Cars with Free VED/ROAD Tax

Psycho Sonny · 17 Nov 2017 at 12:54

Do you still need to go online and apply for it or pay for it even though it's free? As in you go on and pay £0 and go through the process?

jigger · 17 Nov 2017 at 12:57

If fines can be applied I'm sure you will have to give notification. We will never mis out on fining people for common sense.

Lashout_UK · 17 Nov 2017 at 12:58

Yes, you have to go online and go through the same process.

Joe T · 17 Nov 2017 at 13:18

Yes, and it's dead easy. Takes 2 mins.

jigger · 17 Nov 2017 at 13:22

A fine for not paying £0. Can you pay by cheque?

TheVoice · 17 Nov 2017 at 13:31

jigger said:
A fine for not paying £0. Can you pay by cheque?

The fine is for the car being untaxed, doesn't matter whether it's £0 or £100.

Yaayuh! · 17 Nov 2017 at 13:33

TheVoice said:
The fine is for the car being untaxed, doesn't matter whether it's £0 or £100.

Indeed, doesn't matter whether it's free on not, you still need to register it being on the road or SORN.

Psycho Sonny · 17 Nov 2017 at 13:53

Cheers I though as much. I thought they would do away with it if it's free to take the burden off the admin costs. So they effectively make a loss on these by doing it this way. Fair enough just seems completely pointless to me. They should be effectively "taxed" until notified as SORN.

Thanks again guys.

TheVoice · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:09

Psycho Sonny said:
Cheers I though as much. I thought they would do away with it if it's free to take the burden off the admin costs. So they effectively make a loss on these by doing it this way. Fair enough just seems completely pointless to me. They should be effectively "taxed" until notified as SORN.

They can't assume a car is taxed just because it happens to fall into the £0 band though.

Randomface74 · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:11

why not

Psycho Sonny · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:12

TheVoice said:
They can't assume a car is taxed just because it happens to fall into the £0 band though.

Why not? People tax their cars by paying for them. If their is nothing to pay then it should be assumed it's taxed unless otherwise notified. I can see why it isn't done this way (to fine people). However it's not very sporting and just a burden on the administration of it all.

pepp77 · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:13

Well to tax a car you need an MOT (and insurance?, can't remember from when I last did it), so if you didnt have to tax, why bother MOT'ing.

Psycho Sonny · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:14

pepp77 said:
Well to tax a car you need an MOT (and insurance?, can't remember from when I last did it), so if you didnt have to tax, why bother MOT'ing.

MOT is about road worthiness.

Tax is about emissions.

2 completely different things.

johnny6 · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:17

It's like a 2 minute job now, I remember a time when I had to go into town, queue for an absolute age at the post office, ask the person behind the counter for a disc which they would write £0.00 on and then drive back home.

jigger · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:19

TheVoice said:
The fine is for the car being untaxed, doesn't matter whether it's £0 or £100.

But can you pay by cheque?

MissChief · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:23

Worth remembering that these cars only carry a 'free' road tax band due to government rules. They could change in the next budget easily enough.

TheVoice · 17 Nov 2017 at 14:50

Psycho Sonny said:
Why not? People tax their cars by paying for them. If their is nothing to pay then it should be assumed it's taxed unless otherwise notified. I can see why it isn't done this way (to fine people). However it's not very sporting and just a burden on the administration of it all.

If the tax bands change and a £0 band car becomes a £50 band car, how would most people know if they don't receive a V11 reminder?

The process is the same for everyone for a reason. Even emergency services vehicles have to be taxed despite being exempt.

Psycho Sonny · 17 Nov 2017 at 15:07

I'm not disputing they need to be taxed. I'm disputing the fact they are not automatically done so until notified otherwise. I think that would be a better process than what it is currently for everyone involved. Anyway I have my answer and it will take all of 2 minutes to solve so I'm happy.

Jonnycoupe · 17 Nov 2017 at 19:21

Not sure what’s it’s like now with the changes however I did Insight online for many years and it didn’t offer a 6 month option

Dr Who · 17 Nov 2017 at 21:17

This isn't rocket science, £0 is the current rate for 12 months, in a budget that might change to £50. If it isn't taxed at 0, that would become immediately payable, if it is taxed at 0 then it would not become payable until the 0 rate runs it's 12 months... simples huh!