Road TAX for 1 day?

Randvegeta

Hello All,

I'm currently abroad and left my car parked at my old home in the UK. It can no longer stay there safely and upon my return to the UK (will be there for 1 week) I will need to move it to my Grandparents, who will be looking after it for the foreseeable future.

Since my leaving the UK, the road tax has lapsed (July 31st) and I am now left with an untaxed vehicle and it is not SORN.

My grandparents live about 60 miles away from where the car is parked and I need only to drive it for 1 day. Insurance is something I won't chance and I am happy to pay for a 1-day insurance temp cover thing. What I'm not too keen on is paying 150 odd quid for a 6 month tax disc. I know I should be able to reclaim some tax back, but it will be only a partial refund at best, and it assumed I can claim it back in the time I have left in the UK (less than 1 week to get everything sorted).

Is it possible to buy a 1-day tax? Are there any legal ways to get from A-B without having to bare such an expense and inconvenience?

I know it legally needs to be taxed, but what happens if it isnt taxed? What can be done?

SuperHan

Just an aside - any car that isn't declared SORN should be taxed and insured. You're currently breaking the law if the car isn't either of these things.

Doesn't answer your question, more of an FYI. An untaxed vehicle can be clamped, towed and there is an automatic fine off £80 (which may already be on the way to you, along with a £100 fine for no insurance on a non-SORN vehicle)

blunther

You can claim back for any unpaid months. So you'd have to get a 6-month tax disk, and claim back the remaining months.

The catches are that you can only claim full months (so you'd only get five months, not five and a half or whatever), and it's worked out as if you bought a 12 month tax disk, so you'd get a little less back that you paid for it (as the cost per month on a 6-month is higher than that on a 12-month) - in which case it'd bizarrely work out better for you to buy a 12 month disk!

NeverEnough

No such thing as a one day tax disc, I am afraid. Its a minimum 6 months and you can send it in for a refund if you then want to SORN the car. You will either have to SORN the car if it is just to stand at your grandparents, or you will need to keep it insured if it is not SORNed, assuming someone is going to MOT it for you while you are away.

You could also get the car recovered to your grandparents on a car trailer, but the costs are likely to exceed the price of the tax disc.
If the insurance has run out and its not SORNed, you are likely to find amongst your mail a penalty notice for not having insurance........

Remember, it must be kept on private property, not the road or pavement, if it is SORNed and not insured.

Surely your grandparents can send you the refund for the tax disc if you are out of the country?

Not advocating this for a minute, but I suppose if the car at least has insurance, if you are caught with no tax disc, that will not invalidate your insurance and also carries a fine, worst case scenario.

Randvegeta

The insurance didn't run out per se. I cancelled it shortly after the tax expired since I knew I was not going to drive it.

The car is currently on private property so I'm not worried about being clamped. Perhaps it will be stolen? That's far more likely IMO.

As I understand, TAX refund is only made to the person who is on the V5 is it not? I am not on the V5.

Actually, the car has a bit of an odd car owner history. It was bought second hand and registered under my Dad's name when he bought it for my brother some 8 years ago. It was eventually put in my brother name, and then back to my Dad's name. I started driving it in 2010 but moved to HK and sold it to my friend in the UK so it was then in his name. I moved back to the UK, and my friend moved to Poland so I bought the car BACK off him. He gave me the V5 signed and everything. I have just neglected to send off the doc to put it in my name.

I wont be able to send it off until I'm back in the UK anyway. But can I simply buy the TAX disc, send in the V5 to get it under my name, and THEN ask for the partial refund? Any chance they will say no? If so, then I most certainly will NOT get the 12 months just in case I cannot recover it.

Finally, I am leaving it with my grandparents instead of selling it because there is a good chance my parents will move back to the UK in 6 months and will need a car. In which case the registered keeper will need to be changed yet again!

Should/could I simply put my Dad's name on now and still be able to claim the refund?

How are refund made any way? A cheque? Bank transfer?

