Taxing car at Post Office

ro1892

I may need to tax a car I'm buying at the Post Office rather than online as with the insurance change, it may not make it onto MID in time (and from what I understand the online tax service checks MID and won't let you tax it if it doesn't appear on there).

Just wondering what documents I will need. I assume new keep slip from the v5, insurance certificate and MOT certificate?

Will a copy of the insurance certificate printed by me be ok as my documents are online only?

What about the MOT, do I need the physical certificate or can the Post Office check electronically when taxing it?

TadleyBaggie

You haven’t had to show proof of insurance to tax a car for several years (except in Northern Ireland). 

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You can tax it online. The online system only checks for a valid MOT on the day the tax starts.

Since Continuous insurance (or SORN) came in they don't care if it is insured when you tax it, as this cancels any SORN and they can look to prosecute for no insurance automatically and possibly bring in a few more £££ for the Treasury.

ro1892

Thanks for the replies. Not sure where I got the idea that the online tax system checked the car was insured. I'm wondering if it used to years ago, or if I'm maybe getting confused with MOT

fatbelly

You just need the long number from the green slip that the vendor will be giving you. Taxing online is then very easy

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ro1892 said:

Thanks for the replies. Not sure where I got the idea that the online tax system checked the car was insured. I'm wondering if it used to years ago, or if I'm maybe getting confused with MOT

Before Continuous Insurance/SORN became Law the vehicle had to have insurance and MOT on the day the tax started. You had to take both to the Post Office (or you could post them off and you got them back with the tax disc, but that was in the days of clerks with pencils behind their ears, not computers- now they'd just lose it all). I don't remember if you could tax online before then.