Though it may cost you some money, paying your car tax and insurance is a legal obligation as long as you drive it on public highways. Hence, it could be a costly error to drive without insurance. However, you cannot tax a car without insurance, just like you cannot drive without insurance. Therefore, before you tax your car, you need an insurance policy. This guide will offer you more insight into whether you can tax your car without insurance and in regards to DVLA
What Is Car Tax?
Generally, road tax, referred to by different names around the world, is a tax that people have to pay. It is paid for on, or included with, a motorized vehicle to be able to use it on a public road.
The formal name for car tax, or road tax, is ‘Vehicle Excise Duty,’ or VED in short form. However, changes were made in April 2017 as well as in April 2018. Therefore, if you’ve been making a new car purchase since then or plan to buy one, the amount you’ll have to pay may differ from what you’re paying before. It is an excise tax that you must pay if you own a car. This, either you park it or drive it on public roads in the United Kingdom.
Put another way, it is a requirement to pay ‘Vehicle Excise Duty, an annual payment to the government for a vehicle license
Can I Tax My Car Without Insurance?
The straight answer is No, you must insure your car before you can tax it. Nevertheless, unless your automobile falls under SORN and is off the road, you must pay car tax and have car insurance. However, you can tax your automobile even if you don’t have your insurance card with you
Automobile insurance and car tax are like inseparable twins. When you tax an automobile, you must have insurance. Without a physical copy of your insurance paperwork, you can tax your automobile online or over the phone. However, before releasing your car tax, the DVLA will check that you have sufficient auto insurance.
The law is clear: until your automobile is off the road and SORN (Statutory Off Road NotificatNotification) is notifiedt keep it insured and taxed at all times. When you try to tax your car online or through the post office, the DVLA’s Motor Insurance Database automatically detects if it has coverage and has an MOT.
Only if you’ve declared your automobile as SORN will it be tax-free. You won’t be able to drive or park your automobile on public roads in that event. However, you can keep your insurance if you want to (in case it is stolen or damaged while parked).
If you prefer to pay at the Post Office, you’ll need your car’s logbook or a reminder letter. Also, your MOT certificate, which you may need. You must order replacement copies of any of these key documents as soon as possible if you’ve misplaced them.
If you don’t have valid automobile insurance or if your current policy is about to expire, you should look around for prices.
What do I need to Buy Car Tax?
Generally, to buy car tax you need the 11-digit reference number on the DVLA V11 reminder letter to re-tax your vehicle. This will be sent to car owners around three weeks before their annual tax expires as a friendly reminder.
If you declare your vehicle SORN, you’ll get a refund for any remaining months of tax. However, you must not drive, ride, or park your car, motorcycle, or van until it has been re-taxed, and it must not be parked on the road.
How Do I Tax My New Car?
Typically, you easily tax your new car in your name by putting a call through to the DVLA at 0300 123 4321 (charged at a local rate). The New Keeper’s Slip, also known as the V5C/2, is required.
When it comes to paying taxes on your car, you have two options:
#1. Online
You may instantly tax your automobile by setting up a direct debit or paying with a debit or credit card online. You’ll need a reference number, which you can get from:
- A V11 letter, a reminder, or a “last chance” warning the DVLA sends to you.
- Your vehicle logbook (V5C) must be in your name.
- If you’ve just bought the car, the green “new keeper’s details” slip (V5C/2) from the V5C logbook.
#2. Postal service
You can also pay your automobile tax at the post office in person. Nevertheless, you must go with one of the below courses:
- Your car logbook (V5C) must be in your name.
- If you’ve just bought the car, the green “new keeper’s details” slip (V5C/2) from the V5C logbook.
- You may need to provide a valid MOT certificate if your car is older than three years.
- You’ll need an insurance certificate or a cover note in Northern Ireland.
How Much Car Tax Will I Pay?
The car tax you are meant to pay depends on the type of car you drive. Car tax calculation is generally based on the amount of CO2 that your car articulates and how much is it worth. Each car falls into a different car tax band. And, the cost of tax differs for each one of the car tax bands.
However, the size of your engine will determine the rate of car tax you’ll have to pay if you register your car before March 1, 2001. Likewise, if you register your car on or after March 1, 2001, but before April 1, 2017, the fuel type and CO2 emissions will determine the rate
Furthermore, If you have a petrol or diesel automobile that you register on or after April 1, 2017, the first-year rate is based on CO2 emissions. Also, the following year’s payments are at a regular £140. Similarly, if you drive an alternative fuel vehicle, you will get a charge of £10 less for the first year. And, thereafter £130 every year. Cars with a list price of more than £40,000 are however subject to extra charges.
If you acquired a new diesel car after April 2018, and it doesn’t satisfy the RDE emission regulations, your charge will be a higher amount of car tax.
How Can I Check If My Car Is Taxed?