Badger_Lady

Okay, so your friend in Poland is still the owner as far as DVLA is concerned (it was technically his job to send the V5 off). That means he will be getting the blame for the out-of-date tax disc and failure to insure, although he may well be unaware of this if he's left the country - the documents will presumably have been sent to his last known UK address (the one on the V5).

Unless the car has been SORN'd, you legally have to continue insuring it whether it's on the road or not. So since you left for HK you have failed to comply with the law. Or, technically, your friend in Poland has.

How recent is the MOT? Are you confident that it's still road-worthy? If so, I would get the one-day insurance and drive it to its new destination. A road-worthy vehicle with insurance can be driven without endangering yourself or anyone around you.

It does mean that you risk being spotted and fined for failure to display a valid tax disc. But you've already been running that risk to an extent while it was off-road, and to be honest it's a lower concern to any roaming patrol cars. You may be pulled over just because the insurance database won't have your one-day details on it in time, so make sure you have the certificate with you to show them and they'll send you on your way.

When you get to your grandparents' house:
- Send off the V5 to exhonorate your friend in Poland
- Declare the car SORN immediately - this is a priority to avoid getting into serious trouble in future

That's what I would do anyway.

System

The car is currently on private property so I'm not worried about being clamped. Perhaps it will be stolen? That's far more likely IMO.

The changes give them the right to enter private land and clamp/sieze uninsured vehicles that are not SORN'd

Randvegeta

It is most certainly road worthy. I was driving around Europe in it in June and July. I had the MOT done in June a month early so it is valid until July 2013.

TAX expired at the beginning of August. I cancelled my insurance shortly after (2 weeks ago?) I will be back in the UK in September.

I have no intention of driving without insurance, mainly because I do not want to pose a risk to the public. TAX is less of a moral issue for me. It just worries me I'll get caught and fined. If so, what is the fine?

When I get back, I plan to send off the V5 and declare off road while parked on private property.

I doubt anyone will come and enter my property to collect the car.

1. Its not parked at the address of which my insurance was registered, or at the address at the address on the V5 (since the V5 is still in my Friends name).

2. TAX expired in August. Are they really so quick to send out fines and collection trucks to make peoples lives so difficult?

Finally, the car has a sale value of approx 500GBP. Possibly less. It is worth a lot more to me and my family since it is a far better car than anything you can buy for 500 quid. And since we are all intimately familiar with it's history, we know exactly what's right and wrong with it.

If someone clamps/steals the car, I will be upset but it's just 500 quid worth. My friend is not English (or Polish) and has no intention of ever moving back so I don't think he cares too much. Not that I want my car to be clamped, stolen or crushed. It's my car, I love it like an old.. pet like thing. lol.

So recommendation by 1 seems to be, get back, buy 1 day insurance, forget the road tax, drive to grandparents (risk getting caught), send in the V5 and declare off road, then done! Sounds about right?

Badger_Lady

Randvegeta wrote: »

I have no intention of driving without insurance, mainly because I do not want to pose a risk to the public. TAX is less of a moral issue for me. It just worries me I'll get caught and fined. If so, what is the fine?

This bit: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/UntaxedVehicle/DG_4022059

They automatically fine 1 month after the tax lapses (in theory) so you'll be all right if you act very quickly. I read your OP as being "without tax or insurance since July" and to be honest I forgot we're still only in August :rotfl:

Randvegeta

I'm on the phone with DVLA now to get a SORN. Will deal with the 1 day insurance later :P

SuperHan

The fine for no tax is £80, but it will be sent to your friend who is on the V5... And if he doesn't pay then it'll get taken to court and the car will be clamped/detained.

The fine is £100 for no insurance - THIS IS NOT DRIVING WITH NO INSURANCE, IT'S FOR HAVING A CAR WITH NO INSURANCE. The law has changed so that even a car that isn't being driven has to be insured if it is not SORN, and the fines will be automatic again. This fine rises to £1000 if taken to court. This will be sent to your friend automatically also. You really need to tax/insure/declare SORN before the end of the month, or fines will be sent to the address on the V5. If your friend is no longer there, he could end up in a lot of trouble.