31 replies to this topic

[AVV IT]

I had my mini on sorn last year, insured it, took it for an mot, it passed, taxed it online using my phone at dinner time, collected it after work, drove it around, disc arrived, put it in, no problems. As long as you have a sign up saying tax in post you will be fine.

Not necessarily, there is a separate offence of failure to display a valid tax disc for which can carry a £200 fine and you can be convicted of regardless of whether or not the vehicle is actually taxed. There have even been cases of successful convictions where a valid tax disc has actually been in the car but had fallen off of the windscreen!

Edited by AVV IT, 27 September 2012 - 07:02 PM.

[Tamworthbay]

Thats what Im saying, you can drive around legally, the only reason you may get questioned is if your car is seen not displaying, but I have never had an issue with the "tax in post" because the database shows as taxed your usually ok. I ave always been ok. Weather the OP does this or not is their choice but its usually perfectly ok.

And no, I do not want him to get pulled, I am only giving my previous experience so he can make his own decision

From the DVLA website:

If you use the electronic vehicle licensing service or tax by post at the end of the month, there’s now an exemption for not displaying a tax disc. This exemption covers the first five working days of the month to allow time for the new disc to arrive in the post. While you are still waiting for your tax disc you will need to display your current tax disc. The exemption only applies if applications are made before the current tax disc or SORN expires

I am not having a go, but your experience is irrelevant, the law is clear on this. You MAY get lucky and have an understanding copper but do you want to take the chance? It is never OK, it's just that the chance of being pulled is slim so you are most likely to get away with but that is different from it being legal. As I said before, I would take a chance (as you did) as chances of getting pulled are slim, but if I got caught I would have no grounds for complaint. Up to the OP really, trailer or trade plates are best way though if not possible to get seller to tax it.

[myredmini]

I had my mini on sorn last year, insured it, took it for an mot, it passed, taxed it online using my phone at dinner time, collected it after work, drove it around, disc arrived, put it in, no problems. As long as you have a sign up saying tax in post you will be fine.

Not necessarily, there is a separate offence of failure to display a valid tax disc for which can carry a £200 fine and you can be convicted of regardless of whether or not the vehicle is actually taxed. There have even been cases of successful convictions where a valid tax disc has actually been in the car but had fallen off of the windscreen!

Ouch! Maybe I was lucky ?

Thanks for that info !

[minidaves]

tax disc online has a 5 day grace for it to arrive, but for sure i would not drive a car with no tax or insurance on the road now, anpr and police rules means you would not get it home.

[tomb1992]

i had this problem when i got my mini lived about 2 miles away so just went for it. if i was unlucky to get pulled im sure most officers will be kind as you can prove that you have just purchased it that day and your on your way to tax it. (was my dads Idea )

[myredmini]

Thats what Im saying, you can drive around legally, the only reason you may get questioned is if your car is seen not displaying, but I have never had an issue with the "tax in post" because the database shows as taxed your usually ok. I ave always been ok. Weather the OP does this or not is their choice but its usually perfectly ok.

And no, I do not want him to get pulled, I am only giving my previous experience so he can make his own decision

From the DVLA website:

If you use the electronic vehicle licensing service or tax by post at the end of the month, there’s now an exemption for not displaying a tax disc. This exemption covers the first five working days of the month to allow time for the new disc to arrive in the post. While you are still waiting for your tax disc you will need to display your current tax disc. The exemption only applies if applications are made before the current tax disc or SORN expires

I am not having a go, but your experience is irrelevant, the law is clear on this. You MAY get lucky and have an understanding copper but do you want to take the chance? It is never OK, it's just that the chance of being pulled is slim so you are most likely to get away with but that is different from it being legal. As I said before, I would take a chance (as you did) as chances of getting pulled are slim, but if I got caught I would have no grounds for complaint. Up to the OP really, trailer or trade plates are best way though if not possible to get seller to tax it.

I know your not having a go buddy, its just like a pub debate .. There is better ways of doing it. I was just unaware that they took it so seriously even though you have paid and just waiting for it too arrive.

[Tamworthbay]

Thats what Im saying, you can drive around legally, the only reason you may get questioned is if your car is seen not displaying, but I have never had an issue with the "tax in post" because the database shows as taxed your usually ok. I ave always been ok. Weather the OP does this or not is their choice but its usually perfectly ok.

And no, I do not want him to get pulled, I am only giving my previous experience so he can make his own decision

From the DVLA website:

If you use the electronic vehicle licensing service or tax by post at the end of the month, there’s now an exemption for not displaying a tax disc. This exemption covers the first five working days of the month to allow time for the new disc to arrive in the post. While you are still waiting for your tax disc you will need to display your current tax disc. The exemption only applies if applications are made before the current tax disc or SORN expires

I am not having a go, but your experience is irrelevant, the law is clear on this. You MAY get lucky and have an understanding copper but do you want to take the chance? It is never OK, it's just that the chance of being pulled is slim so you are most likely to get away with but that is different from it being legal. As I said before, I would take a chance (as you did) as chances of getting pulled are slim, but if I got caught I would have no grounds for complaint. Up to the OP really, trailer or trade plates are best way though if not possible to get seller to tax it.

