Free Road Tax

toopy

Club Member
I need to apply for road tax for my car which, as of 1st April is exempt, but ive been on the DVLA site and it still wants to charge me
and doesnt seem to recognise that the car qualifies for exemption as a historic vehicle!

Is it supposed too? or am i being optimistic that you really should be able to do it online, but i have to go to a post office to sort it instead :(
 

Jon_Flynn

Club Member
Mines the same as of this year (76 car) but post office the other morning couldn't help as it wasn't on their system till 01/04. Going to have a chat tomorrow with them directly so I'll let you know what they say


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johnymd

Club Member
I believe the have to get the car registered as historic before you can use the post office to tax it. You will need proof of its date of manufacture as part of the application by including an extract glasses dating guide for this year. An old publication that hasn't been available for years. You old get the club to date the car but I believe this is no longer accepted. It took several letters and applications to get my '73 240z accepted.

Good luck.
 

toopy

Club Member
I believe the have to get the car registered as historic before you can use the post office to tax it. You will need proof of its date of manufacture as part of the application by including an extract glasses dating guide for this year. An old publication that hasn't been available for years. You old get the club to date the car but I believe this is no longer accepted. It took several letters and applications to get my '73 240z accepted.

Good luck.

Thats f******* ridiculous!! they know its now historic because of the registration document!

It doesnt say anything on the DVLA about applying for historic status, i thought that was for when you wanted to prove its build date and not the 'first registered' date on the reg document?

Mines November 1976 so it was built before that and is therefore, in my eyes, obviously over 40yrs old and historic, not DVLA unfortunately!
 

stuart barrie

Club Member
Mine got done fiew years ago first registered march 1973.
V5 to post office form filled in sent of to DVLA walked out on that day with disc with nill cost on it job done.
V5 back from DVLA registered with historic on it.
 

toopy

Club Member

toopy

Club Member
So, just to clarify for others finding this post

Went to the Post Office with my V5C and current MOT, they send off your V5C with the taxation class changed to Historic. DVLA will then re-issue your amended V5C
In my case the car was on SORN, so they taxed it at the same time and gave me a receipt to that effect :thumbs:

If you already have road tax in force when you change the class to historic, DVLA will reimburse you for full months remaining, just as when selling a vehicle. You then have to re-apply for the road tax, its only for a year each time, but it is of course free to do so from then on :)
 

Jon_Flynn

Club Member
Excellent Toopy. I'm nipping down this afternoon as it's my first chance since the 1st April


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Jon_Flynn

Club Member
Same story here - no problems moving to historic tax bracket. New V5C in 2 to 4 weeks and a refund of tax within 6 weeks.


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toopy

Club Member
Same story here - no problems moving to historic tax bracket. New V5C in 2 to 4 weeks and a refund of tax within 6 weeks.

Excellent, we got there in the end :thumbs:

Now you just have to sort those pesky white and silver/black number plates! :rofl:
 

Jon_Flynn

Club Member
Excellent, we got there in the end :thumbs:

Now you just have to sort those pesky white and silver/black number plates! :rofl:



Well, going by my phone call it seems like they are legal, whether I want to keep them or decide to change. I've emailed them as well to get it in writing as they won't be changed this side of the MOT at the end of April.

I think I'll need to get some new style ones made up and see how they look on the car.


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toopy

Club Member
Well, going by my phone call it seems like they are legal, whether I want to keep them or decide to change. I've emailed them as well to get it in writing as they won't be changed this side of the MOT at the end of April.

I think I'll need to get some new style ones made up and see how they look on the car.

I guess legal issues aside, its really just down to personal taste

Looking at a 240 from the back the black and white plates suit it, a 260/280 on the other hand looks a bit odd IMHO,
i think its something to do with the different, dare i say more modern rear light arrangement that just dont seem to sit right with the black and white plates

and if the plate legality thing is going to be rolling 40yrs along with the tax, it wont be long before more modern looking 80's cars can have them and that in my opinion will just look wrong :eek:
 

Jon_Flynn

Club Member
I guess legal issues aside, its really just down to personal taste

Looking at a 240 from the back the black and white plates suit it, a 260/280 on the other hand looks a bit odd IMHO,
i think its something to do with the different, dare i say more modern rear light arrangement that just dont seem to sit right with the black and white plates

and if the plate legality thing is going to be rolling 40yrs along with the tax, it wont be long before more modern looking 80's cars can have them and that in my opinion will just look wrong :eek:


Yeah I need to see what the newer plates look like - I had always assumed they were illegal (and they were up till today) so my view on having a look and potentially changing them remains the same. It'll just come down to aesthetics for me personally then.


