Vehicles with zero road tax

[Murdoch]

Last year my son bought a car with zero road fund licence charge .... all good you think

so 14 months later, a chance comment from a mate today, alerts him to check the tax status on the DVLA ..... and discovered that his car is showing as having no road tax, and would be subject to a fine if caught by the Police

so, no reminder from the DVLA ....hum 

having now read the DVLA guidance, he needs to apply for road tax each year, complete the form, at zero cost ....

the DVLA have a very effective MOT reminder email service, but nothing for road tax ..... or are they deliberately trying to increase revenues by not reminding people?

if you have one of these zero rated tax vehicles, check the status is my advice

 

[Geoff1946]

I wonder if you could put it on a standing order/direct debit for a few pence. That’s how mine is “remembered “, except it’s more than a few pence.

 

[ProDave]

My Landrover is on £0 Historic vehicle road tax.

I get a tax reminder each year, and I go online and "pay" my £0.  At the same time I tick the box to self declare it meets the requirements to also be MOT exempt.

 

[Murdoch]

My Landrover is on £0 Historic vehicle road tax.

I get a tax reminder each year, and I go online and "pay" my £0.  At the same time I tick the box to self declare it meets the requirements to also be MOT exempt.

He's not received one

I wish they would reintroduce tax discs ........ they got rd of them to save money and its estimated that the number of people not paying it has doubled - so a cost saving NOT

 

[ProDave]

He's not received one

I wish they would reintroduce tax discs ........ they got rd of them to save money and its estimated that the number of people not paying it has doubled - so a cost saving NOT

But the fines when you go through an ANPR camera will make up for the lost revenue.

 

[Evans Electric]

At the same time I tick the box to self declare it meets the requirements to also be MOT exempt.

Dave , how come its exempt from MOT ? .  I understand the historic vehicle status  but it could have faulty brakes or bald tyres. 

 

[Murdoch]

But the fines when you go through an ANPR camera will make up for the lost revenue.

That's assuming these vehicles are registered properly ......... and cloning is a big issue these days

 

[Murdoch]

I may just buy my son one of these:

http://www.taxdiscreminder.com/

Or use this for free!

https://www.freeroadtaxreminder.com/

 

[Andy™]

just wait a few more years, they wont be tax exempt. government will loose too much

 

[Phoenix]

Dave , how come its exempt from MOT ? .  I understand the historic vehicle status  but it could have faulty brakes or bald tyres. 

I was supprised by the same thing when I first heard of it, I think it must be a combination of:

1. A 'classic' is not likely to do many miles a year and the owner is likely to want to keep well on top of any maintenance.

2. Cars arn't tested against all the requirements in the latest standards, i.e. theres get outs for older vehicles ref things like seatbelts, etc. I think that maybe not so much with 70's vehicles, but certainly those from a few decades before, is that a lot of MOT testers wouldn't be able to test them correctly.

3. Its always been like that, and until there is a high profile case where a classic car that was MOT exxempt, but would have failed one if it had one, rolls into the middle of a school and injures fifty million children, there is little incentive to change it.

I don't think classics are anything over 25 years old anymore though?, I think in the late 90s, the goverment fixed it where it was at that time and stopped it moving forward? Possibly in '98, so fixed at anything older than '73, where-as it would be '94 now, which I guess sounds too new for classic status, perhaps they should have made it drag out to 40 years, rather than freezing in time, so leave it at '73 until 2014 then start advancing one year at a time again

 

[ProDave]

The age for "historic vehicle" £0 road tax is now 40 years old.  When it was first introduced it was indeed only 25 years, but it was a fixed date so effectively the qualifying age got older each year.  It was some time later (when it reached 40 years I guess) that they made the date a rolling date.  So e.g 1980 vehicles become £0 tax from next year.

I think it was 2 years ago they also made the MOT exemption a rolling 40 years, same as the £0 tax.  But that only applies to vehicles that are substantially original.  There is a list of modifications you can do and still be MOT exempt but not a lot. It has to have the original drive train for example, though you are allowed to upgrade the brakes.

When my Landrover used to go for an MOT, there was so little that actually needed testing that it took him about 20 minutes to test it. He then put the kettle on and we drank tea, waiting for the MOT computer to tick up to 45 minutes before it would allow you to log a pass.

 

[binky]

I may just buy my son one of these:

http://www.taxdiscreminder.com/

Or use this for free!

https://www.freeroadtaxreminder.com/

just mark it on your calendar for the next few years, or if you use an on-line calender mark it on that to repeat every year with a weeks notice.

 

[Murdoch]

just mark it on your calendar for the next few years, or if you use an on-line calender mark it on that to repeat every year with a weeks notice.

I do that with the van and the misses car - not sure I should be doing it for a 20 year old!

 

[binky]

tell him to sort it himself then  :^O