You can use the Car Enquiry System of the DVLA to verify the status of your vehicle.
Furthermore, your auto insurance information is also examined at the same time. And this is why you don’t require your insurance documents to go through the process of taxing your car.
However to use the Motor Insurance Database check tool:
- Go to the Motor Insurance Database tool page.
- Enter your car’s registration
Once you’ve been able to do all these, you’ll see a page that confirms the model of the car as well as the insurance status.
What You Can Do If Your Car Is Not Taxed or Insured
If you use your car on public roads, you have to pay car tax and insurance (unless you qualify for an exemption).
However, you might serve a punishment of up to £1000 if you drive a car on public roads without paying your tax. There are a few exceptions though. These include:
#1. Vehicles That a Disabled Person Uses
When you file for car tax, you might claim a disability exemption. However, until there is proof of this, you should continue to tax your vehicle as usual.
#2. Disabilities in Passenger Vehicles
Vehicles expressly utilized by organizations to provide transportation for disabled individuals are excluded.
#3. Vehicles from the past
Vehicles manufactured before January 1, 1981, are tax-free.
#4. Cars that Run on Electricity
Electric vehicles do not require the payment of a tax. However, according to the government’s definition, “ the electricity must originate from an external source or an electric storage battery that has no connection to any source of power when the vehicle is moving to be exempt”.
#5. Vehicles Powered by Steam
Vehicles that run on steam are tax-free.
#6. Agriculture, Horticulture, and Forestry Vehicles
Limited-use vehicles that are only utilized for a distance of fewer than 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) between pieces of land owned by the same individual. However, these are vehicles with typically off-road usage, such as tractors and light agricultural vehicles.
In other words, unless you qualify for one of the above exemptions, you must pay your car tax. Likewise, to make it easier, simply go to the dedicated government page and follow the instructions. You’ll need your V5C logbook and, if you have one, a V11 reminder.
However, in the case of car insurance, there is only one exemption, SORN vehicles. Know that when you declare your car as SORN, it must be on private property and not on a public road.
In addition, if you drive a car on a public road without insurance, you’ll face a £300 fine and six points on your license. Also, if the matter gets to court, the fine may be in the millions of dollars, and you could lose your license.
At the same time, the police have the authority to take and, in some situations, destroy your vehicle.
If you are looking for auto insurance, price comparison websites will be your best option. The sense that these can help you compare quotes from different insurers to discover the best bargain for you.
Can You Tax A Car Without Insurance DVLA
No, you won’t be able to. To tax a vehicle, you must first have a valid insurance policy.
You can tax your car even if you don’t have the real insurance document, but you must have car insurance. However, if you are paying your car tax at the post office in Northern Ireland, you’ll need the insurance document or cover note.
In addition, if a car has insurance and an MOT, the DVLA’s Motor Insurance Database automatically detects it. Nonetheless, this information will be useful when you tax your car, either online or at a post office.
However, only if you declare your automobile off the road and file a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) do you not have to tax or insure it. This simply means you can’t drive or park your car on public roads; instead, you’ll have to keep it in a garage or on private property.
In the meantime, you will need a reference number to tax your car. You can find this on a DVLA reminder letter (V11 letter), a DVLA ‘last-chance’ warning letter, your car’s logbook (V5C), or the green ‘new keeper’s details’ slip (V5C/2) you received when you bought the car. You can pay online with a debit or credit card or through Direct Debit.
Conclusion
Car tax, or road tax, and insurance go hand in hand. So there is no way you can tax your car without insurance. Although you might be able to tax your car without having the actual insurance document to hand, even at that, you still need to have car insurance. Unless your automobile falls under SORN and is off the road, you must pay car tax and have car insurance.
FAQs
Can I insure and tax a car on the same day?
Can temporary car insurance be used to tax a car? Yes, it can, and you can do it in one of two ways. Firstly, you could tax the vehicle online or by telephone; or you can do so at a post office. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages.
Can you drive your car straight away after taxing online?
It is no longer possible to transfer road tax from one car to another. Instead, the current owner of the vehicle can apply for a refund, and the new owner has to re-tax the car if the DVLA detects it. The new owner will have to tax the vehicle right away before driving it
Can I tax my car while waiting for logbook?
Can you tax a car without the V5C logbook? No. You can only tax the vehicle if you are the owner, as a V5C only proves you are the registered keeper of said vehicle. The Government website reads: “If you buy a vehicle that doesn’t have a V5C vehicle registration certificate (log book), you may not be able to tax it.
Can you tax a car without logbook or green slip?
Can I tax a car without a logbook? No, you can’t tax a car without a logbook as you need the 11-digit reference number. If you’re a new keeper of the car and you don’t have a V5C in your name yet, then you can use your green new keeper slip and tax the car using the 12-digit reference number
