Can’t tax car

ripplyuk

I got my tax renewal reminder so I tried to do it online but it said it couldn’t find a valid MOT for my car. I rang the DVA and they said that there is still a TEC in force so there should be no problem taxing it. This TEC is showing as running out at the end of January but they said it would be automatically renewed until the end of March (which would be 12 mths since last MOT). The tax also runs out at the end of January. She advised me to ring the DVLA and ask them what the problem is. 

I’ve been trying multiple times a day, first thing in the morning until late afternoon but I still can’t get through. After all the menus, I just get an automated message saying that due to high call volume they can’t take my call at this time. Then it hangs up. 

What should I do? I live in a rural area and I don’t want to be stuck unable to drive because I can’t tax it. I’m in Northern Ireland if that makes any difference. I’m not eligible to book an MOT as they are only allowing certain vehicles right now. 

AdrianC

I was going to ask what this "TEC" was, but your mention of NI was the clue - a quick google suggest it's a purely local thing under the NI-specific test regime, initially due to the ramp fiasco, then Covid. That's a very different situation to the rest of the country. In GB, the Covid test extensions were six-month, and ended at the end of July, so the last valid extensions would also be the end of January - no use for purchasing tax needed from the start of Feb, like yours.

Is the car registered to your NI address?

ripplyuk

@AdrianC Yes, the car is registered to my address. 

AdrianC

I suspect your prob is that the TEC currently expires end Jan - so no use for taxing from start Feb. I also suspect there's a lot of people in the same boat over there - maybe the PO are familiar with the situation?

ripplyuk

AdrianC said:

I suspect your prob is that the TEC currently expires end Jan - so no use for taxing from start Feb. I also suspect there's a lot of people in the same boat over there - maybe the PO are familiar with the situation?

The lady at the post office said I’d need to bring an actual MOT certificate, which I don’t have since these TEC’s are applied automatically and no further paper copies were sent out. 

wongataa

You can go to the Government website and look at your MOT certificate and print it out.

ripplyuk

wongataa said:

You can go to the Government website and look at your MOT certificate and print it out.

When I check, it shows shows confirmation that I have tax and MOT and gives the dates but it doesn’t let me print an actual certificate. The problem is the current TEC runs out at the same time as the tax needs renewed, although the DVA said that shouldn’t matter. 

Flight3287462

You can not tax a car without a valid MOT, your MOT runs out last day in January, your VED is mot due until 1st February.

Go and get the car MOT'd and that will sort the problem.

AdrianC

Hunyani_Flight_825 said:

You can not tax a car without a valid MOT, your MOT runs out last day in January, your VED is mot due until 1st February.

Go and get the car MOT'd and that will sort the problem.

This is the short version, I suspect.

The TEC extension clearly isn't currently in place. We're in the very early days of January, and it's a situation that only applies in NI - so there's a small number of people going to be affected so far.

I'd shelve it for now, and try again nearer the end of the month. By then, it'll probably have resolved itself.

Jenni_D

OP says that the MOT (TEC) will be extended until the end of March but isn't showing as such yet. I presume this is because the current lockdown means new MOTs (TECs) can't be done at the moment? (The OP suggests that this is the case)

OP - can you wait until a few days before the end of the month and try again to tax your car? From what I've read the previous extensions to MOTs didn't show online until a few days before they were due to expire.

ripplyuk

Hunyani_Flight_825 said:

You can not tax a car without a valid MOT, your MOT runs out last day in January, your VED is mot due until 1st February.

Go and get the car MOT'd and that will sort the problem.

I can’t. Like I said, I’m not eligible to book one yet. They’re only allowing certain vehicles.