How do I find out whether my car has taxes?

Posted on 9 January, 2024 by Garth Lee

Road tax transfer

The UK has a booming second-hand car market, but it's a little more complicated because you can't transfer an automobile's tax to a new owner.

Purchasing a vehicle

When you purchase an automobile from someone else, the taxes that have already been paid on it end when you become the new owner. Even if they wanted to, the person selling you the car couldn't give you the unused tax if there were still months left on it.  Therefore, even if you purchase a car, complete a vehicle registration check, verify the tax status, and the owner certifies that the vehicle is taxed for the upcoming three months, you still need to purchase tax for the vehicle and do so prior to driving it away. Thankfully, the ability to pay your auto tax online has made this much simpler. It's also important to note that a lot of motor dealers can tax the car on your behalf.

Selling a vehicle with a higher tax

It is always necessary to notify the DVLA when you sell an automobile. Sending off the pertinent page from your logbook is how you accomplish this. If you don't do this, you could be slammed by a 1000pounds fine. The good news is that you will receive a refund for any unpaid taxes upon selling the car if you have paid your annual taxes in advance.

Vehicles exempt from taxes

In the UK, certain car models are free from paying taxes, but this does not imply you should disregard it. It is still necessary to tax cars, even those that are legally exempt from paying road tax. Bewildered? You're not the only one who feels that way says scrap my car Rochdale.

In the event that you fail to register your car as taxed, you will be subject to a substantial fine. However, some cars are exempt from paying taxes, therefore they are not required to. For this reason, if any of the following apply, you are exempt from paying any money to have your car taxed:

Used by a disabled driver: When applying for an automobile tax exemption, disabled drivers can specify their disability.

carries people with disabilities: This is mostly for organisations and carers that take disabled passengers on frequent trips.

Mobility scooters: Since they aren't considered cars, they are only allowed to travel at 8 mph on public highways and 4 mph on designated routes. Wheelchairs with power are included in this category.

Historic vehicles: If your automobile is older, it's worth checking to see if it's exempt from road tax. Any vehicle manufactured before January 1st, 1980 is not subject to road tax.

Electric Cars: Electric vehicles, which are becoming more and more common each year, are free from road tax as long as they run on electricity from an external source or storage battery and don't require a constant power source. Although they're not quite as ubiquitous as electric vehicles, the same is true for steam-powered vehicles! Road tax is an expense for hybrid vehicles, however it will typically be far lower than for a car powered by petrol or diesel built after 1st January 1980.

Some vehicles are also exempted from paying road tax, including vehicles employed in forestry and agriculture. It's important to keep in mind, though, that exemption from road tax does not absolve you of the requirement to register for the tax. Even if you are exempt from paying, you will still need to register your vehicle as taxable. Therefore, if you use your car on a public road, even if it is free from tax, you still need to register it as such.

Inconsistencies with the road tax

There are intrinsic inconsistencies in the vehicle tax system, which is another reason why it's crucial to determine whether a vehicle is taxable. That's mostly because of the significant modifications made to the system and the cars that our nation purchases during the past 20 years.

The largest inconsistency has to do with ageing. According to the RAC, one automobile manufactured in the 1970s emits almost 50 times as much hazardous emissions as 50 recently manufactured cars. Naturally, a vehicle manufactured in the 1970s is not required to pay road tax. Therefore, despite the fact that hybrid cars have far lower emissions than conventional cars, you will still pay more in road tax than someone who drives an Austin Allegro or Ford Escort from the 1970s, even though such vehicles are less fuel-efficient.

In the UK, your car must be taxed in order for you to drive it on public roads. The age, make, and condition of your car as well as your personal preferences will determine whether you have to pay for taxes or if they are free says scrap my car Rochdale.

But there's no reason to risk being caught without that mandatory tax when it's so easy to search for details about road taxes.