UK Road Tax Law
American expatriates who are planning on shipping their privately owned vehicles, which is also known as POV to the United Kingdom, or if they purchase a new vehicle while they are visiting the United Kingdom then they will have to follow all of the road laws and regulations in order to be able to drive the car in the United Kingdom legally. An important aspect of the United Kingdom law, which refers to motorists is that they must obtain road tax for every vehicle that they have registered with the DVLA which stands for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
In order to be able to tax your vehicle so that it may be driven on the roads of the United Kingdom individuals have to be able to complete a V11 reminder or a V10 which is a Vehicle license application. If individuals use a V10 they also have to complete a registration certificate, which is known as the V5C. The V62 form, which is an application for a vehicle registration certificate V5C has to be completed if an individual does not have a registration certificate for their vehicle. Any vehicle that is 3 years old or older has to be MOT’d. The MOT test certificate has to be presented at the same time that you apply for your road tax. In addition to having this, individuals must also have insurance that they deem to be sufficient which covers third party claims that result from a death or injury along with property damage that is caused by the vehicle. The price of the road tax will depend on the size of the vehicle’s engine, its age, CO2 emission, and a variety of other factors. Individuals are able to purchase road tax for six months or for an entire year.
Individuals are required to clearly display their road tax disc on the vehicle’s windscreen, which is located on the passenger side. Motorcycles that do not possess a windscreen have to display the road tax disc on the vehicle’s curb side. Individuals are not allowed remove the road tax disc and place it on another vehicle. Every vehicle that is registered has to have its own disc.
Car owners will be subject to road tax evasion penalties unless their car has been declared SORN which stands for Statutory off Road Notification. Regular computer checks are conducted by the DVLA on all vehicles that are registered in the United Kingdom. They also perform roadside checks so that vehicles that do not display a road tax disc that is valid can be identified. If individuals who have an invalid road tax or no road tax are caught they could possibly face a £80 penalty along with an additional fine that will be a minimum of £1000. Along with being held responsible for the penalties an individual’s vehicle may also be clamped, impounded, or worse crushed due to not being able to provide proof of having road tax.
If an individual has a disability exemption, then they may not be required to pay road tax in the United Kingdom. If an individual believes that they may qualify for this exemption, then they can check with the DVLA in order to be certain.