Driving a car home from a dealer without tax.

[Dipper]

I'm considering buying a car tomorrow a fair few miles from home so don't want to make two trips, I can get it insured but can't tax it, Post Offices don't open Sundays. Being as it's 1st July and my intention is to tax it Monday my question is would the boys in blue on here take a dim view of this and expect me to make the trip twice or do they think if the situation was explaned if I was to get pulled overwould most officers show leniency?

[Fallout]

I almost did the same thing mate, but thought better of it after some advice from here. They are fully within their rights to seize your car, and if they do they will crush it. So with that in mind, you have to decide if you want to risk it. I would suspect they would say there is no excuse for not buying the tax on Monday and picking up the car then.

[ravingdavis]

Don't drive it without tax, your insurance will be invalid and the police will nick you if they catch you. Can you not tax it on the internet at the dealer?

[DJ123]

Don't drive it without tax, your insurance will be invalid and the police will nick you if they catch you. Can you not tax it on the internet at the dealer?
The problem with this is that the tax will go to the last registered owners address. I'd buy it tomorrow and leve it there, get all the documents then go to PO on Monday to tax it then go collect it.

[tigersaw]

buy the car on Monday

[Ch00]

I have read the policy book on my motorbike cover. There is no mention of the cover being terminated due to a lack of tax.

If you are stopped by the Police you might get a £60 ticket (no points) and grassed up to the DVLA. They will not sezie the car.

If you seen by the DVLA then the car may be clamped or towed and there may be a fine or recovary charges.

[454697819]

Don't drive it without tax, your insurance will be invalid and the police will nick you if they catch you. Can you not tax it on the internet at the dealer?

please sight your reference...

I dont believe that is the case the same goes to some extent for MOT.

[Specialone]

Some scaremongering going on here IMO, I'm sure you're allowed 7 days grace on tax, ie if yours runs out, you have a week (used to be longer before Internet).

I'm sure most cops if they pulled you would use discretion if you showed them a sales receipt and copy of insurance.

Personally, I'd drive it back, but that's the way I roll.

[ravingdavis]

please sight your reference...

I dont believe that is the case the same goes to some extent for MOT.

Check the small print on your insurance document. On my car insurance doc is say that only the minimum level of cover as defined in law will be applicable. So in the case of an accident my 3rd party cover would still be valid but nothing else.

[Fallout]

I stand corrected btw. I've done a bit of digging and it looks like not having insurance can result in a crushed car. Couldn't find anything to do with tax and car crushing.

[Dipper]

Thanks for the replies, my dilemma is that if I don't collect tomorrow I have to take a day off work Monday and make a second 150 mile journey. I've checked and the insurance will be valid, however ther is no way that I can obtain tax.

[Mrs_giggles]

daft Q but why cant you use online?
the car must be registered already right?
if so cant you get the dealer to do it online just to post to your address and you pay him for the amount tax put on!

[Milky Bar Kid]

Your car will not be seized for not displaying a valid excise licence. Nor will your insurance be valid. And you do not get 7 days grace.

Even if you buy tax online, which wouldn't work because the DVLA wouldn't have updated keeper details, you would still be committing the offence of "failing to display a valid Vehicle Excise Licence" and would be libel to a £60 fixed penalty ticket if stopped.

If you decide it is worth the risk then so be it, but be warned you may face a fine for the offence.

[Dipper]

daft Q but why cant you use online?
the car must be registered already right?
if so cant you get the dealer to do it online just to post to your address and you pay him for the amount tax put on!
Not a daft Q at all. Unfortunately when a dealer buys a car it's not registered in their name, the tax would have to be sent to the previous owner's address.

[TamSV]

Check the small print on your insurance document. On my car insurance doc is say that only the minimum level of cover as defined in law will be applicable. So in the case of an accident my 3rd party cover would still be valid but nothing else.

Interesting. Is that relating to specifics (eg no road tax/MOT) or is it a general "roadworthiness" condition?

[Davies]

Had the same dilemma recently, and after seeking advice off here from people I trust:

1) Your insurance is still valid without road tax

2) You will not get any points on your licence, the worst you might get is a £60 fine

Thread: http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=177112

Go for it, you'll be fine

[The Idle Biker]

Just do it.

[metalmonkey]

Don't drive it without tax, your insurance will be invalid and the police will nick you if they catch you. Can you not tax it on the internet at the dealer?

Thats balls, check your facts first, no offence buddy but the wrong info could confuse the issue.

If you do decide to buy the car and get stopped explain the situation show the officer the paper work, please take your insurance certificate with you. Of course you will have the MOT and all the paper work from the dealer. If you are calm and explain the situation in reasoanble way, they I'm sure it may work out, had I stopped you then I would have worked out for myself that you are descent person. Of couse, I can't say what anyone else might do.

As the guys said, its up to you if you can afford to a pay a £60 fine in the worse case situation, then its up you. I'm not going say hey its all cool crack on, but you know the facts so its up to you.

[Dipper]

Big thanks for the help:D

[TamSV]

So, how was the car on the drive home? ;)

[-Ralph-]

Only just saw this, but for future reference, it would seem the worst you were facing is a £60 quid fine. If that's the case I'd be looking at it from the point of view of how much is a day off my holiday allowance at work worth to me? In my case I'd rather not waste a day's holiday allowance to collect a car, when there's a very slim chance I'll get stopped and fined. If I get very unlucky and it costs me £60 quid, then the next time I'm sitting on a beach for the day sipping cocktails, I'll go to bed quite able to accept that the day cost me an extra £60.

I'd drive it home.

[Quiff Wichard]

U got it ? U home ?

[-Ralph-]

U got it ? U home ?

He's in jail and they've not only crushed his new car, they've evicted his family from their home, and put down his dog. :lol:

[Quiff Wichard]

I am waiting with baited breath
Ralph your mrs' mates house has sold opposite my sister I see

[Dipper]

Just got back, the car's great, we've not been evicted and the dog's fine. The naughtiest thing I've done since tying Tommy Smiths shoelaces together at school ...........on reflection maybe I need to get out more.

[tonyk]

Your car will not be seized for not displaying a valid excise licence. Nor will your insurance be valid. And you do not get 7 days grace.

Even if you buy tax online, which wouldn't work because the DVLA wouldn't have updated keeper details, you would still be committing the offence of "failing to display a valid Vehicle Excise Licence" and would be libel to a £60 fixed penalty ticket if stopped.

If you decide it is worth the risk then so be it, but be warned you may face a fine for the offence.

This is the bit where my daughter got confused when scrapping her car at the end of the mot. Tax had run out but on the back of the reminder it mentioned a 7 days grace period. We just drove it down as it seemed daft buying 6 months tax when it's two days out, just to travel 4 miles down the road especially as she was going to tet crushed anyway. We did get a tidy £100 from the scrap dealer. (insurance and mot were valid till the following day).

[Milky Bar Kid]

I've just realised there is a typo in my post - it's meant to say NOR WILL YOU INSURANCE BE IN-VALID. Not valid. Cos it doesn't affect insurance.

But yeh, worst that could happen is a £60 fine for failing to display!

[yorkie_chris]

Bit late now but did you not consider getting the dealer to put tax on for you?

[Sir Trev]

A lot of them get so funny about doing that. The bike dealer I got my GSX from last year refused to but the Ford dealer I went to last month automatically sorted it for me as part of the sale. From now on if a dealer does not help me in that regard I'll walk away.