As a driver you must do several things to ensure your vehicle is legally allowed on the road, including registering, insuring and taxing your vehicle.
Even if you only need to drive for a short period, it’s important to cover all these bases. Whether you’re planning on driving a vehicle for a few hours, a day or a month, you might want to take out temporary car insurance. But what’s the tax situation when you’re not using the car for long? Can you tax a car with temporary car insurance?
This guide takes you through what vehicle tax is, whether you can tax a car on temporary insurance and the penalties for driving with no tax.
Can you tax a car on temporary insurance?
You can’t tax your car without having insurance in place, so this will need to be done first. If you’re driving a car for a short amount of time, you can take out temporary car insurance and this is accepted when arranging road tax.
It’s possible to take out a policy that just covers how long you’ll be driving for, whether that’s for a one-day business meeting or an hour while you drop something off. Once you’ve arranged cover, you arrange tax on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) website, over the phone, or at your local post office.
What is car tax?
Car tax, along with car insurance, is a legal requirement and you can’t drive without having a taxed vehicle. Often referred to as road tax, it’s a tax that drivers in the UK must pay to drive and park their cars on public roads. Its official name is Vehicle Excise Duty and it’s paid to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
There are different rates of pay, and the amount will depend on the car you drive. Cars with lower CO₂ emissions don’t cost as much to tax. New rules around how much drivers pay based on emissions were introduced in April 2017.
It’s important to note that some vehicles are exempt from car tax charges. These include:
- Electric vehicles
- Vehicles made before 1 January 1984
- Vehicles used by a disabled person
- Disabled passenger vehicles
In all exemption cases, road tax is still needed, it’s just that this will be free of charge.
Taxing a vehicle
To tax your vehicle, you must have a valid insurance policy. It also needs to have a valid MOT certificate.
There are several ways to arrange car tax:
- Online: You’ll need a reference number. This can be taken from your recent vehicle tax reminder (V11) or the ‘last chance’ letter from the DVLA. Alternatively, you’ll have an 11-digit reference number from the vehicle log book (V5C). If you’ve just bought the car, you’ll need the 12-digit reference included in the green ‘new keeper’ slip from the log book.
- By phone: You will need the information on your V5C or new keeper slip.
- At a post office: Take either the new keeper slip or V5C. You should also take an MOT test certificate, proof of address and photo ID.
Can I tax my car before getting insurance?
You can’t tax your car first. You must have insurance in place and then tax the vehicle from there. It’s important that you double-check you have cover in place and that the car’s taxed before you drive anywhere.
Can I tax my car for one day?
While you can get temporary insurance cover, it’s not possible to get temporary car tax in the UK. You can tax the car you’ll be driving for either six months or a year, however, you do get a reimbursement of the full months of remaining tax if you declare the vehicle SORN. You can also arrange car tax if you’re using temporary car insurance.
Can I be fined for driving with no tax?
You could be fined £80 if you drive a car that’s not taxed. This amount drops to £40 if you pay within 33 days. This could go up to £1,000 or five times the value of the vehicle’s road tax, whichever is greater, if the case is taken to court.
Plus, if you drive without tax, you could invalidate your insurance policy or at least see the cost of your insurance rise. This applies even if you’ve taken out short-term cover. If you drive without insurance, you could be fined £300 and have six penalty points added to your licence. You could face a driving ban if you go to court for driving without insurance.
Do I always need tax?
The only time you would not need to tax – or insure – your car is if you’ve made a SORN. A Statutory Off-Road Notification is when you legally declare the car is off the road. Once registered as SORN, the car must be kept off public roads, even when it’s not being driven, and stored on private property.
Get temporary car insurance with Tempcover
Before you tax your car, you’ll need to make sure you have insurance cover in place. Whether you’re driving for a day or a month, speak to our highly skilled team who can help you arrange a flexible policy.
To find out more about arranging temporary car insurance, you can get a quote online today. Alternatively, if you have any questions or need further advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re more than happy to help. From there, you’ll be able to tax your car and get out on the road.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I insure a car not taxed in my name?
Legally, you can insure a vehicle that’s not taxed in your name, but you’ll need to tell the insurance provider that you’re not the owner or registered keeper. It’s important that you know the difference between the owner and registered keeper.
- The registered keeper is the person who drives the vehicle regularly and is responsible for taxing and maintaining it.
- The owner is the person who bought the vehicle and registered it with the DVLA.
The owner and registered keeper are often the same, but it’s worth making sure you know the difference when you’re getting an insurance quote.
Can I drive a new car home without tax?
When you buy a car, you must tax it straight away. You’re not allowed to drive it home without having tax in place. So, even if someone in your family has given the car to you, it must be taxed and insured before you drive anywhere.
Can I tax my car while waiting for insurance?
You cannot tax your car without having insurance in place first. If you’re waiting for your insurance quote to come through, hold off looking at arranging tax until you’ve checked the details of the cover you’re buying. When you’re happy, pay for your policy and once you’ve got confirmation that you’re insured, you can tax the vehicle.
With Tempcover, we can arrange short-term cover for you in a matter of minutes, so you won’t have to wait too long before taxing the vehicle.
