How To Tax Your Car Online

Everything You Need to Know to Tax Your Vehicle with the DVLA

How to Tax Your Vehicle

Taxing your vehicle is a legal requirement and we’ll show you exactly how to tax your vehicle with the DVLA online in just a few minutes.

If you received a V11 or ‘last chance’ reminder, you will want to tax your car now to avoid any fines. In this article we will also cover how to renew your road tax online.

As we know, in 2014 the DVLA (Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency) made transferring road tax non-transferable.

You can renew your road tax or your SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) on the DVLA’s website.

There are currently over 1.5 million drivers in the UK with the incorrect address on their driving licence. This is something which the DVLA can fine you up to £1,000. So, if you have moved home or changed address you can update the DVLA here.

And with that in mind, let’s explore how to tax your vehicle.

You can tax your car online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year online.

You can tax your car both online and offline.

To tax your vehicle you will need one a reference number from one of the following:

– Your Vehicle Log Book (V5C) which is in your name
– Your green ‘new keeper’s slip’ (new keeper’s supplement V5C/2) from the log book if you just bought the car
– A recent reminder (V11) or even your ‘last chance reminder letter from the DVLA

Once you have one of those, you can both renew or buy car tax online by going through to this part of the Government’s website.

If you have sold your car you can find out how to tell the DVLA about your vehicle sale here.

You can also buy road tax by going into the Post Office. Simply take your V5C, new keeper’s slip or V11. You will need to know the payment sum also. If you go into the Post Office to buy road tax you will need to take a valid MOT certificate.

How to Renew Your Vehicle Tax

If you’re on a DD (Direct Debit) for vehicle car tax you do not need to contact the DVLA to renew your vehicle tax.

Once your MOT has been completed on your vehicle, the DVLA will be updated automatically.

Don’t tax your vehicle again or you will be charged twice.

The DVLA will contact you if your vehicles tax will have run out before your MOT is due. That is why it’s very important to make sure you update your address with the DVLA.

Do I Need to Tax My Car During Lockdown?

The bottom line is that everything is exactly the same as before the Corona Virus lockdown. However, there may be an opportunity for you to save money.

You need to tax your vehicle during lockdown, but if you don’t have to pay tax because you’re not driving you can save some cash.

So, if you have private land and won’t be using your car you can actually SORN your vehicle and pocket the cash.

Remember though, if you caught driving your car without vehicle tax you can be fined up to £1,000 by the DVLA.

With the lockdown currently restricting our travel to ‘essential only’ travel more and more people won’t be using their vehicle. If applying for a SORN makes sense for you, that’s great.

You will still need to insure the vehicle, however.

100% electric cars don’t need to pay any car tax so there would be no point in getting a SORN.

Can I Tax My Car If My MOT Is Overdue?

The rule (pre COVID-19) was that you need a full and valid MOT certificate to tax your car. You cannot tax your car without it.

That said, the Government has made changes to support garages throughout the UK during lockdown for economic reasons.

During the lockdown car owners have been given a six-month extension on their MOT. This is only available if your MOT was due between the 30th March and 31st July 2020.

Of course, this applies to you, you should still continue to tax your car meanwhile.

How do I tax my car online?

You can tax your car online by following the portal above. You will need some documentation and means with which to pay for the road tax. Once on DD you do not need to tax your car again.

If you are taxing your car it’s important to check if your licence has expired. You will be able to see this on your driving licence (typically 10 years). If your licence has expired, you will need to renew your driving licence also.

Here is a helpful tutorial for how to tax your car online. This may be helpful if you’d like a step-by-step guide.

Vehicle Tax & DVLA

In addition to knowing how to tax your car online, there are even more useful resources, such as getting your provisional driving licence, to help you streamline your experience with the DVLA. And, being on SlothMove there are even more resources on making your home move as simple as possible. SlothMove can help you update your address across all of your account automatically and set-up your new home – success. We also make your home life easier, not just updating the DVLA. Feel free to take a look around the site and see how we can help.

Also, make sure you go ahead and check out Slothmove’s DVLA guide.