Why Should You Check Your Car’s Tax History?

December 23, 2021 by Zoe Hicks – 11 mins read

A car check can be one of the most essential matters you do earlier than shopping for a new used car. If you are certainly searching for a speedy affirmation on a vehicle’s tax, you can run a free car tax history check and take a look through the DVLA site and a few different providers.

That’s why a car tax history check is perhaps the most vital step in the used vehicle shopping process. Skip it, and you may also be missing out on a lot that you have bargained for. If you’re not careful, you may also unwittingly quit the sufferer of a used vehicle scam.

As the vehicle tax guidelines were modified over the years, the paper discs ended up being phased out. Now you no longer want to wait for one of those paper discs to show in your car. Instead, a digital database has changed all of this. Where the historic paper-based machine allowed for a 5-day grace duration to permit for your tax disc arriving in the post, you now want to make sure the automobile you have simply sold is taxed earlier than you take it away.

If you are searching to take a look at a car being sold by a private owner, you will nevertheless want legitimate road tax. Yes, that’s right, even though it’s just a check drive, you must want to test if a car has been taxed as you will be taking it out onto the road.

Up till 2014, conducting a car tax history check would have made sense. That’s due to the fact that automobile tax could be transferred from one owner to another. Later new regulations came into effect and the car tax should no longer be transferred with ownership. Instead, the DVLA now refunds any months of unused vehicle tax to the preceding owner, as soon as it’s exchanged hands. That means all used vehicles bought in the UK now come untaxed and you no longer want to take a look at car tax history when shopping for a used vehicle. That being said, it’s worth checking on car tax history later.

Why a car history check?

A car check is an examination of a car’s historical past carried out to discover any lacking info now not furnished through the seller. It goes by many names, which includes a registration check, MOT check, and a DVLA vehicle test. The simplest type of automobile check is an MOT record and car tax history check. It provides overall details of a car’s service history but there are some other factors that this doesn’t cover. As the car is handed over from hand to hand some of the details may be covered up if it was once stolen, written off, outstanding finance, etc. in trying to make extra money. A complete check can expose all of this.

Why do we need a Car Tax History Check? Why is it important?

You can do the car tax history check and find up-to-date car tax status. If you take a look at the result and if it is expired then the car may also be registered off the road as SORN.

Vehicle Tax is important for all motors in the UK and needs to be paid properly. Picking the right car can have the main impact on your tax costs, which is why getting a car tax history check on a used automobile can be useful. 

Picking a low-tax automobile is well worth it and better. More people will decide to purchase it. If a used automobile is sold recently and is not used for a period then it can be applied for a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN), for not being taxed. It is essential to let DVLA understand that the automobile is being stored off-road.

A car tax history test can assist recognize Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), which depends upon automobile age, engine measurement, and CO2 emissions. Since April 2017 it depends upon the vehicle’s charge when new, as well.

The CO2 emission determined for your car will exist in the V5C. It should be measured even on account that the UK rules deemed it necessary. DVLA stopped issuing paper tax discs from 1 October 2014. 

Getting a car tax history test report helps you to understand more about the used car and makes it less difficult to negotiate the deal for a fee from the dealer. Check if the automobile is taxed to keep away from needless fines, don’t lose your car. Get an automobile tax test earlier than investing in a used car. Thus by using the registration number and heading over to the record part helps you to recognize the tax due date and avoid problems in the future where you get a free record giving you all the important points you want to recognize about the used vehicle in an overview. If you prefer a targeted report, then head for a full car check and unveil vital checks like outstanding finance, written-off records, etc.

How does car check help in negotiations?

Car assessments are the remarkable equalizer of the negotiation process. They will inform you precisely what you want to comprehend so you can put ahead to the fairest fee possible. In addition to that this will assist you to make the proper decision. That’s due to the fact some used vehicles simply aren’t well worth the money, or the trouble they would possibly get to you. 

Is car tax identical to MOT?

If you are using or parking your vehicle on a road, you want to pay car tax which is also recognized as road tax or vehicle tax. To renew your tax, you additionally want a legitimate MOT certificate if your vehicle is over three years old and legitimate insurance.

Car Tax and MOT check

You are allowed to drive to an MOT check without tax, however, this solely applies if you have a pre-booked appointment. You are now not allowed to stop on your ride to the MOT check centre. You can’t renew your vehicle tax except for a legitimate MOT.

Taxing after a SORN declaration

If you are not using your car and it is kept off the road, then you can apply for a SORN declaration. These SORN declarations are best for drivers who are no longer taking their car.

Transfer of Car Tax for a used car

Car tax can’t be transferred from one person to another. For example, if you buy a used car, you will want to make certain that the new car tax is bought earlier than leaving the premises. Remember, vehicles taxed can be bought online. If you are shopping for a vehicle from a dealership, the dealership will be capable to assist you to sort the car tax earlier than you drive. Please note, like the car tax, you will additionally want to have a legitimate insurance plan for the car.

 How to Claim back car tax?

