Motorists have been advised by The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to spend five minutes carrying out a simple tax to avoid a hefty fine.
The DVLA, who are responsible for licensing and registering drivers and vehicles in the UK, issued the alert to drivers on Monday, February 3 on X, previously known as Twitter.
In the social media post, DVLA officials urged drivers to set up a digital account. It read: “Set up your Driver and vehicles account on http://GOV.UK and you can choose to receive vehicle tax reminders by text or email.
“Do it today – it only takes 5 minutes”.
A picture posted alongside the update, highlighted that drivers can choose to receive “vehicle tax reminders by text or email”.
If your car is not taxed, you could face:
- A fine of £80 or more
- A penalty of £1,000 or five times the amount of tax chargeable, whichever is greater
- Your car being clamped or towed
- Your details being passed to a debt collection agency
- A summons to court for repeated non-payment
You’ll also need to pay for the time it was not taxed.
According to the RAC you can drive your vehicle on a road without it being taxed if you are driving it to a pre-booked MOT test.
You don’t need to tax your car if you’re not driving or parking it on a public highway. If it’s kept off road in a garage, on a drive or on private land, it must be declared SORN. SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification. You may decide to do this if you’re going away for an extended period or your car is being restored, for example. If a vehicle isn’t declared SORN, you’ll still need to tax it.
The RAC adds that disabled drivers may be exempt from paying vehicle tax, while certain vehicles such as electric cars and historic motors may also be excused.
To set up an online account, or to find out more, click here
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