, so police patrol cars can check on specific cars.
You are most likely to get in trouble for not having an MOT if you're involved in a crash. You may have problems with the insurance company - check your policy to see if your car requires a valid MOT for the insurance to be valid. Most policies require the car to be ‘roadworthy' for insurance to be valid, but of course a valid MOT does not necessarily mean the car is roadworthy at the time of the accident.
MOTs are renewed yearly, although you can go to the garage for a test at any time. If you go for the MOT less than a month before your old certificate runs out, the new certificate will start after the old one runs out (ie. your new MOT will last slightly over one year). At any other time, the new MOT certificate will be dated from the day of the test.
Insurance - third party insurance is a legal requirement
It is illegal to drive a car without at least third party insurance. This insures against claims by other drivers but does not insure you or your vehicle (you need comprehensive cover for this). You will be unable to renew your road tax unless you have at least third party insurance.
If you are caught driving without insurance there are serious penalties - you will be fined and get points on your licence. It is also possible that your car can be seized and you may face prosecution.
Common problems - forgetting your MOT
If you are a registered car owner, you need to have insurance and keep your tax and MOT up to date. The most common problem is forgetting to renew your MOT certificate until you find you cannot renew your road tax. Many people set up some kind of MOT reminder to make sure this doesn't happen. Try searching for ‘MOT reminder' online to find a service that will email you.
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Date Added: Sunday 11th October 2009
"my mot was 4days out of date and i was in a accident, with broken bones in hospital i have to tel my insurance but not sure what will happen can any body tell me"
p morgan
Date Added: Tuesday 1st September 2009
"I spent all day looking for my cover note because I like so many failed to read the litle leaflet that comes with the tax reminder. "If you prefer to tax in the last few days of the month, there is now an exemption from the offence of not displaying a tax disc. This exemption covers the first five working days of the month and allows time for the new disc to arrive in the post. The exemption only applies if applications are made before the current tax disc or SORN expires." They can check online that your insured if you buy the disk online. You can check you are on that insurance system by putting yr reg in www.askmid.com. Hope this helps. "
D
Date Added: Wednesday 26th August 2009
"Hi, I need to get my road tax as it runs out on 30 Aug but I havent received my new insurance docs yet. My current insurance runs out on 31 Aug. Can I use this one to get my tax or do I need my new certificate please?"
Joanne
Date Added: Tuesday 11th August 2009
"Can I get car tax with provisional insurance?"
Michael Jarvis
Date Added: Friday 7th August 2009
"I got MOT, insurance and small green paper from seller. Is that enough to buy a tax disc?"
Dom
Date Added: Monday 27th July 2009
"If your car is taxed, insured and MOT'd but you are waiting for your Tax disk to come in the post, can you get done for driving your car without displaying a valid tax disk???"
Me
Date Added: Thursday 16th July 2009
"If i tax my car over the phone but go on holiday before the new disc arrives am i still covered to drive my car while i am away."
c whittingham
Date Added: Sunday 28th June 2009
"i need to tax my vehicle as my new insurance starts on the 1st of july 2009 but i just recently bought my vehicle and my log book has not come back yet and i want to avoid waiting 6 weeks until it does, and i don't have the green slip, is their anyway i can tax it ? "
ryan fleming
Date Added: Sunday 7th June 2009
"cant find m-o-t cert do i need it to buy car tax on line
Admin: You don't need the actual cert as it knows if you car has one in date - at least we didn't
"
copey
Date Added: Saturday 9th May 2009
"So, by the looks of things....if you want to buy a car with NO tax.....how do you get tax on it until you'v insured yourself?....details and paperwork come through the post 3-4 days later....what do i do with the car, where should i put it if its not legal to keep on the road...i have nowhere else for it to go as im a student and have no relatives in the area to keep it in a garage....
really stupid if you ask me...if you need to be insured, surely you could print off an email of confirmation so you could then get it taxed....??
Please help...i want a car, but i don't wana get my ass fined by the fed's....esp if i knew what i was doing in the first place..."
Blake Sealey
Date Added: Thursday 2nd April 2009
"Hey i need help ! I bought my car not to long ago it's still in the last owners name as i haven't sent off the log book yet. Does that affect me getting tax ? Also i have no insurance on the car as i haven't passed my test yet its on monday ( no i haven't been driving it ) But i've been told i can get temporary insurance for a day, can you get tax with temporary insurance? This is all so confusing :o( HEEELLLPPPP x"
Confubbled !
