Car tax due.....can i be a week late

Debt_Free_Chick

across wrote:

you dont need to worry about a week dvla say you have about 2 weeks grace though we have always paid ours day before because we were always under impression we could not get to work in car if we didnt!!my next door neighbour was three months late with theirs it didnt seem to bother them! she reckoned she hadnt even noticed it was due!!!!! talk about insulting my intelligence!!!!!!!!!!! this is why the rest of us pay so much! they also hadnt even registered the car and theyd driven it for well over a year!
i would recommend you ring dvla for peace of mind as they are very helpful look at the dvla.gov website for a number and info. good luck!

I'm sorry to have to repeat this, but you do not have 2 weeks grace. DVLA may not check that you have a license for 2 weeks, but that does mean that you can drive around without one. Firstly, you are committing an offence by not displaying a valid licence (tax disc), so you could be nabbed and fined by the Police. Secondly, you have probably invalidated your insurance.

This two week thing is part urban myth and part misunderstanding. Since January 2004 you are required, at all times, to either display a valid tax disc or to be covered by the SORN.

When the DVLA say "you're OK for 2 weeks" what they mean is that they won't hit you with the automatic £80 penalty. They don't tell you, however, that you cannot drive the vehicle or even keep it on the highway.

Regards

Debt_Free_Chick

amazon_spice wrote:

Can you get Car Tax stamps?

TY.

No, but you can buy Post Office Stamps and use these to pay for your car tax, if you renew it at a post office.

Wig

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

I'm sorry to have to repeat this, but you do not have 2 weeks grace. DVLA may not check that you have a license for 2 weeks, but that does mean that you can drive around without one. Firstly, you are committing an offence by not displaying a valid licence (tax disc), so you could be nabbed and fined by the Police. Secondly, you have probably invalidated your insurance.

This two week thing is part urban myth and part misunderstanding. Since January 2004 you are required, at all times, to either display a valid tax disc or to be covered by the SORN.



When the DVLA say "you're OK for 2 weeks" what they mean is that they won't hit you with the automatic £80 penalty. They don't tell you, however, that you cannot drive the vehicle or even keep it on the highway.

Regards

Sorry to have to repeat this, but no-one is talking about driving the car, indeed, most advices have said you cannot be late *and* have your car on the road.

You can be late within the first month and not recieve a fine this is not misunderstanding, this is not urban myth, this is how the DVLA tell you how it is if you phone them up and ask them. They only go after people who are untaxed into the second month, i.e. not got a tax disk to run from when the old one expired.

1 week ok
2 weeks ok
3 weeks ok
4 weeks (28 days) ok (but pushing your luck)

Belles

I'm late for my tax, but my car has failed it's mot so I can't get one. Car has valid insurance docs, and I'm not driving it.

I'm storing it on the road (no garage) as I am selling it this week, and hoping that it will be picked up this wknd, so it will be my untaxed responsibility for 3-4 days.

From what your saying it sounds like I should be ok, what do you think

Wig

No, you should declare it SORN, it is only 'ok' if you back date the tax to the expiry date, which by the sounds of it you won't be doing.

I have sent you a PM top of the page small blue print on the right hand side underneath where it says "welcome, Belles".

Debt_Free_Chick

Wig wrote:

Sorry to have to repeat this, but no-one is talking about driving the car, indeed, most advices have said you cannot be late *and* have your car on the road.

'fraid they were in the post to which I replied, as they referred to getting to work in a car, with no valid tax disc.

Anyway, I think we're agreeing :j

:beer:

impy78

BFG wrote:

I believe you're wrong, your insurance is still valid ie you cannot be done by the police for not having insurance (coz you've got a policy).

happy to be corrected if someone knows different.

Your insurance policy is void if your vehicle is not legal to be driven for any reason, be it no tax disc, no mot, a ban or any other reason.

We have to have this rule as otherwise we we would be an accessory to your driving illegally, which we can't do, obviously.

So you would be driving uninsured, and the police WILL do you for driving uninsured.

Watch traffic cops - they're always explaining this on there.

Any way, there is a clause on your motor insurance certificate stating that.

Wig

impy78 wrote:

Your insurance policy is void if your vehicle is not legal to be driven for any reason, be it no tax disc, no mot, a ban or any other reason.

This is rubbish, **unless** it specifically states it within your insurance policy.

BFG_2

Wig wrote:

This is rubbish, **unless** it specifically states it within your insurance policy.

Even then I believe it is only void as reagrds them paying YOU (the policyholder). It is still considered valid with reference to 3rd party liabilities.

Eg You have a comprehensive policy which says 'void if over drink drive limit';
you crash into other car;
you are found to be over limit (and convicted in a court);
insurance will pay for 3rd party damage/injuries;
they will not pay for your damage;
they may actually sue you for the damages they have had to pay 3rd party.

Maybe someone who works in insurance can give us the definitive answer; until then we are all merely postulating hypotheses.

lin473

My son got an on the spot fine even though he had paid his car tax - because he had
forgotten to replace the old disc with the new one.
The old disc was only a few days out of date and he could prove he had paid his tax in time,but it made no difference.
An expensive lesson for him.
I would rather not risk it even if it means borrowing the money to pay on time.