Help - fine from DVLA re no road tax!

Kazzabell29

I have just arrived home from a very long day. Basically, my hubby and I went to pick up a new van today and only found out when we got there that it was untaxed.

Obviously, as it is Sunday there was no way for us to tax the vehicle and we had just travelled 220 miles to pick the van up so we were left with the choice of either travelling all the way home empty handed or risking it (we have never before had an untaxed vehicle and are completely law abiding citizens). I know that we should have checked that the vehicle was road legal prior to setting off to pick it up, but we also feel that the seller had some kind of obligation to let us know as he was aware of the distance that we were travelling and that there would have been no way for us to tax it being a Sunday etc...

Anyway, the vehicle was mot'd and insured, but sods luck we got pulled over on the motorway and fined £260 (which we had to pay immediately or would have had it seized).

Was told that we could claim £160 back but was given no further information and cannot find anything on the DVLA website and tbh, feel extremely short changed as it there was any way of taxing the vehicle then we would have done it.

Is there some kind of appeals process or anything else that we can do......and how exactly do we get our £160 back???

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

wealdroam

Did the person (police, vosa, dvla?) give you a receipt? Surely there are details on it about how to reclaim anything, aren't there?

Not much help now, but with the previous owner's help, perhaps you could have taxed it online before you left for home.

:beer:

marmitedog

I feel for you, I was in the same situation once and risked it and got away with it.

Your grievance should be aimed at the seller though, rather than the authorities.

ScottishSapper

Was told that we could claim £160 back

The £160 will be a surety (deposit) and will be refunded if you Tax the vehicle within 2 weeks.

I think you were unlucky, as for appealing, you could try to appeal to DVLA but I dont have much faith in being successful.

The DVLA site has no info on getting caught driving, it's mainly if you have been clamped.
Have a read HERE

You’ll get an automatic penalty of £80, as well as paying for a new tax disc.
You could also get a County Court Judgment against you, and be fined a minimum of £1,000.

jackieb

Kazzabell29 wrote: »

I have just arrived home from a very long day. Basically, my hubby and I went to pick up a new van today and only found out when we got there that it was untaxed.

Obviously, as it is Sunday there was no way for us to tax the vehicle and we had just travelled 220 miles to pick the van up so we were left with the choice of either travelling all the way home empty handed or risking it (we have never before had an untaxed vehicle and are completely law abiding citizens). I know that we should have checked that the vehicle was road legal prior to setting off to pick it up, but we also feel that the seller had some kind of obligation to let us know as he was aware of the distance that we were travelling and that there would have been no way for us to tax it being a Sunday etc...

Anyway, the vehicle was mot'd and insured, but sods luck we got pulled over on the motorway and fined £260 (which we had to pay immediately or would have had it seized).

Was told that we could claim £160 back but was given no further information and cannot find anything on the DVLA website and tbh, feel extremely short changed as it there was any way of taxing the vehicle then we would have done it.

Is there some kind of appeals process or anything else that we can do......and how exactly do we get our £160 back???

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

It does sound unfair but your insurance would've been void as you'd no MOT.

Rolandtheroadie

marmitedog and jackieb !!!!!! are you pair on?

1. The sellers SOLD!!!!! the vehicle, it has absolutely nothing to do with them whatsoever.
2. It WAS mot'd.
3. No mot DOES NOT INVALIDATE INSURANCE.

jackieb

scotsman4th wrote: »

marmitedog and jackieb !!!!!! are you pair on?

1. The sellers SOLD!!!!! the vehicle, it has absolutely nothing to do with them whatsoever.
2. It WAS mot'd.
3. No mot DOES NOT INVALIDATE INSURANCE.

Sorry, I meant no road tax, not no MOT.

Rolandtheroadie

I dont believe lack of road tax will invalidate insurance either.
If it did, all posts about being prosecuted/fined with no road tax (non endorsable) would be more bothered about the 6 point minimum for no insurance.

jackieb

My mistake then. Sorry.

forgotmyname

It was untaxed you knew that & took the risk as you said, It didnt pay off and has been an expensive lesson.

Its hard to get away with motoring offences these days.

Our local post office opens sundays as do many others, Helps spread out the saturday rush for people getting road tax.

Unlucky.

davemorton

A post office opening on a Sunday, you must be lucky, I have never heard of any opening here on a Sunday. :-(