Here’s what you need to know about the letter and what will happen if you ignore it
Motorists who ignore a specific letter could be slapped with a hefty fine running into the £1,000s. The DVLA may issue a ‘last chance’ warning if your vehicle is untaxed.
It’s crucial to remember that most vehicles in the UK must be taxed to be legally driven on public roads, or else the owner could face serious repercussions. The primary exception is when a car has been declared off-road with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN), meaning it should not be driven at all.
Typically, the DVLA will send out a V11 document for vehicles that haven’t had their road tax paid or been declared as SORN. V11 forms are usually dispatched after the fifth day of the month before a road tax renewal is due.
For instance, if your road tax is due on May 7, you can expect to receive it on April 5. These V11 forms need to be completed so the DVLA can either tax the car or assign it a SORN status.
Ignoring these letters is strongly discouraged, as driving an untaxed vehicle on a public road without declaring it SORN can lead to a substantial fine or even court proceedings. Official guidance states that a minimum out-of-court settlement letter is initially sent to the offender, demanding £30 plus double the outstanding vehicle tax.
Ignoring this letter and failing to pay the fine is a criminal offence, which could land your case in a magistrates court. Following this, you could be hit with a hefty fine of up to £2,500 or five times the amount of tax owed, whichever is greater.
Moreover, your car could be clamped, leading to a £100 clamp release fee. If your vehicle gets impounded, the costs escalate further with a flat £200 impound release fee plus an additional £21 for each day the vehicle was impounded.
How to tax your vehicle
The simplest way to sidestep any legal issues or driving hassles is to promptly tax your vehicle. There are several ways to do this, but you’ll need a reference number, which can be found on various documents:
- The green ‘new keeper’ slip from a log book if you’ve just purchased the vehicle
- The vehicle’s log book (V5C) – in this case, the vehicle must be registered in your name
- A recent vehicle tax reminder
- A ‘last chance’ warning letter from the DVLA
If you have these details, the quickest and easiest way to tax your vehicle is online through GOV.UK. Full details on applying for vehicle tax can be found here.