Date Added: Thursday 2nd April 2009
"Thank You what i read about MOT and Road tax was really helpful so thank you for making life much easier for people like me. "
Mohamad
Date Added: Wednesday 1st April 2009
"I cant fnd an answer on this so any advice would be great! I have to tax my second car which is registered in my name, I drive this car on third party ony as Im fully comp on my family car. Hpw can I tax my second car on third party insurance? Can I use the cert I have for my family car?"
Glora
Date Added: Tuesday 31st March 2009
"today my tax rd will run out ang i lose my insurance certificate i went to post office they didnt help me also i cant order online because from last week i moved from current address and its to far from my new address, i rang to insurance to change my address and they will send me certificate 2days time .and i dont know what to do "
saman
Date Added: Saturday 7th March 2009
"If only it was that easy!! My daughter's tax was due for renewal at the end of February. Unfortunately she has recently moved back in with us after splitting with her boyfriend of 3 years. During the move all of her documents have been lost!! I have contacted DVLA and they advised that provided she has a dulpicate MOT and copy insurance certificate she would be able to renew at the nearest DVLA centre - wrong - They would not accept a copy of the Insurance Certificate, they need an original cover note or duplicate certificate, and a letter from us saying that she now lives with us. Of course this is all well and good but in the meantime the tax disc has expired and being a self-employed cleaner she need a vehicle. I managed to find an old renewal notification, but once again they would not accept this. I'm amazed that they cannot access their records to see that Insurance and MOT are in place and with proof of ID why they cannot issue the bloody certificate. Do you have any thoughts on this."
Sally Page
Date Added: Tuesday 10th February 2009
"Can someone else tax my car on there insurance, i just bought my car today and bought my insurance online so have to wait three days for my insurance documents, i have also had the dealer put it through its mot, im just wondering can my mate tax my car he is insured to drive any car pleasssse help im extremly confused have been told loads of different thing"
jboddd
Date Added: Saturday 31st January 2009
"This does not answer my particular problem. I have bought a second hand car that has not been taxed for two years and is currently registered as owned by a dealer. I have the MOT and log book. The Log book shows one lady mobility owner and not my name and address, so |I cant renew by phone or on line as the disc would be sent to the registered owner. I am insured but do not yet have the certificate or cover note so cannot renew at a post office. I do have evidence of insurance but only as an e mail from my insurance. company. I can't see how it is possible for me to buy a tax disc but I am breaking the law if I don't."
Geoff
Date Added: Thursday 22nd January 2009
"To the individual who hasnt had an MOT for three years how have you been taxing your car? Also you are uninsured (a car without valid MOT automatically invalidates the insurance policy) so just be thankfull that you didnt have an accident during that time and expect a large fine and points from the Policy when the court summons appears. Ignorance is no defence, get a lawyer. Better still get a bus pass and leave driving to us legally insured drivers. "
Thames Valley Police
Date Added: Sunday 4th January 2009
"I drove my car with no M O T for 3 years and now the police have found out. i went to the station to try to explain i forgot to renew but they weren't interested. How can I convince them otherwise as both myself and my wife are very upset over this."
concerned
Date Added: Tuesday 25th November 2008
"My car is out of tax and mot, I booked it into a garage for the mot, but, it got clamped the day before the mot test, as I was preparing the car for mot on a public road. On the day of the MOT I decided it would be a good idea to saw the clamp of myself because I could not afford the £260 release fee AND mot AND tax, this aroused attention from my neighbours as the grinder I used to hack into the clamp was extremly noisey. The Police were called, they did a check on my car and realised it was uninsured so decided to impound it (The clamp was still on by the way). Because my car was booked for the MOT the same day they impounded it (because of it being uninsured) did they have the legal right to do this? Thanks! "
mark
Date Added: Saturday 22nd November 2008
"I need to know if I need mot if my car is off road? so the page failed to answer my question :("
sunny
Date Added: Wednesday 15th October 2008
"i was looking on information on how to move the vec without any tax or an mot. in order to get the vec mot'd?"
thomas morrison
Date Added: Wednesday 24th September 2008
"This information is very useful. today i am going for mot without road tax. I also need one more information that if i am fully comp insured as second driver on a car can i drive another car (friend's car)."
Nabeel
Date Added: Wednesday 2nd April 2008
"I'm waiting for a cheque to come for me to tax my car. tax ran out 3days ago, can i still drive my car? "
worried
Date Added: Sunday 9th December 2007
"my car was stolen off my drive and it didnt have a mot on it.It did have insurance and tax. Am i covered with the insurance"
hollieben@supanet.com