Avoiding (legally) a month’s road tax when buying a second hand car

On-the-coast

I wondered if I’d gone about this the right way...

I bought a very cheap second-hand car on Sunday 30th September
Transaction took place on my driveway (off the public road)
Seller used the online DVLA service to record the sale to me.

I wanted the tax to run from 1 October... so straight afterward, I entered the “i’ve bought a car” details on the DVLA website... and then choose to SORN it straight away (not wanting to be liable for taxing the car in September).
On Monday (today) 1st October I drove to a post office in a different car, handed over the V5/C slip and paid for a years road tax from 1 Oct.

Question:
If I hadn’t SORN’d the vehicle on the 30th, would i have been charged for September when i tried to pay for tax on Monday 1st of October? (Because technically the car was untaxed on the 30th if not SORN’d).

Note: it was annoying that i couldn’t use the online service today... because it takes around 5 days for the DVLA website to let you tax a car online after SORN.

Was i being obsessively careful... or did i just save £24?
Curious,
Thanks.

neilmcl

You definitely did do the right thing and potentially saved yourself a months tax payment. However this "trick" will only work if you comply with requirements of a SORN, as was the case with you. Not everyone has the ability to keep the car off road and have the seller deliver the car to their premises.

AdrianC

On-the-coast wrote: »

Question:
If I hadn’t SORN’d the vehicle on the 30th, would i have been charged for September when i tried to pay for tax on Monday 1st of October? (Because technically the car was untaxed on the 30th if not SORN’d).

No. You wouldn't have been able to backdate for September, even if you wanted to.

If you'd not SORNed or taxed for the period you were RK before 1st Oct, you'd have simply been in breach of the continuous licencing regs. Whether they'd have bothered prosecuting is another question.


You could have simply bought tax until the end of Sept 2019 on the last couple of days of September, though...

Rover_Driver

Check that the DVLA have not cancelled the licence when the SORN is processed.

GunJack

Rover_Driver wrote: »

Check that the DVLA have not cancelled the licence when the SORN is processed.

Yeah, got pulled over and asked about similar - I had bought the car and SORN'd it for around a fortnight, then taxed it online and started driving it. The SORN was only processed after I'd taxed it, hence showing the car as not taxed and SORNd (but wth no refund of the tax!!)

...Apparently it's a 3-4 week delay on processing a SORN declaration, and they don't check the tax status & date of SORN in conjunction with each other....barking!!

Jackmydad

What a complicated mess they've made of the system, to catch a few people who presumably won't pay anyway.
It really was too simple before, and you got a piece of paper to stick on the windscreen as a reminder.

neilmcl

AdrianC wrote: »

No. You wouldn't have been able to backdate for September, even if you wanted to.

If you'd not SORNed or taxed for the period you were RK before 1st Oct, you'd have simply been in breach of the continuous licencing regs. Whether they'd have bothered prosecuting is another question.


You could have simply bought tax until the end of Sept 2019 on the last couple of days of September, though...

You missed the point he was making. The OP didn't want to pay for tax that would've been dated from the 1st Sept when he only had a day or 2 left in that month. He did the correct thing and now has a full 12 months of road tax.

AdrianC

No, you missed mine...


On the last couple of days of a month, you can buy tax "from the next month".

Buy earlier in September, expires end next August.
Buy right at the very end of September, expires end next September.
Buy during October, expires end next September.


And, no, I'm not talking about renewal - you can do that for tax expiring end of September from 5th September.

On-the-coast

Thanks everyone,
some interesting points.

regarding <<On the last couple of days of a month, you can buy tax "from the next month".>>
I don't see how i could have done this... although it didn't try.
The car was in my possession and untaxed - because that's what happens when you transfer ownership.. the tax (rather unfairly IMO) is terminated.
I presumed that if i'd attempted to tax it on the 30th... I'd have been taxing it from 01 Sept, not 01 Oct.
If I could have selected the tax to run from 01 Oct then i just created unnecessary hassle for myself (although i probably should have checked before i ran the SORN).

Regarding the notes about SORN status being processed after taxing... that is more concerning.
I have in my possession a car that I've just paid £290 to tax for 12 months (yesterday).
however the DVLA MoT / Tax check service lists it today (2nd Oct) as MoT valid, Tax=SORN.

It's a little concerning to me what happens in a few days.... I'd assumed that the SORN status would be rapidly replaced by "taxed". It would be very frustrating to have the tax terminated. I will keep a copy of the Tax receipt in the car!

I can't be the only person to be in this quandary?
Although if buying a more expensive car you might not notice the odd month of tax.
to help explain my perspective, this was a "free" car from a relative. 2001 plate/140K on the clock. £24 of tax makes the difference between breaking even if i have to scrap in in a few weeks at MoT time.

AdrianC

On-the-coast wrote: »

regarding <<On the last couple of days of a month, you can buy tax "from the next month".>>
I don't see how i could have done this... although it didn't try.

Buy it online, it asks you what period you want the tax for.
Buy it in the PO, Mrs Miggins should ask.

the tax (rather unfairly IMO) is terminated.

It's four years since this changed.

GunJack

On-the-coast wrote: »

Regarding the notes about SORN status being processed after taxing... that is more concerning.
I have in my possession a car that I've just paid £290 to tax for 12 months (yesterday).
however the DVLA MoT / Tax check service lists it today (2nd Oct) as MoT valid, Tax=SORN.

Just phone the helpline, I did and they put it right during the phonecall