TAX YOUR VEHICLE: To get a car, motorcycle, or other vehicle taxed you need a reference number from either:

• A V11 (recent reminder) or a DVLA ‘last chance warning letter’.
• The V5C (vehicle log book) providing it is in your name.
• The V5C/2 green slip (new keeper’s details) from a log book if you recently bought the vehicle.

There are several ways to pay when taxing a vehicle in United Kingdom. You can either pay using a debit or credit card or you can set up a Direct Debit payment system.

You must tax your vehicle to use it on public roads in Great Britain. This applies even if there is no fee to pay (e.g. if a disabled driver has a vehicle exempt from road tax).

Note: You must meet all the legal obligations for motorists before driving the vehicle. There is a Welsh language version for those who need to know how to tax a car or a motorcycle in Wales.

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Changing the Tax Class to or from Disabled

The process for taxing a car differs if you need to change the vehicle tax class, such as when:

• A disabled person used the vehicle before you bought it.
• You are a disabled person taxing your car for the first time.

Note: In cases such as these you will need to apply for vehicle tax at a Post Office instead of taxing it online.

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Other Methods of Taxing a Vehicle

DVLA Vehicle Tax Service by Phone
Telephone: 0300 123 4321
24-hour service
Check a list of phone call rates.

Note: You will be unable to pay by Direct Debit if you apply for road tax over the phone.

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How to Tax a Car at a Post Office

You will need to visit a Post Office that handles vehicle tax (e.g. one of the bigger branches). When you tax a car at a Post Office, unless your car is exempt, you will need to take either:

• A method of payment to cover the current vehicle excise duty (e.g. cash or postal order).
• The details of your bank or building society account if you want to set up a Direct Debit for road tax.

The Post Office will also need to see one of the following:

• The vehicle log book (V5C) if it is in your name.
• The V5C/2 (green ‘new keeper’s details’ slip) from the log book if you recently bought the vehicle.

You will need to get a new V5C log book if you do not have either of the required documents. In some cases, you also will need the valid MOT test certificate.

Note: It often takes a few days for MOT information to get updated at DVLA. Thus, you may not be able to tax a vehicle immediately after it passes the test. You will also need a vehicle insurance certificate or a cover note to tax a car in Northern Ireland.

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Vehicles kept ‘Off the Road’

You will not need to tax a vehicle if you keep it off the road (e.g. in a garage or on a driveway). Even so, you must make a SORN declaration with DVLA to get it registered as ‘off the road’.

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How to Tax a Vehicle without V11 Reminder

There are three ways to renew or get vehicle tax, even if you do not have the V11 reminder. You can use:

• V5C registration certificate (logbook) providing it is in your name and you are the current keeper.
• V62 application for a registration certificate as long as you are the current keeper of the vehicle.
• The green ‘new keeper’ slip if you recently bought the car and still waiting to get the V5C in your name.

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What if You Do Not have the V5C?

As the current keeper, without a V5C or the ‘new keeper’ slip, you would need to apply for a new V5C and tax the vehicle at a Post Office. It can take up to six (6) weeks to get a new V5C and the cost is £25.

As the new keeper, you must have a new keeper slip to tax your vehicle. Thus, you would need to apply for a new V5C (the form is also available at a Post Office).

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Check Vehicle Tax Online

There is an easy way to check if a vehicle is taxed using the online service. Keep in mind that it can take up to five (5) working days for a newly taxed vehicle to show up on the database.

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