New Road Tax Rules

[Crank]

Could someone clarify the new rules on taxing a used car. I have been looking at cheap Alfa,s with a long MOT on e-bay but we now have to tax a car when ownership is transferred. Does this have to be done before we can drive it home, as that is how I interpret the new rules. So do I have to buy the car and then find a post office where I can hand over the log book ( or whatever they call the piece of paper that now passes for a log book) with my new owner details on it and tax the car before I can drive it home ? Or can you sort that out after you have got back home ?

[Veesix75]

You can do it online, last time I bought a car I taxed it at the chaps house on his wifi, but smart phone will do.

You can also do the log book online now, but bizarrely only between 8am and 6pm.

The dvla wins, as they get overlap road tax from you doing it the day you buy the car, but only refund the seller for complete months outstanding , so it's covered twice for a short period.......tossers.

[Crank]

as I don't have an I phone and the last time I tried to use my credit card on my sons lap top it would not make the payment as the IP address was wrong. I think I have a problem. Unless its legal to drive the car back and tax it when you get home ?

[junior]

I forgot to tax a car one day and just taxed it when I got home. After all they cannot now do you for not displaying it.

Perhaps you could get the chap you buy it off to do it and pay them in cash if your rather worried.

Regards.

[PETROLHEAD]

Unless the current tax has already been submitted for any full remaining months to be refunded to the owner, the tax isnt administrated at all until triggered by the receipt of the v5 log changing the ownership/tax liability to the new keeper,

So you're almost always covered for at least the journey home after doing a deal on the drive anyway.

Its a farce really, because why would the current keeper untax the vehicle until the day its gone anyway and risk having an unlicensed vehicle in their possession and possibly parked on the road?

Dvla usual level of intelligence applied! Lol!

[Crank]

Interesting. So have you done this and had no problems after driving home and sending off the reg doc with the correct date of sale the next day, or handing it over at the post office ?

[Veesix75]

Shrew is correct, it's when the current owner sends in the log book that the tax refund process is triggered. So if he posts it than it takes a few days. If done online it sets the process off.

So long as you are insured and it the previous owner doesn't do it online as you leave the door you should be fine driving home.

[Simonsud]

I've had the same thing on two cars resently you can't tax a car that is already taxed so until dvla has prosesed the log book and made you the new owner and refunded the previous owner the outstanding tax , you can then tax it online or at the post office .If the vehicle is sorn then as long as it's moted and you have insurance you can tax it instantly and drive it home