buying untaxed private car

BeenThroughItAll

Rover_Driver wrote: »

The car would only be exempt if it was for a compulsory test, which it would not be the case if there was a current certificate.

A test which must be taken on a regular basis is still compulsory whether it is needed at that moment or not...

Rover_Driver

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

A test which must be taken on a regular basis is still compulsory whether it is needed at that moment or not...

From Vehicles Excise & Registration Act 1994, Exempt Vehicles - Sch. 2, 22 (4):


'compulsory test means
in the case of a vehicle for which by virtue of section 66(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 a vehicle licence cannot be granted unless certain requirements are satisfied'.


If there is a current certificate, a vehicle licence could be issued.

abssorb

These days sellers need to keep their car taxed for this reason.

That said, the seller would receive the NIP, not you.

agrinnall

If, as seems quite likely, the situation is as Marty and Adrian have described, then the seller has not thought it through properly. What they should have done was SORN the new car and keep the old one on the road until it is sold. As it is now I think they are going to face a struggle to sell it unless they drop the price low enough to make it worth a buyer taking a risk to buy without road testing.

paulr70

Thanks for the responses. I passed on the car. He seemed confident of selling the car, probably to someone less clued up about the law.

Car_54

abssorb wrote: »

These days sellers need to keep their car taxed for this reason.

That said, the seller would receive the NIP, not you.

It is an offence both to use and to keep an unlicensed vehicle [Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, section 29(1)].

So both could be prosecuted.

BTW no NIP is required for that offence.

AdrianC

Car_54 wrote: »

It is an offence both to use and to keep an unlicensed vehicle [Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, section 29(1)].

UNLESS it's SORNed.

Billy_Bullocks

abssorb wrote: »

These days sellers need to keep their car taxed for this reason.

That said, the seller would receive the NIP, not you.

There's no requirement to nip for tax.

Car_54

AdrianC wrote: »

UNLESS it's SORNed.

OK, for completeness: It is an offence both to use and to keep an unlicensed vehicle on a public road [Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, section 29(1)].

And of course if it's SORNed it's unlicensed.

A public road in this context is one maintained at the public expense.

AdrianC

Car_54 wrote: »

OK, for completeness: It is an offence both to use and to keep an unlicensed vehicle on a public road

You'll appreciate that adding that makes a very big difference...

And of course if it's SORNed it's unlicensed.

Woah, no.

There are three possible VED statuses.
Licenced.
SORNed.
Unlicenced.

The last one of the three is always an offence.
The second one of the three is only an offence if the vehicle is somewhere that falls under the auspices of the RTA.

A public road in this context is one maintained at the public expense.

Again, no. The RTA applies anywhere there's an expectation of public vehicular access, whether or not it's adopted.