car tax

[bluebabe]

if I display new car tax which does not come into effect until the next month will i be breaking the law even though i had previous tax cover to date?

[Ethel]

Yes, you must display a current tax disc.
If bought in advance, it does not come into effect until the 1st day of the following month and should not be displayed before then.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVe hicle/TaxationClasses/DG_10030643

[THECORBYLOON]

I have never understood why this is, since a renewed disc starts on the first day of the next month and not the current month. Therefore, if I have purchased an April disc, I must have had one that runs out this month surely?

[kempie]

TCL - it is possible to have a gap between an expired VEL and the next one, such as when the vehicle is kept off the road. SORN was introduced to keep tabs on this.

[THECORBYLOON]

You can have a gap between expired discs but what we're talking about is renewal discs. If ma last disc ran out in January and I bought one to-day, it would cover me from March 1st, If it runs out at the end of March it will start 1st April. Does the same not apply to SORNs?

[kempie]

You mentioned renewal discs, the question just says "new".

You can apply for a new VEL, e.g. where a break exists, two working days before the licence is due to start. Thus I could buy my new tax disc for April on 29th March and would gain 3 free days.

[Ethel]

You would not gain three free days, kempie.

The dvla website clearly states that if you buy a tax disc in advance of the first day of the month, it is not valid and should not be displayed UNTIL the first day of the month.

[kempie]

...I meant gain the days if we were able to display the licence when purchased, as proposed by TCL.

[almcd007]

Why would you want to display a disk that isn't in force yet?

There's a simple solution - when you are in receipt of your new tax disk - put a reminder on your phone to go off that morning to change the disk from the old to the new disk - therefore avoiding all of the confusion.

[kempie]

...of course, technically you should exchange tax discs at the stroke of midnight.

[THECORBYLOON]

I said renewal because bluebabe said she/he "has cover to date." It was my understanding that unless it was a renewal disc, a disc was backdated to the beginning of the month. Checking the DVLA site , it does say a disc cannot be bought more than two days in advance of it starting if there's more than a month's break. If it can't be dispalyed until it starts, why is that then?

[Ethel]

Corbyloo - all tax discs start on the first of the month.

If they were sold only from the first of the month the queues would be impossible.

[Jules001]

Why not display both tax discs then you won't forget to swap them over.