Road tax change for used vehicle buyers

20th February 2014

Changes to Vehicle Excise Duty mean it will no longer be possible to pass on an unexpired tax disc from one owner to the next.

A new arrangement is due to take effect from October 5.  Sellers will be eligible for a refund from the DVLA if they have any tax remaining, and buyers will have to buy road tax along with the vehicle as part of the change of ownership.

“Cancelling a disc and making the new owner buy a new one will be an added inconvenience for drivers who are changing vehicles, but we appreciate that it’s to ensure no-one is unknowingly put at risk of driving an untaxed vehicle,” Paul Watters, the AA’s head of public affairs, said in the Daily Mirror.

“However, the Government should also consider looking at the current refund arrangements – at present, refunds are only given for complete unexpired months, leaving many more drivers to lose out if a disc is cancelled early in a month.”