Agreed on the newer cars. Can you imagine some sierra with black and silver plates? Would look horrifying... or in 20 years time when we have MGF's and Peugeot 107s with them...


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uk66fastback

Club Member
I think they are illegal! I don't think that because they have changed historic status to the 40yo rolling emption that the laws on the number plates changed with it? They are two different laws.

Apart from which, they look ***** on a more modern car anyway! And also on a year of car that would never have had them in the first place!
 

Moriarty

Well-Known Forum User
Except from the DVLA (inside DVLA)

Since April 2015 vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1975 can display the older style plates. You must:
•have applied to DVLA, and
•be registered within the ‘historic vehicles’ tax class.

This allows your vehicle to retain its authenticity and be in keeping with its age.

Vehicles constructed 40 or more years ago are exempt from vehicle tax.

The 40 year exemption date rolls forward automatically each year on 1 April.

If you’re not registered within the historic class you can’t display the black and silver number plates. Check out the rules for number plates.
 

Jon_Flynn

Club Member
I think they are illegal! I don't think that because they have changed historic status to the 40yo rolling emption that the laws on the number plates changed with it? They are two different laws.

Apart from which, they look ***** on a more modern car anyway! And also on a year of car that would never have had them in the first place!

On the legal side it was discussed on Piston heads in detail (check out 18th post down - Marshalla - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1565310)

From what I can tell, changes to the Finance Act moved the exempt vehicles goalposts (those with historic tax and at 40 years old), to basically any car over the age of 40 each April (so a '76 car in April 2017). This affected the VED which governed the pre '73 cars as that states

(a) it is an exempt vehicle for the purposes of paragraph 1A(1) of Schedule 2 to the
Act(b)


Additionally - I've also had it confirmed verbally by the DVLA direct that it runs with the rolling 40 year exemption, and have asked them for this in writing as well.

I suspect that it was just an unforeseen consequence of changing the exemption - and has just been allowed to continue.

In terms of look - thats subjective anyway, I might hate something you like or vice versa, thats just individuals for you. And, people will do what they want anyhow, whether you agree with them or not. I apologise if my car offends you with its black and silver plates :smash: but I'm not changing them for now. I'll get some modern plates made up in a few weeks and decide after that.
 

Jon_Flynn

Club Member
Also had a response from the DVLA confirming the legal changes:


Dear Jon_flynn,

Thank you for your enquiry received on 2/4/2017.
Your case reference number is XXXXXX.

There are specific requirements for the display of number plates for vehicles manufactured on or before 1st January 1977.

Since 1st April 2017 vehicles manufactured before 1st January 1977 can also display the older style plates. In order to qualify the vehicle must have been changed in to the Historic Vehicle taxation class.

Vehicles made before 1st January 1977 may display traditional style “black and white” number plates. For example; white, silver or grey characters on a black plate.

We have produced an easy to understand guide, INF104 which provides additional information on permitted dimension, display, font and shape of number plates for vehicles.

The INF104 can be downloaded for free from: www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates

I hope this clarifies matters for you.


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toopy

Club Member
Also had a response from the DVLA confirming the legal changes:


Dear Jon_flynn,

Thank you for your enquiry received on 2/4/2017.
Your case reference number is XXXXXX.

There are specific requirements for the display of number plates for vehicles manufactured on or before 1st January 1977.

Since 1st April 2017 vehicles manufactured before 1st January 1977 can also display the older style plates. In order to qualify the vehicle must have been changed in to the Historic Vehicle taxation class.

Vehicles made before 1st January 1977 may display traditional style “black and white” number plates. For example; white, silver or grey characters on a black plate.

We have produced an easy to understand guide, INF104 which provides additional information on permitted dimension, display, font and shape of number plates for vehicles.

The INF104 can be downloaded for free from: www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates

I hope this clarifies matters for you.

Might be worth copying that into your other thread where we also discussed the number plate issue :D
 
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