If a used car is sold, you should make certain that you have notified the DVLA. After you have despatched the V5C form to the DVLA, they will then be able to refund you any car tax you are owed, if you bought the vehicle tax for a year.

Can you drive without car tax?

If you drive your car without car tax you will be fined. Initially, you will get a hold of £80 if you are using a vehicle that hasn’t been taxed or declared as a SORN. If you do no longer pay the car tax first-class within 28 days, you should be fined greater heavily, doubtlessly up to £1,000. APNR is equipped for all police cars. ANPR stands for Automatic Number Plate Recognition and these cameras scan vehicles; these scans are then mechanically positioned into the DVLA database.

How long can you tax your car?

You can tax your car for six or twelve months. If you solely take your car for a short period, you can apply for a car tax refund. This can be achieved through the Government website.

Are you allowed to drive without car tax?

You must recognize when your vehicle tax is due. You can run a car tax history check. Besides automobile maintenance, there are three principal matters that you need to recognize about your vehicle. You need to understand when your MOT is due. It is unlawful to take your car except for an MOT, so you must get an MOT test booked earlier than your MOT expiry date. 

It is also unlawful to drive without automobile insurance. Generally, a vehicle insurance plan will be for 12 months and this can both be paid month-to-month or in one lump sum. There is additionally a choice to buy a vehicle insurance plan on a day-by-day basis.

Finally, you will additionally want to make certain that your car is taxed. To test if your automobile is taxed, this car tax history check can be performed online. As for checking if a vehicle is taxed, you can additionally purchase new car tax if your tax has both expired, or you have bought a used car. 

Car tax is simply one of the expenses you will have to budget for a year. The amount you pay relies upon many factors, mostly when the automobile was once registered, plus both its engine dimension and CO2 emissions.

Why are these assessments important?

The MoT and car tax history checker can discover a car’s past. Using simple detective skills, a vehicle which used to be examined three years in the past with a mileage of 87,000 however examined this year with solely 34,000 on the clock suggests something has gone wrong. There may want to be a true reason, however, it at least gives you data and questions you can ask the owner when inspecting a car.

There have additionally been a few revisions to the MoT checking procedure recently. For drivers of more modern vehicles, defects determined in an MoT check are now classified differently. ‘Dangerous’ is an automatic failure, commonly consisting of a fault which is an immediate risk to road protection and the environment. ‘Major’ is additionally an automated failure – normally trouble which must be repaired immediately. ‘Minor’ will be recorded as an advisory and consequently the car will pass, though it is a top practice to display the fault.

 If your car is greater than three years old, you can’t take it except an MoT unless you are on the way to a pre-booked MoT appointment in any other case, you may additionally be fined up to £1,000. However, as of 20 May 2018, most motors over forty years old don’t want an MoT certificate.

Remember, it’s good to comprehend when your MoT, car tax history, and insurance plan and so get it done through an online service if you don’t know. So all this valid information is beneficial to motoring records and that is solely a few clicks away.

Importance of Car Tax Check and Evasion by DVLA

It’s the first phase of a wider marketing campaign concentrated on the eleven areas of the UK where automobile tax evasion is highest. As a challenging work, DVLA is on the roads every day, giving advertisements and marketing in every one of the areas along with the radio, printed publications, poster sites, websites, and on social media. All of these things to do collectively are designed to make the driving public to be aware once more about the taxing and car tax history of their vehicle.

There without a doubt is no excuse now not to tax. You have the facility to tax your car on Gov. Website for 24hours a day and if you don’t know when your car tax is due, you can check your car tax history online, all you need is the car registration number. All you want is your automobile registration.

 The latest Roadside Survey, which has been carried out at 256 websites throughout the UK every two years on account of that 2011, confirmed 98.4% of individuals had been doing the proper thing. This used to be greater than the preceding survey, however, that means that 1.6% of keepers throughout the UK are no longer taxing their vehicles.

Taxing is now not a complex system. It is very easy to do and it can be completed online in simply a few clicks, so why would every person threaten to drop their car and pay fines? There are additional picks to pay for your tax month-to-month by using Direct Debit so there can’t be any excuse. 

Car Tax scams

Unfortunately, as car tax grew to be digital, there are several scams of car tax which are dramatically increased. The DVLA has said that they have viewed a current 20% increase in suspected car tax scams at some stage in 2019 – with 1,538 reviews issued between October and December that were associated with bogus texts, emails, or social media scams.

Often, cybercriminals target individuals suggesting they are owed a refund of vehicle tax. Since the automobile tax system is pretty complex, it’s no longer wonderful for people to locate themselves duped due to the fact they don’t recognize whether or not the data are correct. Be aware of this fact and run a car tax history check to find out the actual data of your car. 

Be Secure in your Car Tax Deal 

Ultimately, the very excellent way to continue to be protected when you are dealing with vehicle tax is to make certain you solely cope with your car tax history on trustable internet pages – and if you come throughout whatever you are now not a hundred percent assured is official, record it to the police by Action Fraud immediately.

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