Can I Tax My Car At The Post Office?

If you are a car owner, payment of your car tax is mandatory whether your car is brand new or used. While the key focus of this article will be on the services that post offices in the UK Provide with regards to payment of car taxes as well as other vehicle-related documents, we will also elaborate on how road taxes are calculated and what are the consequences if someone fails to pay their car tax on time.

Can I Tax My Car At The Post Office?

Yes, you can tax your car at the post office if the post office deals with car tax. The easiest and quickest modes of payment are using your credit or debit card or online transfer of funds through your bank account.

Car owners receive a reminder from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency around three weeks before their vehicle tax is about to expire. This is called a V11 reminder. This letter can be taken to the nearest local post office which has car tax facilities and used as a reference to pay your car tax. If a vehicle owner loses their V11 letter, they can use their 11 digit reference number from their logbook known as V5C.

If you have misplaced your V11 letter or your V5C, your car tax can still be renewed through the local post office. At this time, you should also apply for a new Registration Certificate using a V62 application form A for £25.

Car owners in the UK require a V62 form to make an application for their duplicate vehicle logbook; also termed V5C. It may also be required when the vehicle logbook, called V5 does not arrive within six weeks of registering the vehicle with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

A V62 form can easily be obtained from your local post office that is responsible for car tax collections or you may download and print a V62 from the DVLA website. You must provide all the required information in a V62 form, especially the questions regarding vehicle details.

Can I Take V62 To The Post Office?

Yes, you can take V62 to the post office to apply for a V5, that is your vehicle logbook. However, you will need to carry any of the following documents to serve as proof of vehicle ownership:

Your vehicle registration certificate; V5
Your V11 reminder from the DVLA
A valid Ministry Of Transport (MOT) certificate

In case you are applying for a V62 form due to your V5 being damaged or lost, you will also be required to make a payment of £25 along with the submission of your V62 form. These payments can be made in any of the following ways:

Debit/credit card
Direct Debit
Cash
Cheque
Postal Order

However, if you have purchased a new vehicle and have not received your V5, after a lapse of four weeks you can apply with a V62 without having to pay a fee.

It is important to note that you may only be able to pay your car tax only if the vehicle is registered in your name and you can provide any of the following documents to prove your ownership of the car:

your V11 reminder notice which states the vehicle owner’s name and the amount of car tax due for the next tax term

a V62 logbook application form which shows that you have applied for a V5 while the previous one has gone missing

a V5C/2 Green slip that is issued to new car owners while the ownership of their vehicle is transferred from the previous owner

Can I Tax My Car While Waiting For Log Book?

Yes, you can pay your car tax while waiting for your logbook. If you have purchased a brand new car and you are the first owner, dealers usually arrange for payment for your car tax. Most of the time your car tax is included along with the price of your car and any registration fee that is to be levied.

In the case of a second-hand car, if the dealer does not arrange a logbook transfer to your name, you can do the same by contacting the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on their website. However, it is advisable to purchase a vehicle with an updated logbook to avoid fraud or the purchase of a stolen car.

However, in the absence of a logbook or V5, your car will be declared as SORN; Statutory Off-Road Notification until the new logbook arrives which can take up to a few weeks’ time. Your initial fine will be £80 which is due to be paid in the next 28 days. If you are unable to do so within the given time, this fine may be increased to £1,000.

How Can I Apply For A Log Book?

You can apply for your car’s logbook or V5 online through the DVLA website or through the post. It usually takes 6 weeks for your new logbook to be delivered.

Payments can be made through local post offices registered for car tax. You may use a debit card, credit card or direct debit facility to make your car tax payment(s).

You must apply for a V5 immediately for a fee of £25, in case you have not done so. Not carrying your logbook can lead to a penalty being charged by the DVLA.

Informing the DVLA of the need for a new logbook is essential for all new car owners or those who have been transferred ownership of the car.

How Much Road Tax Do I Have To Pay?

The UK road tax system is divided into two separate rates. The first rate applies during the first year of a car on the road when its CO2 emissions are also accounted for while calculating the tax rate. It may range from £0 for zero-emission cars to £2,245 for cars that emit 255g/km or more. From the second year onwards, the CO2 emissions will not account for road tax, rather the original cost of the car will be considered for calculations.

Cars that are valued at or above £40,000 will be taxed a further £335 annual supplement that runs for five years. After this time-lapse, they will be taxed at the current tax rate applicable during the tax term.

The current (2021-22) road tax is set at a flat rate of £155. This is an increase from £150 in the 2020/2021 financial year) to adjust for inflation. There’s a £10 annual discount for alternatively fuelled vehicles such as hybrids, mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Therefore, their owners pay £145 annually.

Will I Get Fined If I Forgot To Tax My Car?

Yes, you will be fined by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if you forgot to tax your car.

If your car is not taxed and is found on the road by the authorities, you will be fined £80 for driving an untaxed vehicle. If you pay the fine within 28 days, the amount will be halved and you will only have to pay £40. However, if you do not pay the fine within the stipulated time, the amount can increase to £1,000 and you can be taken to court or your vehicle can be clamped so that it cannot be driven until the fine is paid.

If you do not intend to run your car on public roads, you are not required to pay your car tax. Instead, you should apply for Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) through your local post office dealing with car tax.

Conclusion:

Through this blog post, we have come to learn that post offices in the UK are indeed very helpful in assisting car owners from payment of car tax to the renewal of vehicle registration documents. As long as you carry the necessary documents and registration details, you can conveniently pay your car tax, apply to renew your car logbook or even fill out necessary forms such as the V62 through your local post office that deals with car taxes.

FAQs: Can I Tax My Car At The Post Office?

Do you need proof of insurance to tax your car at the Post Office?

While you may not need to give proof of insurance to tax your car at the Post Office, you must make sure that your car insurance is paid and updated when you go to make your car tax payment.

Can you tax a car without a V5?

Yes, you can pay your car tax while waiting for your logbook. If the dealer or previous owner does not arrange a logbook transfer to your name, you can do the same by contacting the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on their website. You cal also use your V11 reminder or a V62 form to pay your car tax.

Can I tax my car while waiting for your car logbook?

Yes, you can tax your car while waiting for your car logbook. Payments can be made through local post offices registered for car tax. You may use a debit card, credit card or direct debit facility to make your car tax payment(s). You will need either your V11 reminder notice, a V62 logbook application form or a V5C/2 Green slip that is issued to new car owners while the ownership of their vehicle is transferred from the previous owner.

Can I tax a car online if I have just bought it?

Yes, you can tax your car online if you’ve just bought it as long as you have your V5C. In the case of a brand new car, first, check with your dealer/seller if they have built-in the car tax with the price of the car. In the case of a second-hand car, you can use the 12 digit number that appears on your green slip (also termed as your V5C2 reference number) to pay your car tax.

Can you temporarily tax a car?

No, you cannot temporarily tax a car. The DVLA requires you to pay car tax for either six or twelve months before you can drive your car on a public road.