Car tax and selling car

ssjcox

Hi,
My father died on Xmas day, my sister has filled in the tell us once form online.
But we seem to be in abit of confusion about car tax.
We want to sell his car ASAP.
I have read that car tax basically ends when the person dies... the car is sat on my driveway, where my friend is going to MOT and then help us sell it.
Do we need to tax it before we sell it?
Looking at the DVLA info, for us to tax the car we need send of part of the vehicle reg document off, but then we won’t have the document to give to someone who wants to buy it?
My dad is still the registered keeper.

Keep_pedalling

If the car is to be taken on the road it has to be taxed, if you are keeping it off road until it is sold it needs to be SORN.

https://www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement/keeping-the-vehicle

Yorkshireman99

ssjcox wrote: »

Hi,
My father died on Xmas day, my sister has filled in the tell us once form online.
But we seem to be in abit of confusion about car tax.
We want to sell his car ASAP.
I have read that car tax basically ends when the person dies... the car is sat on my driveway, where my friend is going to MOT and then help us sell it.
Do we need to tax it before we sell it?
Looking at the DVLA info, for us to tax the car we need send of part of the vehicle reg document off, but then we won’t have the document to give to someone who wants to buy it?
My dad is still the registered keeper.

Best to talk to the DVLA or check their website for details.

getmore4less

How long do you think it will take to sell?

If your friend is in the trade he could take it on while it is being sold that might be easier if people will need to test drive it.

If that is not an option then you may need to transfer it to you first

https://www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement/selling-the-vehicle

ssjcox

It’s quite confusing as to tax it I have to be the registered owner which I am not. So I have to write to the DVLA and then include the green form from the vehicle reg, which means we cannot sell the car as the forms have gone to DVLA?
DVLA site only mentions selling a car, after death, nothing about taxing it.

Bigphil1474

OP, It may still be taxed if he has only recently died. You can check whether the vehicle is currently taxed on https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax You don't have to tax it to sell it - if you are advertising it, say that it is untaxed in the advert. A new owner has to tax it anyway as road tax is no longer transferred on. I'd be surprised if they cancel the road tax when you notify that the RK has died otherwise there may be an offence as they wouldn't know it's on your drive.


If it's not taxed, you could sell it from your drive and SORN it as in #2. SORN is just an off road notification so they know no road tax is needed (as long as it's kept off the road). If you must tax it, then you should be able to tax it from the new keeper slip on the log book (green bit I think). You don't have to be the registered keeper to tax it, as it is common for someone to buy a car and need to tax it straight away. You would send that in and transfer RK to you - bit of a hassle if you are looking to get rid of it quickly. All depends on the value of the car. If it has some value, worth sorting out the tax as a buyer will probably want to test drive. If it's not worth much, then if you advertise it, just advertise it as currently SORN or untaxed.

Yorkshireman99

ssjcox wrote: »

It’s quite confusing as to tax it I have to be the registered owner which I am not. So I have to write to the DVLA and then include the green form from the vehicle reg, which means we cannot sell the car as the forms have gone to DVLA?
DVLA site only mentions selling a car, after death, nothing about taxing it.

Why not phone the DVLA and ask them? They can give you chapter and verse. Insurance lapse upon death but not tax. However tax can’t be transferred and you can claim any unexpired amount which is an estate asset.

nom_de_plume

What's the car's likely worth? Is it a fairly new car or something a bit older? Just wondering so we can get an idea of how much time and effort it's going to be worth putting into selling it. Also when was it last taxed and insured?

The car should be SORN'd if not taxed, MOT'd and / or insured. It can legally be driven on the road without tax (but would need insurance) to and from a pre booked MOT but that's all. If you do SORN the car, any potential buyer would be unable to legally test drive it.

Is the car currently kept off the public highway, e.g. on a driveway or similar?

onomatopoeia99

There is some info here that may be of help:


https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/oct/20/dvla-car-tax-death-deceased-insurance


Basically get on and sell it straight away, or get the likes of we buy any car to take it for less aggro, and less money.

nom_de_plume

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

or get the likes of we buy any car to take it for less aggro, and less money.

I sold a car which was registered in my wife's name to one of their competitors and they wanted both her presence and her photo ID to complete the sale despite my being the legal owner of the car. She was simply the registered keeper. I'm not sure how they would deal with a sale like this.

Yorkshireman99

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

There is some info here that may be of help:


https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/oct/20/dvla-car-tax-death-deceased-insurance


Basically get on and sell it straight away, or get the likes of we buy any car to take it for less aggro, and less money.

These companies will expect proof of ownership and the documentation.