I know your not having a go buddy, its just like a pub debate .. There is better ways of doing it. I was just unaware that they took it so seriously even though you have paid and just waiting for it too arrive.

It's a bloody joke really, they have a database the police can check but then say 'if you don't display it's a £200 fine mate'. Why? They seem to make the regs as difficult as possible so they have an excuse to get more cash out of people. Most people get lucky and I think if you were ok with the copper you would have to be unlucky to get done, but if they are down on their luck and need to improve their 'crime detection rate' then who knows.

[AVV IT]

It's a bloody joke really, they have a database the police can check but then say 'if you don't display it's a £200 fine mate'. Why? They seem to make the regs as difficult as possible so they have an excuse to get more cash out of people. Most people get lucky and I think if you were ok with the copper you would have to be unlucky to get done, but if they are down on their luck and need to improve their 'crime detection rate' then who knows.

Obviously the failure to display offence has been around since long before the ability to tax your vehicle on line has. Originally it existed so that the authorities could tell visibly which vehicles were actually taxed, and which were not, as they had no other way of checking at the time. I don't think its that regularly enforced any more, except where a traffic officer chooses to enforce it upon a particular driver to demonstrate a point. These days I think the main point of the offence is to get you to actually display the tax disc in the vehicle, otherwise with the online taxation system people just wouldn't bother taking it out of the envelope when it arrives in the post.There are also tax exempt vehicles such as pre 73 historic vehicles, fire engines, ambulances and certain disabled drivers, all of which are not actually required to pay road tax but are still legally required to display a valid tax disc.

Contrary to popular belief though, it generally costs more in administration costs to bring about a prosecution, than the authorities actually make back out of the fine. So the idea that it's a way of making money out of people really isn't the case.

Edited by AVV IT, 27 September 2012 - 07:37 PM.

[Tamworthbay]

It's a bloody joke really, they have a database the police can check but then say 'if you don't display it's a £200 fine mate'. Why? They seem to make the regs as difficult as possible so they have an excuse to get more cash out of people. Most people get lucky and I think if you were ok with the copper you would have to be unlucky to get done, but if they are down on their luck and need to improve their 'crime detection rate' then who knows.

Obviously the failure to display offence has been around since long before the ability to tax your vehicle on line has. Originally it existed so that the authorities could tell visibly which vehicles were actually taxed and which were not, as they had no other way of checking at the time. I don't think its that regularly enforced any more except where a traffic officer chooses to enforce it demonstrate a point. These days I think the main point of the offence is to get you to actually display the tax disc in the vehicle, otherwise with the online taxation system people just wouldn't bother taking it out of the envelope when it arrives in the post. Another example is tax exempt vehicles such as pre 73 historic vehicles, fire engines, ambulances and certain disabled drivers, all of which are not actually required to pay road tax but are still legally required to display a valid tax disc.

Contrary to popular belief though, it generally costs more in administration costs to bring about a prosecution, than the authorities actually make back out of the fine. So the idea that it's a way of making money out of people really isn't the case.

I understand its a fixed penalty offence and therefore the admin is minimal.

[AVV IT]

I understand its a fixed penalty offence and therefore the admin is minimal.

I've worked with the inefficiency of public sector administration for the last twenty years, & trust me there is no such thing as minimal administration costs!!

Even a fixed penalty involves detection of the offence, processing the details, serving a notice, monitoring for non payment, receiving payment, processing payment and the completion admin of each case. All of which will involve a number of different systems and departments that all carry massive overhead costs, I'd be surprised if any fixed penalty notice could actually be processed through to completion for under £500 per item.

[Tamworthbay]

So have I and the one thing I have learnt is that they need feeding, how do they feed? By the issue of tickets. I don't agree that they won't make on it though. It takes minimal effort to collect fixed penalties as long as people pay up quickly, once people refuse it gets expensive. That is why they often offer a cheap deal if you pay up quick - they know if you don't their profit margin is gone.

[lewBlew]

I thought traditionally if a Policeman catches you with no insurance or tax he would give you a producer (HORT1 form) which means you have 7 days to prove you have insurance and tax - valid on the day they caught you - at a Police station.

Nowadays I'm pretty sure they also have the option of towing away/impounding/crushing/belittling your car but I doubt that happens unless the fuzz is having a particularly bad day.

Think about all the abandonded, unroadworthy, uninsured, untaxed cars on our roads and how it can sometimes take months for the authorities to deal with them. It all depends on how lucky you are!

[myredmini]

I had insurance, mot and tax, just not received the disc in the post.

[M J W J]

The idea of making it that you have to have a vehicle insured or sorn didn't solve the problem of people driving around without insurance. It just made more people drive around without tax and selling a car is a damm sight more difficult now.

I have exactly this problem with my micra now. I have had loads of people ask me to tax it for them but I can't as I don't have it insured. You can tax a car with temporary insurance either.

[Bagpuss127]

Something to be aware of, in my home town of Barnsley, there are now loads of ANPR cameras mounted on lamp posts etc, the authorities are having a field day with untaxed, uninsured cars.
As has been posted earlier, so long as you have "bought" the tax on line, an automatic check will show the vehicle as being taxed even if it is not displayed.
It's just not worth trying to get away with an untaxed vehicle these days.
Just my 2 penneth.............