There are almost half a million untaxed vehicles on UK roads, according to recent estimates. For every vehicle, it is the responsibility of the registered keeper to make sure its tax is up to date.
Anyone found to be driving an untaxed car, van or other vehicle could be fined up to £1,000. And in a new post on X, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has warned people “don’t forget”.
The post in full reads: “Don’t forget to pay your vehicle tax! You can easily tax your vehicle online at: http://gov.uk/dvla/tax #TaxItDontRiskIt #DVLADigital”.
While it is an offence to drive an untaxed vehicle, there are some exemptions to this. 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.
But if you stop anywhere on the way, even if just popping into a shop, or cover an unreasonable distance, this exemption will not apply. 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.
However, even if you don’t need to pay for the tax, you’ll still need to apply for it. If you aren’t sure when your vehicle tax is due, you can find out here