Guides
What to check, in what order, before you hand over money
Each guide answers one question that comes up while you are standing next to a car, or a week after you have bought it. They are written to be read on a phone, in a hurry, by somebody who has not done this before.
Every statement about the law, a deadline, a fee or a penalty carries a citation to the GOV.UK page, statutory instrument or DVSA manual it comes from, and each guide lists those sources in full at the foot of the page with the date each one applies from. Where the honest answer is that nobody publishes the figure, the guide says so instead of offering a plausible number.
Guides carry a published date and an updated date, both visible. Rules in this area move: tax bands change every April, clean air zone standards get amended, and the Sentencing Council revises its guidelines on its own schedule. If a guide has been revised since it went up, the newer date is the one to trust.
MOT
4 guides, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
- When is my MOT due, and how do I find the exact date?
When is my MOT due?
The first MOT falls on the third anniversary of registration. How that date is set, how to check it, and why testing early can cost you cover.MOTRulesDatesUpdated 9 sources - Can I drive my car if the MOT has run out?
Driving without an MOT
You can drive an untested car to a booked MOT or to repairs, and nowhere else. The fine, the dangerous defect trap and what it does to your cover.MOTRulesPenaltiesUpdated 8 sources - My car failed its MOT. What can I do now?
MOT failure: what happens next
A fail is not one thing. What dangerous and major mean, when you may drive away, and the three retest routes with what each one can cost you.MOTRepairsRulesUpdated 8 sources - How much should an MOT cost, and why do prices vary so much?
How much should an MOT cost?
The legal maximum for a car MOT is £54.85 and has not moved since 2010. Why most garages charge less, and the retest fee rules to check first.MOTCostsRulesUpdated 6 sources
Tax
3 guides, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
- How is car tax worked out, and what will mine cost?
Car tax explained
Which of the three VED systems your car sits in, what the first year rate costs, and how the expensive car supplement adds £440 a year for five.TaxCostsRulesUpdated 9 sources - What is a SORN, and how do I declare one?
SORN explained
A SORN stops the tax and the insurance need, refunds full months, and lets you drive only to a booked test. How to declare it and how to undo it.TaxRulesOff roadUpdated 6 sources - How do I check whether my car is taxed, and what if there is a gap?
How to check if your car is taxed
Check the DVLA record in seconds, then read it properly. The direct debit that quietly stops, the sale that cancels it, and how to close a gap.TaxRulesChecksUpdated 8 sources
Number plates
2 guides, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
- How do I work out what year a UK number plate is from?
What year is my number plate?
Read any UK number plate for its age: the current two digit system, the prefix and suffix letters before it, and the marks that carry no age at all.Number platesReferenceUpdated 3 sources - Why do UK number plates change twice a year, and does it matter when I buy?
New number plates in March and September
Why the UK issues new registrations on 1 March and 1 September, what it does to new car prices and part exchange values, and when the quiet months actually are.Number platesBuyingUpdated 3 sources
Buying
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Car tax
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Clean air zones
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Clean air zones
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Company car
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Consumer rights
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
DVLA
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Finance
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Recalls
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Road tax
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Speeding
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
Theft and cloning
One guide, filed under this topic. A guide is listed once, under the first topic it names.
How to use these
Read the guide, then run the check
A guide tells you what matters and why. The tools tell you what the record actually says about the car in front of you. Most decisions need both.
The order that works: read the buying guide before you travel, run the free check on the plate while you are still at the kerb, and put the tax and clean air zone numbers against your own mileage before you agree a price. Anything the free check cannot reach is named on the tools page rather than glossed over.